Self Surrendered

Have been reading a book, How to be a victorious Christian by Thomas Davis, 1975, Review & Herald Publishing, Washington DC.

There is no salvation in being a Christian in name only.  Many evil people say they are church goers;  but are they true Christians?  There is no salvation in works alone.

  It startled my mind. There is more to being Christian than just saying I believe in God.

"You believe there is one God?  Good!  Yet even the demons believe that --  and tremble!
James 2:19.

You must let the Holy Spirit and Jesus live in you, you must pray earnestly to Christ, and in Christ keep yourself from wrong-doing. Then you will do what is right because you love the Father and His Son Jesus more than yourself.

  Put God first, then others, then yourself.  Cast away any idols in your life.

"Faith by itself, if it is without works, is dead.". James 2:17.  Neither is there salvation in works only!

It's really not complicated. Just put God first, not yourself.
 Don't be self-centered. Be self surrendered to Jesus!

My Friend

God has been an important part of my life since second grade.  I depend on God for helping me in everything: travel blessings/mercies included.

God has blessed me in so many ways.  With a nice home, wonderful husband, good family,  perfect pets, and lots of everyday blessings.

I do not serve God for the benefits He gives me, but I love Him for loving me - for being so kind to me.  He is my Friend who died for me.

Please

Please make sure you are following Jesus Christ in everything.  Because the old devil can make the lost feel saved, and the saved feel lost!  It is the devil's way of confusing and deceiving everyone.

Only with God and Jesus is there truth and salvation.

Where Everyone will be Perfect

When God created the Earth everything was absolutely perfect.  There were no flaws in anything.  There was no sin.  No troubles, no pain, no death.

Then Adam and Eve willfully sinned. There was no need to sin - they just decided not to trust God.

Since then the world has been in turmoil and trouble that grows worse by the year.

.  But  Soon Jesus will come and put an end to wars, starvation, pain, surgeries, disease, death, accidents and all the world's troubles!

When Jesus comes He will take us to Gloryland, His home, which is Heaven where everything and everyone is perfect.

 And there will be no more sadness nor sin nor pain nor death.  Revelation 21:4-5.
Sin will not rise the second time. Nahum 1:9.

How we long to see Jesus and go Home with Him!

Dm

Betty

I talked with my dear friend Betty tonight.

A few weeks ago she was in the hospital with a heart problem.  A nurse checked on her and saw that Betty's heart rate was rapidly going from 41 beats per minute to 30 beats per minute. Her heart would soon stop.

 Within moments a gurney took her to surgery where a pacemaker was placed in her heart.  She is alive today, thanks to God and caring, watchful hospital staff.

Dear People

Dear People!  If you only knew and understood God's love for you - you would love Him dearly and trust Him. You would follow and obey Him.  

God loves you so much. He died for your sins.  Jesus Christ took sin's penalty on Himself - the penalty of eternal death.  But Jesus' heavenly Father resurrected Him!

Jesus died so you could spend eternity with Him in Paradise.

Love Him. Trust Him. Today - Now! - Always!

Statesmen

The Holy Spirit "still controls to some extent the laws of the Land. Were it not for these laws, the condition of the world would be much worse than it now is.

"While many of our rulers are active agents of Satan, God also has His agents among the leading men of the nation.

"  The enemy (Satan ) moves upon his servants to propose measures that would greatly impede the work of God; but statesmen who fear the Lord are influenced by holy angels to oppose such propositions with unanswerable arguments.

"Thus a few men (women) will hold in check a powerful current of evil."

        The Great Controversy, 610-611, e g white

Be Right

The latter days are with us. No one knows the exact day or year of Jesus' coming, but
be sure your heart is right with Jesus.

Now

We hear stories about how we need to prepare for the last days of Earth's history.  To prepare ourselves for Jesus' soon return.  I want to tell you that we are living in the last days right now!

"We are not to say that perilous times are coming, because already they are here!

Are the Deceased Alive or Dead?

The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing.
 Neither do they have a part in anything that is done under the sun.
 For there is no work or knowledge or wisdom in the grave.


Portions of Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10, from The Holy Scriptures/ the Holy Bible

Standards

It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by seeing we become changed.  The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell.  It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence.

Man will never rise higher than his own standard of purity, goodness or truth.

  If self is his highest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted.  Rather, he will constantly sink lower and lower.  

The grace of God alone has power to exalt man.

based on The Great Controversy, 555, e g white

Satan's Tricks - Beguiled

Satan appeals to our reason by the presentation of elevating themes; he delights our imagination with enrapturing scenes; and he enlists our affections by his eloquent portrayals of love and charity.
He excites our imagination to lofty flights, leading men to take so great pride in their own wisdom that in their hearts they despise God.

The wisdom that spiritualism imparts is described as "not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." James 3:15.

Satan will present his temptations in a manner to pervert the senses of all who are not shielded by divine power.

Satan beguiles people by flattery, by kindling a desire for forbidden knowledge, by exciting ambition for self-exaltation.

