Victorious Christian Living Newsletter
Welcome to the August 2008 Edition
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This issue includes:
3 of My Featured Teaching Articles
Quotes for Inspiration
A Bible Quiz Question
Christian Humor (because we don’t laugh enough)
Interesting Bible Facts
A True Story
Suggested Bible Readings
Favorite Articles from My Blog
Links to My Other Sites
Video of the Month
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Ten Ways to Be a Mighty Force For the Cause of Christ – Don’t Let Others Bring You Down!
Be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.
Abraham Lincoln
This quote is almost the opposite of the way most of us feel about someone who has wronged us, even those of us who are Christians. Many times we do not find ourselves taking the high road of honor and integrity, but the low one of revenge.
If there was any one person who had to endure a severe onslaught against his character, it was Abraham Lincoln. Only 10 days before he took office in 1861, the Confederate States of America seceded from the Union.
Lincoln had only been elected because there was a huge split in the other party, and he was viewed by his own advisers as a second-rate country lawyer who had absolutely no leadership experience.
There were very few who believed he had the potential to lead the country in the worst time of its existence. The previous president, James Buchanan, had already given up, and made the comment that he would go down in history as being the last president of what was then called the United States.
Absolutely everything was against Lincoln as he tried to formulate a plan to reunite the country.
There are probably very few of us who have suffered such an onslaught against our character, but still were able to be strong enough to stand for the right thing no matter who was against us.
Lincoln did not waver in his beliefs and fought for them with all the energy he had.
Most of us look at him as being larger-than-life, and feel that we could never have what it takes to stand so strongly in the midst of adversity, much less make a huge difference for the lives of so many people.
Every Christian has the power of God to stand behind him. He wants to do mighty things in your life, but you must want to please Him more than you want to please others.
Don’t let Satan tell you that you can’t be a mighty force for the cause of Christ!
How do you Stand Strong against Satan?
- You must believe that God is BIG enough to handle any problem that comes your way. You can only do this is if you start to understand His Character.
- God is the foundation that you must build upon. Anything else will crumble, fall, and take you down with it.
- Bathe every day in prayer and get forgiveness of any sin that God reveals. Without His Power, you have no chance to succeed against Satan.
- Learn how to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks. If you are a Christian, He is with you at all times to lead you in the truth.
- Determine you will make a difference each day. Don’t just get into the habit of same-old-same-old and fill up your minutes with things that are not worthwhile.
- Always, and I mean always, live your life with honor and integrity. Choose the high road no matter how good the low road may look. A person of character chooses integrity even when nobody else is looking.
- Read the Bible and live by its principles. God has set them up so that you can have the best life possible. Don let anything keep you from following the instruction of His Word.
- Your feelings will not always lead you in the right direction, so make the choice to stand on truth instead.
- Ask God for the faith you need to believe for what He tells you.
- God wants to meet you exactly where you are at this moment. Pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He is waiting patiently for you to ask.
Fill your days doing the things above; then when somebody does something that brings you pain, you will remember that you must take the high road no matter what your feelings say. You can let God Himself fight for you and take care of the situation.
It is a good feeling to know that you do not have to bring yourself down to the level of others when they treat you badly. You always have a choice as to the action you will take. Be much too noble to give back an offense.
By Cathy Deaton
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Choose to Be Nobody but Yourself – Do Not Conform to the Values of Others
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight. Never stop fighting!
E. E. Cummings, Poet 1894-1962
Almost every person would agree that it is very hard to stay true to yourself in the world we live in today. There is a lot of pressure coming at you from every angle to compromise and conform to standards that are at times many levels lower than where you would like to be.
It is very easy to take the same road as everyone else so that you can fit in and become almost invisible. Then you do not have to stand out or stand up and be counted.
The only way that you can really be nobody but yourself is to know for certain that you are doing the right thing. You must be totally convinced of the truth that you stand for. Otherwise, it will be very easy for others to sway you and make you doubt; once that happens, it will not be long until you are an invisible part of the crowd again.
The more you see of God and His Character, the more you will know that you can trust Him with every part of your life. It is imperative that you learn to hear Him speak to you, and be obedient to what you hear. When you do that, you can know with confidence that His plan is for your good.
He will confirm what He has told you, so you can stand on it with the confidence of one who is standing sure-footed on solid rock. God never wants you to just be one-of-the-crowd. He has a great plan for your life, and He wants you to achieve it. Each of His Children has been given a unique spiritual gift, and it is truly amazing that God has chosen to use us to carry out His Most Holy work here on earth.
Pray, ask forgiveness of any sin, and seek God until He reveals His plan for your life. Then carry it forth with the utmost of confidence, knowing that the Living God of all creation is standing behind you to give you encouragement and comfort when you need it most.