 It was cherishing these evils that caused his fall from Heaven, and through these evils he aims to ruin us!

based on The Great Controversy, 554, ellen g white

A Real Battle

Whenever there is a witness for God, Satan will seek to negate the witness and bring discouragement. ...I can testify that Satan is not a myth or a fairy tale, he is real just as God is real.
        Beyond the Veil of Darkness, 66, Esmie G Branner, Pacific Press Publ Assoc., 1999


I can testify that the above statement is true. There is a real battle going on for every person on earth. A battle between God and Satan. God seeks to save, Satan to destroy.
         Debra m

Answered Prayer

The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial, God answers - not always according to your expectations, but always for your good.

Gospel Workers, 258, e g white

Deceptive Power

There are few who have any just conception of the deceptive power of hypnotism and spiritualism and the danger of coming under its influence.

Many tamper with it merely to gratify their curiosity. They have no real faith in it and would be horrified at the thought of yielding themselves to demons.

But they venture upon forbidden ground, and the devil exercises his power over them against their will. Let them once be induced to submit their minds to his direction, and he holds them captive.

It is impossible, in their own strength, to break away from the alluring, bewitching spell.  Nothing but the power of God, granted in answer to the earnest prayer of faith, can deliver them.

All who indulge sinful traits of character, or willfully cherish a known sin, are inviting the temptations of Satan.

based on The Great Controversy, 558, e g white

Counterfeit Second Coming

Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Jesus' second coming.  The Savior has warned His people against deception on this point, and has clearly told the manner of His second coming.
See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.  Jesus' feet will mot touch the earth when He returns!  He meets us "in the air!"

"even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14.

There will arise false christs and false prophets, and they will show great signs and miracles, that if it were possible, they will deceive God's very elect.  See Matthew 24:24-27, 31; 25:31. Revelation 1:7.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

There is no possibility of counterfeiting Jesus' second coming!  It will be universally known, witnessed by the entire world. See Revelation 1:7

Only those who have been diligent students of Holy Scripture and have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.


based on The Great Controversy, 625, e g white

Rich People according to the Apostle James

Listen rich people!

Groan with anguish because of all the terrible trouble ahead of you!  Your money is rotting away, and your fine clothes will soon be rags.  Your wealth will soon be worthless.

The (ill-gotten) wealth you were counting on will eat your flesh like fire.  This treasure you have accumulated will stand in evidence against you on Judgment Day!

Listen to the cries of your employees whom you cheated out of their pay!  Their cries have reached the ears of God.

You have spent your life in luxury, satisfying every desire.  You have fattened yourself for the day of slaughter, the last day.

You have condemned and killed innocent people who do not resist you!

James 5:1-6
- New Testament, the Bible, Holy Scriptures

God's Day

Does God have a holy day?

I was in the Spirit on the Lords day.  Revelation 1:10

The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.  Matthew 12:8

The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.  Exodus 20:8-11 (from the Ten Commandments)

If you love Me (Jesus Christ) keep My commandments.  John 14:15, 21, 24. John 15:10

On the seventh day God ended His work, which He had made,; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God created and made.  Genesis 2:2-3

God...created all things by Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 3:9, 11

Regarding Christ's death and resurrection:

And that day was the preparation day (Friday) and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested on the sabbath day (Saturday) according to the commandment.  Now on the first day (Sunday) of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulcher.  Luke 23:54-56, 24:1

Memories of Your Mind

Is your mind gripped by memories you long to forget? held by age long habits  you would give anything to be released from? bound by fears and unholy imaginations?

Know that God will deliver you. He is able! He has won the battle for your soul.  He has triumphed
over temptation. Claim His victory as your o

The devil, the enemy of God and humanity, is not willing that this priceless secret be clearly understood. Satan knows that when you receive it fully, his power will be broken.
And you will be free!

Based on Planet in Rebellion, 173, George E Vandeman

Fighting Temptation

When you are tempted to sin then trust in the power of Jesus Christ. Meet temptation head-on and you will be stronger to meet the next temptation. Give in to temptation and you will become weaker and weaker.

Only those who have met temptation in the strength of Jesus Christ will stand in the last crisis.

Jesus has already conquered every sin and temptation.  So why did I, with God's power at my command, need to sin when sin had already been conquered?!

Be happy, I have overcome the world (sin)! John 16:33 words of Jesus Christ.

Never forget, that every battle of the soul is fought, and won or lost, in your mind.
 Trust in Christ Jesus, He has already defeated the devil.

based on Planet in Rebellion, 168-169, George E Vandeman

A Way Out

My own behavior baffles me. For I find myself not doing what I really want to do, but doing what I really hate. ...My conscious mind endorses God's Law, yet I observe an entirely different principle
at work in my nature....

In my mind I am God's willing servant, but in my nature I am tightly bound to the law of sin and death.

 ...who on earth can set me free from the hold of my own sinful nature!?

  I thank God
 there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord!

from the book of Romans 7:15-25 from the Holy Scriptures - the Bible

Please Do This for Yourself!

Jesus is about to come.  Then Every timepiece the world around, will be forever stopped, never to be started again.  Time will turn into eternity.

Will you please place yourself on God's side?  This is the moment to decide. Eternity has no clock.  Decision belongs to time.  And the time is Now to decide to follow God.


Based on Planet in Rebellion, p 136, by George E Vandeman, Southern Publishing Association 

Cesspool

After Ezra L Longway fell into a cesspool covered with floating grass, he said:
"Oftentimes the devil's "cesspools" are camouflaged by beautiful " floating grass," so that what looks like solid ground ...is nothing more than a cleverly concealed morass of filth."

Quoted from: Dangerous Opportunity by Ezra L Longway, missionary to China, p 97

Blessings out of evil

When you follow God/Jesus Christ totally - He has your back.
He will bring goodness out of a bad situation.

God will bring blessings out of evil, because God loves you!
Follow Him closely in all things and He will direct your paths.

It Is Written

Please check into this Bible-based Website:

www.itiswritten.com


                               God bless you in your search for Truth.

Bible Study Website

Please check Into:  www.biblestudies.com

It is really worth your time, and will answer many questions from Holy Scripture.

Jesus says, "never will I leave you, never will I forsake you".  Hebrews 13:5.
 This is a wonderful promise from God Himself!

Seven Hateful Things

   There are 6 things God hates, no 7
- conceit
A lying tongue
Hands that kill the innocent (Also unborn)
A mind that plots evil
Feet that run to do wrong
A witness who lies & a gossip
A person who sows trouble in a family - (a gossip or a flirt also)

Proverbs 6:16-19 

Idols

Do not let anything or anyone become an idol in your life. In the long run people and things will let you down. God Never will!

Your first allegiance is to God. The Father, Son Jesus Christ,  & the Holy Spirit.

Anything can be an idol: shopping, make-up, clothes, shoes, jewelry etc., automobiles, trucks, boats, images, people, etc.

If anything or anybody takes first place in your life it is an idol - a little god who cannot save you!

You must not have any other god but Me..You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for other gods...
. Exodus 20:3, 5 The Ten Commandments, Holy Scriptures

PS: it's okay to have some stuff, but make sure you Love and Serve God First and Foremost!

Lover of the Sea

On an ocean trip Ellen G White wrote," the waves ran high and we were tossed up and down so very grandly. I was highly elevated in my feelings, but had no words to say to any one. It was grand. The spray dashing over us. The watchful captain giving his orders, the ready hands to obey. The wind was blowing strong, and I never enjoyed anything so much in my life."
Letter 5, 1876, Ellen G White

On another voyage she wrote, that both the wind and "white capped, roaring billows" assaulted the ship. " I remained on deck after nearly all had abandoned it because of sea-sickness. I enjoyed the sight of the billows running mountain high, blue and green, and the dashing spray reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. Signs of the Times, July 18, 1878, Ellen G White

Experiencing the storm led her to think of the "majesty of God and His works....He holds the winds in His hand, He controls the waters. Finite beings, mere specks upon the broad deep waters of the Pacific, were we in the sight of God, yet angels of Heaven were sent from His excellent glory to guard that little sailboat that was careening over the waves. Oh the wonderful works of God!  So much above our comprehension!  He at one glance beholds the highest heavens and the midst of the sea...."..  Letter 5, 1876, Ellen G White

All Above quoted in: Walking with Ellen White, 29-30, George R Knight, Review & Herald

On Pain & Suffering and God

For eleven months I suffered from malarial fever and inflammatory rheumatism. During this time I experienced the most terrible suffering of my whole life. ...in all this there was a cheerful side. My Saviour seemed to be close beside me. I felt His sacred presence in my heart, and I was thankful.

These months of suffering were the happiest months of my life, because of the companionship of my Saviour....

I am so thankful that I had this experience, because I am better acquainted with my precious Lord and Saviour. His love filled my heart. All through my sickness His love, His tender compassion, was my comfort, my continual consolation.

Manuscript 75, 1893, ellen g white

Views of Colorado

While in Colorado Ellen White wrote:

I love the hills and mountains and forests of flourishing evergreens. I love the brooks, the swift-running streams of softest water which come bubbling over the rocks, through ravines, by the side of the mountains, as if singing the joyful praise of God....

We have, here in the mountains, a view of the most rich and glorious sunset it was ever our privilege to look upon. The beautiful picture of the sunset, painted upon the shifting, changing canvas of the heavens by the great master Artist, awakens in our hearts love and deepest reverence for God....

As we stand almost entranced before this picture of nature's unsurpassed loveliness, contemplating the glories of Heaven, of which we have a faint (view), we repeat softly to ourselves, "eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."

Health Reformer, August 1873, Ellen G White

No Haste No Delay

Gods purposes, of course, know no haste and no delay.  Like the stars in their appointed courses His plans move steadily, unshakably to their consummation.

In the fullness of time, Paul tells us, God sent forth His Son.  He waited.  Many things converged to that point of waiting.  There are parallels to the second coming of Christ.