When others try to persuade you to conform to their standards, you will then have a foundation to stand on so that you can continue to be obedient to God and do what you know is right. There will always be somebody to drag you down if you let them.
In the long run, you will be a much happier person if you stay true to your own self by being obedient to God and following His plan. No, you will never be able to please everybody, but at the end of the day you will be fulfilled knowing that you are walking in the Will of God; then you can sleep in peace because you have not compromised your beliefs.
Find out what God wants you to do, and do not stop until you accomplish it. Never stop fighting to be nobody but yourself.
By Cathy Deaton
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Protect Your Minutes and Make Them Good, and the Hours Will Automatically Follow
Take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. – Lord Chesterfield
It is very easy to fill every minute of the day doing something. We even try to multi-task thinking that we can get twice as much done in the same amount of time, even though it has been proven that we are actually less productive when we do this.
It has become very hard for the average person to be able to sit in complete silence for a few moments and rest. It is even harder to think about problems or things that need changing in your life because that means you need to take some kind of action. Sometimes you feel there is so much to change that it will take too long, and are overwhelmed to even start at all.
It is like cleaning out a closet that is jam-packed with many things you do not need or have not used in years. You can always keep the door closed so you can try not to think of the clutter in there; or you can seize the moment, take everything out, and go through it to see what you need to get rid of.
The hardest part is actually making the decision to start. Once that is done, you seem to get into a frame of mind that tells you to make this a priority until you complete the job. Then you feel refreshed knowing that no more junk is taking up space in the closet. You feel that you have used your time wisely and have accomplished something good at the end of the day.
What I have just talked about is the job of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian. He wants to make you clean by revealing sin that might be hidden away, or that you have tucked away because you did not want to deal with it. He does this because He knows how much better you will feel. You know that all the junk is gone and you are a vessel that God can use for His Work.
The job of the Holy Spirit is also to give you guidance and direction for each minute, hour, and day of your life. He lives inside you and knows the truth about all things. All you have to do is ask Him to show you. He can help you to make each minute count for something eternal.
While Jesus was in His last three years of ministry on the earth He was an extremely busy man, but He was constantly in touch with the Father; that way He was able to do magnificent things that really counted for the Kingdom.
I know that you cannot be on your knees in prayer all day, or totally withdraw from life and commune with God in a closet. He knows that you have a job to do, children to care for, and all the normal everyday things that come up. He just wants you to make Him the #1 priority in your life. That way He is never far from your thoughts at any one time even though you may be busy doing everyday things.
You can truly make every moment count so that at the end of the day you can know you have accomplished what God intended.
Do not look at the enormity of the challenge; take one small step at the time, gain the victory over that step, and move to the next step.
With God’s help, it is much simpler than you think to be victorious over something that looks impossible from a human standpoint.
Stand on Luke 1: 37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
By Cathy Deaton
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Quotes for Inspiration
No man or woman can really be strong, gentle, pure, and good without the world being better for it.
Phillips Brooks
We ought to do good to others as simply and as naturally as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne.
Marcus Aurelius
Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct.
Thomas Carlyle
Let us not go faster than God. It is our emptiness and our thirst that he needs, not our plenitude.
Jacques Maritain
The nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
St. Augustine
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A Bible Quiz Question
Who is the only woman in the Bible that her age is given at the time of her death?
The answer will be given in the newsletter next month. Hopefully you will be encouraged to do some digging into the Bible if you don’t already know the answer.
The answer to the 7-2008 newsletter quiz question is The Feeding of the 5000 – Matthew 14: 15-21
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Christian Humor
(Because we do not laugh nearly enough!)
Flooded
There was once an old preacher who told some of his Sunday school boys the subject of his next Sunday’s sermon. Wanting to trick him, the boys stole away with his Bible and glued some of the pages together.
The next Sunday, the preacher stood to read his text. As he got to the bottom of the page he read, “When Noah was 120 years old he took unto himself a wife, who…”
And turning the page he continued, “…was 140 cubits long, forty cubits wide, built of gopher wood, and covered with pitch inside and out.”
The minister paused, a puzzled expression covering his face. He read it again, and then said, “My friends, this is the first time I have ever seen this in the Bible, but I take it as evidence of the assertion that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
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Interesting Bible Facts
Quicksands – The sand from the great Sahara desert is carried by the wind into the sea along the shore. The sluggish currents in the Syrtis Minor and Syrtis Major (two great bays on the coast of Africa) allow it to settle and form quicksand (sand and water in such a state as to move with a current or be tossed into waves by a storm of wind) where a vessel is in great danger.