  Many things converge to our time also.  Heavenly plans, Satanic plans, earthly plans all move, and in the divine providence our heavenly Father is aware of those movements.

And in the fullness of time Jesus came.  And in the same manner, " in the fullness of time," He will come the second time.

Battle of the Spirits, 184, G Edward Reid, Omega Productions, Fulton, MD

Story behind Natural Disasters

Even if man can explain the natural disasters as part of El Niño, global warming, or some other 'natural' phenomenon, that does not keep them from being genuine signs of the end.


"The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal.  The Spirit of God is being withdrawn.  Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property!

"Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God's purposes may be read.  They are among the agencies by which God seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger".
Prophets and Kings, 277, e g white

from:  Battle of the Spirits, 164, G Edward Reid, Omega Productions, Fulton, MD

O, Joyous Day! - Perfect in Mind and Body

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns (His coming is soon), He will take His faithful followers back to Heaven with Him.

  Oh, joyous Day! Sin and sadness gone forever!  No more pain or death! No more crying or disappointments! No more hospitals or surgeries!

Everything and every saved person will be beautiful and perfect in mind and body!

  And God Himself will live with us!!!
Read:
 Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 21:3-5
in the New Testament of the Holy Bible - the Holy Scriptures

Worldly Customs Convert the Church

Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ.

Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause sin to appear less repulsive,

(Those) who choose to associate with the servants of Satan will soon cease to fear Satan.

When in the way of duty we are brought into trial...we may be sure that God will protect us, but if we place ourselves under temptation we will fall sooner or later.

                  Based on  The Great Controversy, 509, e g white

It Is Not Enough

God has given us His word that we may become acquainted with its teachings and know for ourselves what He requires of us....

...It is not enough to have good intentions; it is not enough to do what a person thinks is right or what the minister tells him is right. His/Her soul salvation is at stake, and he/she should search the Scriptures for himself.

The Great Controversy, 598, e g white

Respect Your Wife

This is the second thing you do, says God.

You cry and weep, covering the Lords altar with tears. Saying "why doesn't God accept my offering?"

Because God has been the witness of how you treat your wife. You have treated her with treachery! Yet she is your companion, and your wife by the marriage covenant.

...pay attention to your words and actions!  That you do not deal treacherously!

Malachi 2:13-16 from Holy Scripture - the Bible

Modern day Miracle Healing

this past Tuesday, may 17, 2016, I was in the hospital emergency room with a head concussion.  I stuttered, was clumsy, extreme headache, stumbled, blurry vision, excessive sleeping and could not concentrate.

I asked fellow church-members to pray for me. They did and instantly I was healed! No more problems at all, and I'm alert!

All praise to our loving Father and Jesus Christ!!!

The Answer

There will come an answer, though the time is unknown,
He is God's perfect answer, God will send His Own
He is God's perfect answer for all humanity
He sends faith, joy and freedom, love and purity.

God has the answer, for hate, bloodshed and war
The Answer is Jesus, the world needs nothing more
Soon Christ will come and end this world of strife
Christ, our only hope and life.


by Deb M

What God Doesn't Do

In my life experience, I have found that God doesn't do certain things.

For instance:
God doesn't stroke our egos; nor does He give us compliments about our beauty:
our face, figure, hair, make-up, etc.

 God is most concerned with our character, and how we are progressing spiritually.  
God is most concerned with our relationship with Him, and how this translates into our relationship with others.

I have found that the old devil speaks thoughts that appeal to our vanity.  

And when we are totally full of ourselves, the devil slams us down by saying how ugly we are, and that God could never accept such a mess!

But we are fine just the way God made us!

Of course we should always appear put together, presentable, clean and well groomed. But our main concern is to be close to God, and the kind way we treat others as we would like to be treated.

Dm

Let him make peace with Me

Let them take hold of My strength, that they may make peace with Me, and they will make peace with Me.

Isaiah 27:5
the Old Testament of Holy Scripture- the Holy Bible

Not Sanctified

As the crisis approaches a large class who have professed faith in Gods commandments, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition.

 By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side.

Men of talent and pleasing voice and words, who once rejoiced in the truth, use their powers to deceive and mislead souls.  They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren.

Based on
The Great Controversy, 608, E G White

Will This Happen in America?

Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard.  Satan will favor and prosper some in order to further his own designs, and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them.

Satan will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation.

Even now Satan is at work.  In accidents and calamities by sea and land, in great fire-storms, in fierce tornadoes, and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes; in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power.

He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow.  He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence.

These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous.

And then the great deceiver will persuade the world that those who serve God are causing these evils.

The nominal religious class that have provoked God's displeasure will charge all their troubles upon those who obey God's commandments.  It will be declared that commandment keepers are offending God by the violation of Sunday; that the calamities will not cease until Sunday-keeping will be strictly enforced.

Those who honor the Bible seventh-day Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption.  Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government.

And then comes National Sunday laws...

based on The Great Controversy(1888), pp 589-590, 592, e g white

Our Daily Test

Day by day God instructs His children.