This same sand was carried by currents to the shore of Palestine and filled up the harbors there. It then crept inland, destroying every green thing for miles, as at Gaza, Ascalon, Acre, Tyre, etc.
Publican – Collectors of the Roman revenue. The publicans of the NT were regarded as traitors and classed with sinners, harlots, and with the heathen. No money received from them was permitted to go into the alms-box.
They were not allowed to sit in judgment or give testimony. Some of them were the earliest disciples of John the Baptist and of Christ.
Palmoni “that certain” - An expression used to designate a person without calling him by name. (Ex. Daniel 8: 13)
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A True Story
The Door
In Decision Magazine, Mark Strand tells of an experience that occurred following his first year of college. His dad and mom had left for vacation, and Mark wrecked their pickup truck, crumpling the passenger-side door.
Returning home, he parked the truck. When his dad returned home and saw the damage, Mark acted surprised and denied any knowledge of the accident.
Mr. Strand then asked the hired man about it, and to Mark’s delight, the man admitted he was responsible. He had heard a loud noise while passing the truck with the wings of the cultivator up, and now he assumed he had caused the damage.
But the weeks that followed were torturous as Mark struggled with his guilty conscience. He repeatedly considered telling the truth, but was afraid. Finally one day he impulsively blurted it out.
“Dad, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“You know that pickup door? I was the one who did it.”
Dad looked at me. I looked back at him. For the first time in weeks I was able to look him in the eyes as the topic was broached. To my utter disbelief, Dad calmly replied, “I know.”
Silent seconds, which seemed like hours, passed. Then dad said, “Let’s go eat.” He put his arm around my shoulders, and we walked to the house, not saying another word about it. Not then, not ever.
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Suggested Bible Readings
Subject: Worship
Psalm 145: 1-3
Psalm 146: 1-10
Psalm 148: 1-14
Psalm 149: 1-9
Psalm 150: 1-8
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My Favorite Blog Posts
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Always Live in the Present
Choose to Live in the Present
As my life has gotten busier, this is one requirement that I have made for myself – to live in the present with everything I do.
I don’t always achieve it 100% of the time, but I really try because I don’t want to be doing one thing and thinking about all the other things I need to do, or how far behind I am in certain areas. I never really enjoy anything when I let myself fall into that trap.
I get overwhelmed very easily because when I am in that mode, I basically think from a standpoint of fear. All that does is cripple you so that you cannot look at things in a logical or creative way. All you see is how overwhelmed you are.
God is pleased with living in the present, because when you live each moment to the fullest you are more open for Him to speak to you about His plans. You will have much more peace for yourself and live in more harmony with others.
Make the choice today that you will live in the “present” and enjoy each moment to its very fullest. Just think of how much better your life can be.
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Do Not Let Satan Devour You!
I Peter 5: 8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
The picture below is a fish instead of a lion, but it makes a dramatic point as to the fact that Satan is always looking for a way to bring you down.
That is why the Bible says the Christian must always be on the lookout for his methods of deception. God has given instructions as to how to defeat Satan, but you must be obedient to what He says. An example of this would be His teaching on anxiety, fear, and worry in Matthew 6: 24-34.
You have the choice to entertain them and open the door for Satan to wreak havoc, or you can choose to trust God to take care of the situation and have victory over the flesh. You must stand on the truth even though your feelings might tell you something completely different. You can always trust the Word of God over what your flesh tells you.
Another thing I noticed in the picture is that the people in the boat are concentrating on the fin, while the humongous fish is right beneath them waiting for the opportune time to strike. They don’t realize that the danger is much closer than they think.
That is what Satan does; he tries to get your mind off the larger thing by getting you to focus on something much smaller that you think is not an immediate threat.
It is not always an easy thing to determine in your heart that you will stand on the truths of the Bible, but it is easy to convince yourself that your strong feelings must be right. Don’t give yourself any other option except pure truth.
Ask God to give you the faith to think the right thoughts, say the right words, and stand wholeheartedly on His promises. As your faith increases, you will be able to stand against the wiles of Satan through the power of Jesus. Let Him give you the strength to walk each day in victory.
Danger can be Closer than You Think
Don’t settle for anything less than the Power of God in your life!
Check out my blog here: Who God Is
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Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:
Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living
Handbook for Victorious Christian Living
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Video of the Month
This is an awesome video of the song Through the Fire by the Crabb Family. It is truly anointed.
God didn’t promise that our life would always be easy, but He did say that He would always be there walking through the fire with us. He will never leave or forsake His Children. Our God is truly AWESOME!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGZyh_iKQVo]
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That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I have prayed about each word written that it would minister in whatever way God desires.
It is also my prayer that God will bless you and your family and start to truly show you Who He Is. He is far greater than anything you could ever imagine.
In Christ,
Cathy Deaton