By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon the wider stage to which His providence has appointed them. 

It is the outcome of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis. 

Based on Desire of Ages 359 E G White

Things I Learned from Holy Scripture, the Bible

Below are some things I learned from the Bible in 1974


1. Angels are not dead people since they existed before the creation of humans.

Job 38:6-7

2. We should carefully guard our words and actions so no one can use them against us. Others will see if our faith is genuine by our words and actions.

           3. It is better to store riches in Heaven than on earth. Mark 4:18-20, Luke 8:14, 

Luke 12:21

4. Satan will try to influence everyone.  Some influences will be subtle, others hard-hitting. Sometimes Satan will appear as an angel of light.  2 Corinthians 11:14

5. Saturday is the Lord's Day Sabbath. ( an unknown person from Georgia, USA mailed me a newspaper article entitled, “Why do the Heathen Rage.” Which confirmed from the Bible that Saturday is God’s Sabbath!)

Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 4:16, Isaiah 66:22-23! John 14:15,21,24. John 15:10.

            6. Jesus will come again visibly, unexpectedly and soon. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 

A GOOD MARRIAGE IS....

* Is showing unselfish love to God, your spouse, & others.

 * Is forming a family circle of love, and together with God, facing the world.

* Is having daily, family worship.

 * Is not so much finding the right person, as being the right person.

 * Is demonstrating appreciation by our words & thoughtful ways.

 * Is being a courteous, respectful, & good listener.

 * Is being sensitive to the needs & feelings of others.

* Is giving each other an atmosphere in which to grow.

 * Is finding joy & fulfillment in worshiping God.

 * Is never going to sleep angry.

 * Is having the capacity to forgive & forget.

 * Is carefully guarding your thoughts & the avenues of the mind.

 * Is utilizing God's power sources: Jesus, Holy Bible, Prayer & Holy Spirit.

 * Is daily giving generous hugs & kisses to your spouse.

Our Prayers Cannot Die Away

Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. 

...They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are going on. 

Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. 

               Christ’s Object Lessons 177  e g white

Carry Me Through

I dreamed I was trudging up a steep, sand mountain carrying a heavy load of burdens.  I kept slipping and sliding, falling down and sliding backwards.
Jesus appeared and said He would carry my heavy burdens for me, if I would only ask.
Being exhausted I merely nodded meaning that I desperately needed His help.
Jesus picked up my duffle bag of heavy burdens and placed it under His left arm, and cradled me in His right.
Jesus steadily climbed the steep high mountain of sand, His feet NEVER slipping or sliding or falling down. Trusting Him completely to get me to the top, I nodded off to sleep in perfect trust.

Amidst the Strife of Nations....

He who slumbers not, who in every crisis has been the strength and dependence of His people, will carry out His eternal purpose.  He will halt the designs of wicked men, and will bring to confusion the counsels of those who plot mischief against His people.

 He who is the King, the Lord of hosts…amidst the strife and tumult of nations guards His children still.  When the strongholds of kings shall be overthrown, when the arrows of wrath shall strike through the hearts of His enemies, God’s people will be safe in His hands.   By Ellen G White

Read Psalm 91 - in Holy Scripture, the Bible

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you, says God.  Thoughts of peace and not of evil - to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call on Me, and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will look for Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
New King James Version

Let God Carry Your Load!

Let God carry your load.

When you don't know which way to go in life, or your path is harsh - turn to God and ask Him for total help, and He will help totally.

Let God carry the load!

See this Blog, April 11, 2016 "Carry me through"

True Story

Having read that many people die without hope in the resurrection, I pray nightly for the Lord to be with all those who are dying, to comfort them and their families, and to save them all in His Kingdom.  

Years ago I awoke with the impression that my California friend, actor James Stewart, was dying.  I prayed for the Lord to be very near to James, and for him to ask and receive forgiveness of his sins.

An hour later I felt peace that James was safe and fell back asleep.  The next morning I learned James had died during the night.  Though sad I believe Jimmy Stewart will be resurrected at Jesus’ Second Coming.

This all reminds me how important  each of us to God. How much He cares about each one of us!

Further Encouragement

For further encouragement read:

How To Be Happy Where You Are, by Michelle McKinney Hammond
Harvest House publishers, Eugene, Oregon, USA, 2012

We are on Trial

We should never forget that we are placed on trial in this world, to determine our fitness for (Heaven).  None can enter Heaven whose characters are defiled by the foul blot of selfishness.

Therefore, God tests us here, by committing to us (earthly) possessions, that our
use of these may show whether we can be trusted with eternal riches.

Counsels on Stewardship, 22, e g white

Salvation - The Father Suffered Too

The Father Himself suffered with the Son; for “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 

Man, with his human, finite judgment, cannot safely question the wisdom of God.  Hence it is unbecoming for him to criticize the plan of salvation. 

 Before the theme of redemption, let man lay his wisdom in the dust, and accept the plans of Him whose wisdom is infinite.

The death of Christ upon the cross made sure the destruction of him [the devil] who has the power of death, who was the originator of sin. 

Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889, e g white

Our Plans are not always God's Plans

Our plans are not always God’s plans.  … He will bless and use in the advancement of His cause those who sincerely devote themselves and all they have to His glory. 

If He sees it best not to grant their desires He will counterbalance the refusal by giving them tokens of His love and entrusting to them another service.

 ....In the future life [Heaven] the mysteries that here have annoyed and disappointed us will be made plain.  We shall see that our seemingly unanswered prayers and disappointed hopes have been among our greatest blessings.

 Ministry of Healing, 473, 474, e g white

A Promise

Do not dishonor God by words of repining, but praise Him with heart and soul and voice.  Look on the bright side of everything.  Do not bring a cloud or shadow into your home.  Praise Him who is the light of your countenance and your God.  Do this, and see how smoothly everything will go. 

Selected Messages Vol. 2 p 267, e g white

A Person of Power - the Secret of Success

The secret of success is the union of the divine power with human effort. 

Those who achieve the greatest results are those who rely most implicitly upon God's strength.

The man who commanded the sun to stand still ....is the man who for hours lay prostrate upon the earth in prayer in the camp of Gilgal.

The man [or woman] of prayer is the man [woman] of power!

Patriarchs & Prophets, 509, e g white

CATHOLIC

LAUX, John.  A COURSE IN RELIGION FOR CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES  Vol. 1  p 51    1936  

 "If we consulted the Bible only, we should still have to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is Saturday."

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSE BULLETIN  August 14, 1942  p 4  Official paper of the Cleveland Roman Catholic Diocese

 "Q.  By what authority did the Church change the observance of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?

 "A.  The Church changed the observance of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant, claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday.  In this matter the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant."

THE CATHOLIC VIRGINIAN,  Richmond, Virginia, October 3, 1947

         "All of us believe many things in regard to religion that we do not find in the Bible.  For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed to Sunday.  We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the seventh day of the week, Saturday.  Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Catholic] Church outside the Bible."

Even if You're A Really Bad Person

Even if you are a really bad, evil person - God still loves you.  Just go to God, confess your sins, and He will forgive you completely! And He will give you a new clean slate!

If you fall again, God still loves you!  Repent and Ask Him to help you, and God will forgive you and help you and give you another clean slate.

However, God expects you to turn away from sin.
He expects to see improvement in your life.
He wants you to exercise faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

 It is not "once saved always saved".  Because, "faith without works is dead!". James 2:17-20.

- Holy Scriptures Only

God will have a people to maintain the Scriptures, and the Holy Scriptures only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms....

Before accepting any doctrine or teaching, we should demand a plain, "thus says the Lord" in it's support.

Satan is constantly trying to attract attention to Man in the place of God.  The devil leads people to look to church leaders, pastors and theology professors, as their guides, instead of searching Holy 

Scripture to learn their duty for themselves.  

The Great Controversy, 595, e g white (paraphrased)

Obtaining Knowledge

Gods people are directed to Holy Scripture as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of demons. Satan uses every possible method to prevent people from obtaining a knowledge of Holy Scripture, for its plain writings reveal the devil's deceptions.

The Great Controversy, 593, E G White (paraphrased)

I thank God for you

I have not stopped thanking God for you (the reader), I pray for you daily.
Ephesians 1:16

Even before God created the world, He loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.  God decided back then to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself thru Christ Jesus.  It gave Him great happiness to do this!
God is so rich in love and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son Jesus and forgave our sins!
Ephesians 1:4-7

Tomatoes and What a Night!

At our new home I decided to grow tomatoes. 

Being a city-girl I decided one tomato plant produced only two tomatoes a year so planted twenty-four plants!  We had hundreds of tomatoes! We canned and canned and gave tomatoes away and sold the surplus to the market!      

Shortly after moving in, at about 2 a.m., we heard unearthly sounds outside the bedroom window. Andy said he would investigate.  After waiting thirty minutes, and no sign of Andy, I made a search of the house then stepped outside, but could not locate him anywhere!  I feared the worse.

The horrible noises continued so after calling the police and telling them the situation I closed the bedroom door.  Moments later the phone rang.  Rushing to the kitchen phone I ran into a man in the hall!  He grabbed me as I hit him over and over in the chest!  The raspy voice said, "it's me!" but he did not sound like anyone I knew! 

Finally the voice sounded coherent, it was Andy!  Seems he fell asleep in the spare room and the phone woke him up.  He had never gone outside! 

The call was from the police verifying my earlier call.  Andy’s explanation that no one called did not convince the officers and they came immediately.  They checked our property for signs of an intruder, but could find nothing. 

What a night!!!

         

The coming of the Anti-christ

 The coming of the Anti-christ: For satan himself masquerades as an angel of light! So is it any wonder if his followers pretend to be holy and righteous? Their end will be what they deserve.. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

God Believes in You!

God is so powerful that He could force us to love Him, but

God doesn’t use force, because He loves us and wants us to love Him back.  Even if you hate God – He still loves you.

Bad things happen to good people – it’s because of sin,

not  because God hates you.  

God loves everyone.   The devil hates everyone. 

You don’t believe in God?  He believes in you!

Trust yourself to God – He will care for you.

Our Friend in Trials and Sufferings

Sometimes, we are called to pass through periods of trial and hardship.  Our future seems hedged with difficulties.  Our faith and loyalty are tested to the limit.  But NEVER does God desert us.  He awaits the right moment to come to our rescue.

 Maybe you are troubled, perplexed, and afraid; it may be because you have forgotten that you have Jesus for a Friend.   Jesus is “a very present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1.  Take Jesus at His word and go boldly and with confidence and tell Jesus all that is on your heart.

Often Our Plans Fail

Often our plans fail,

That God’s plans for us

May succeed!

Ministry of Healing, 473

e g white

God Always Wins!

If you think you can beat the devil on your own, you are greatly mistaken. Satan (Lucifer) was the fourth most powerful being in the universe next to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We fool ourselves if we think we can handle Satan's temptations and life's struggles on our own.

But we can overcome Satan by the power of God!

I have read the Bible cover to cover and God does not lose! - God never loses! God always Wins!!

                                                    Based on book by Jim Ayer, Some Call Them Miracles, p 42


Description of Lucifer's pride & fate:  Ezekiel 28:2-19 and Isaiah 14:3-17

Curse into a Blessing

And the Lord your God will turn a curse into a blessing for you, because God loves you!

Deuteronomy 23:5

What To Do Right Now

God loves you so much. He gave His life to save you from eternal death.

He longs for you to be happy now and in your eternal Home in Heaven when He comes to take you back Home with Him.

Give your life to Him.  Don’t say no to Jesus!

Life has many problems. Turn away from these sorrows and turn to God, now and always.

God our Refuge

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your refuge; then no evil shall happen to you. Neither will any plague come near your dwelling.    
Psalm 91:9-10.

Perils Surround Us

Perils surround us, and we are safe only as we feel our weakness and cling with the grasp of faith to our mighty Deliverer (Jesus).

Ministry of Healing, 456, E G White

Dear Friend

Dear Friend: God loves you so much. Go to Him with your problems, your worries, your heartbreak. He understands. He will not judge you. He will help you. He is your best Friend - your Friend forever. Trust Him!

Perfect Peace - Do Not Worry

“Like a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those that fear Him. For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are only dust.”  Psalm 103:13-14

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“God will keep you in perfect peace, when your mind is focused on God, because you trust in God.” Isaiah 26:3

And the Lord your God, will turn a curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you!  Deuteronomy 23:5

Unpardonable Sin

No one need to look upon the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit as mysterious. The unpardonable sin is the persistent refusal to repent.

In the Bible book of Acts, the apostle Paul pleaded with Governor Felix twice to repent, but Felix told Paul to go away and that he might call for Paul at a more convenient time. But Felix never called for Paul again.

Felix slighted his last offer of mercy; never was he to receive another call from God.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can count many calls from God to repent and be saved.
 How many calls will God give us? Felix had only two!

Based on writing of G Edward Reid

Excellent Sources

Sources:

biblestudies.com

www.itiswritten.com

encouragementfromdeb.blogspot.com

Stop Worrying My Daughters

...We want to see you trusting fully in the precious Savior. He loves you. He gave His life for you because He values you.

…Put away your distrust, your worrying, your fears. Look away from yourself to Jesus; look away from others to Jesus.

God has spoken to you words of encouragement; grasp them, act upon them, walk by faith, and not by sight.

…Jesus holds His hand beneath you. Jesus will not allow the enemy to overcome you. Jesus will give you the victory. He has the virtue; He has the righteousness. …It is yours by faith because you love God and keep His commandments.

…Talk of the promises of God. Talk faith. Trust in God, for He is your only hope.

excerpts from Daughters of God 145-147, E G White

An Influence that All will Value

Cultivate respect for yourself because you are Christ’s purchased possession.

Success in the formation of right habits, advancement in that which is noble and just, will give you an influence that all will appreciate and value.

Live for something besides self.

…Do good, if you would be cherished in the memory of others. Live to be a blessing to all with whom you come in contact….

Daughters of God 143 E G White

Prophecy of Capital & Labor in the Last Days

Read what Holy Scripture has to say about Discontented workers and their rich employers in the last days of Earth's history. Read the following Scripture below - James 5:1-6,8:

Come you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth-eaten. Your money is corroded, and its corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat you like fire. You have heaped up wealth in the last days.

You (the wicked rich) have withheld the wages of your employees by fraud, and God hears the cries of your employees! You [the wicked rich] have lived on earth in selfishness and luxury, you have fattened your life as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, they do not resist you.

...You [the righteous] be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near!

James 5:1-6,8

Woman's Best Friend

The Savior is woman's Best Friend, and He will aid her in all life's relationships.

Biblestudies.com

Excellent sources for Bible study: biblestudies.com

How to Study Holy Scripture

We should only study the Holy Scriptures with a prayer dependence on God, and a sincere desire to learn His will.

We must come with a humble and teachable attitude to obtain knowledge from the great I AM. Otherwise, evil angels will blind our minds and harden our hearts so that we will not be impressed with the truth.

Scripture should never be studied without prayer. Only the Holy Spirit can cause us to feel the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from twisting truths difficult of comprehension.

It is the office of holy angels to prepare the heart to comprehend God's Word that we shall be charmed with its beauty, admonished by its warnings, or animated and strengthened by its promises.


Based on The Great Controversy, 1888 edition, p 599, E G White

God's Free Love

God's love cannot be bought - He gives it freely.

SIGNS OF JESUS SOON COMING

As time winds down, the signs of Jesus' coming increase!

INCREASING SIGNS IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD
Earthquakes/Disasters [Violent Weather?] - Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11, 25
Famine, Strange New Diseases/Pestilence - Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11
Signs in the Sun, Moon and heavenly bodies - Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25

INCREASING SIGNS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD
Labor & Money Troubles - James 5:1-6
Increase in Knowledge - Daniel 12:4

INCREASING SIGNS IN THE POLITICAL WORLD
Disregard for Justice - Isaiah 59:12-14; James 5:6
Fear, Distress, Perplexity Everywhere - Luke 21:25-28
Wars & Rumors of War - Matthew 24:6, 7; Luke 21:9, 10
World Leaders and Pastors preach “Peace & Safety” –
1 Thessalonians 5:3; Jeremiah 6:14; Ezekiel 7:25

INCREASING SIGNS IN THE SOCIAL WORLD
Moral Collapse, Increase of Violence & Crime - 2 Timothy 3:1-6, 13
Love pleasure more than God - 2 Timothy 3:4
No Natural Affection - 2 Timothy 3:3
Disobedient to Parents / No Self Control - 2 Timothy 3:1-4
Evil increases, so the love of many grows indifferent - Matthew 24:12

INCREASING SIGNS IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
Form of godliness, but denying God - 2 Timothy 3:5
Disregard for God’s will, but doing “religious” works - Matthew 7:21-23
Ignoring/Rebellion against God’s Truth - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
False christs & prophets - Matthew 24:11, 24
Scoffing at Jesus’ Promise to Return Soon - 2 Peter 3:3-14

The closer we come to the end, the more frequent the signs will come.

YOU MAY REGAIN YOUR SELF RESPECT

Jesus loves you…His great heart of infinite tenderness yearns over you. …You may regain your self-respect. You may stand where you regard yourself, not as a failure, but as a conqueror, in and through the uplifting influence of the Spirit of God. Take hold of the hand of Christ, and do not let it go.

Daughters of God 142, E G White

Conscious Dignity

It is the privilege of everyone to so live that God will approve and bless (her).
….It is not the will of your heavenly Father that you should ever be under condemnation and darkness.
It is not pleasing to God that you should demerit yourself.

…While we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, the Word of God does not condemn a proper self-respect.
…child of God, we should have a conscious dignity of character, in which pride and self-importance have no part.”

Excerpts from Daughters of God 142, E G White

Self-worth, Self-Respect

Many struggle with feelings of self-worth and value.

The Lord has given each one of us a sense of self respect, and this must not be opposed….

 God wants us to respect ourselves.

Excerpts from Daughters of God 141 E G White

Downsizing

God never downsizes His kingdom - there is always room for one more!

He could not give anything less

When God gave His Son, Jesus, to die for humanity's sins, He could not have given anything greater - and He could not have given anything less.

Political Corruption

Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance.
Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected.

The Great Controversy 592, E G White

Your Past Experience

Whatever may have been your past experience, however discouraging your present circumstances, if you will come to Jesus just as you are: weak, helpless, and despairing, our compassionate Savior will meet you a great way off, and will throw about you His arms of love and His robe of righteousness.

  Jesus presents us to the Father clothed in the white raiment of His own character. He pleads before God in our behalf, saying: I have taken the sinner’s place. Look not upon this wayward child, but look on Me.

           Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 21, E G White

Limit to satan's Power

Satan… knows better than we do the limit of his power, and how easily he can be overcome if we resist him and face him. Through Divine strength, the weakest saint is more than a match for satan and all his [demons].

Testimonies Vol. 5, 293, E G White

Clouded because of Pain

“Often your mind may be
Clouded because of pain.
Then do not try to think.
You know that Jesus loves you!
He understands your weakness.
You may do His will by simply
Resting in His arms.”
Ministry of Healing 251
E G White


And the Lord your God will
Turn a curse into a blessing
For you,
Because the Lord your God
Loves You!
Deuteronomy 23:5


Those who have a humble, trusting,
contrite heart, God accepts,
and hears their prayer, and
When God Helps
All obstacles will be overcome.
Prayer 33
E G White

ENCOURAGEMENT !!!: Are We That Close?!

Are We That Close?!: God protects those who obey His commands.... Satan has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to co...

See May 27, 2014 for complete quote!