Victorious Christian Living Newsletter

Welcome to the February 2012 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

The Holy Spirit recently spoke to me in an astounding and powerful way. It is so easy to look at all the bad things going on around you and feel very defeated that there could ever be victory over Satan; and believe me Satan is a professional at making you feel that the battle will be so hard and never ending that you will never find a way through, around, or over.

It is true that he is relentless and will never give up looking for the tiniest of openings to try to devour you. But God provides a way for the Christian to walk in victory each day.

It is one of the simplest things to do, but also one of the hardest in terms of actually doing it day after day.

All you have to do is keep your eyes on God and the truths that are written in the Word of God. If you do this every day, you will be such a powerful influence for the Kingdom of God that Satan will be very threatened.

Exodus 15: 25 – …there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.

I will give you the summary of the rest of the chapter and what God showed me. It’s not that you don’t already know some things, but God just has to sometimes give you a crystal clear word picture so that you come away changed forever.

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God had delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians in an awesome way. The majority of the 15^th chapter (vs. 1-21) is about the celebration they had because they were so blown away at what God had done.

I’m sure we all would be celebrating if we had seen the sea part and we walked directly through it on totally dry land with the water heaped up on either side. What an awesome thing to see!

Then almost immediately God would let them go through a test because He wanted to show them His Greatness and also how much He loved them. They walked in the wilderness three days without finding water, and when they did come to a drinking place, the water was very bitter and undrinkable. They called this place Marah because the water was bad.

You can imagine that the Israelites, all 2 – 3 million of them, were not in a very good mood by this time. In fact, they were all probably almost to the point of a riot.

Since Moses was powerless to do anything else, he fell on his face before God and cried out to him with an extremely passionate plea. The Hebrew word “cried” means to shriek, or to proclaim. Wouldn’t you have done the same if you were in his situation?  I’m sure he had more than once thought about his safety and well being with this angry mob.

When God saw that Moses was sincere in asking, He showed him what to do to solve the problem.

Vs 25 And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

The statute, or principle and the ordinance, or right was this:

That in all seasons of need and seeming impossibility the Lord would send deliverance straight from above, and that Israel might expect this during their wilderness journey.

The statute is for all times the principle of God’s guidance; the ordinance, the right or privilege of our heavenly citizenship.

But He also ever “proves” us by this that the enjoyment of our right and privilege is made to depend upon a constant exercise of faith.

Taken from Bible History of the Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim

So many times I have thought of problems or hard circumstances as things that are really bad, but have seldom thought of them as things that could be used to make me build character or grow stronger as a Christian.

The last four words of the above quote “constant exercise of faith” really opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes God allows hard things to come into my life just because He wants to make me into a stronger Christian who will make the choice to depend on Him no matter what comes my way. He loves me more than anyone else ever could, and wants me to have such a close relationship with Him that I know His Character – which is He always wants the BEST for my life.

In turn, that means that I totally believe that whatever the Bible says is true, and I won’t entertain thoughts of anything less. No matter what Satan might want me to believe, I only believe what God says, knowing that He will be responsible for bringing to pass what He has promised.

Vs 26-27 (this continued from verse 25)

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statues, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and three score and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

God wanted to show them that He already had a wonderful plan in mind to meet their needs even before they encountered the problem. All they could see was a vast desert stretching before them and a pool of bad water; God saw the whole desert from above and knew just how far they were from wonderful shade and already knew exactly how He would handle the problem of the bitter water.

I have wondered if He made the water bitter just to teach them an awesome lesson they would not forget about His ability to always take care of them even in the worst of situations.

The next time you are faced with a “wilderness experience” remember that God already knows exactly where your deliverance will come from and when it will happen. Trust Him with everything in you and then let Him work supernaturally on your behalf to handle whatever problem arises!

Something To Think About

F B Meyer’s Formula

One night as the famous Bible teacher F B Meyer stood on the deck of a ship approaching land, he wondered how the crew knew when and how to safely steer to the dock. It was a stormy night, and visibility was low.

Meyer, standing on the bridge and peering through the window, asked “Captain, how do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbor?”

“That’s an art,” replied the captain. “Do you see three red lights on the shore? When they’re all in a straight line I go right in!”

Later Meyer said: When we want to know God’s will, there are three things which always occur: the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances.

Never act until these three things agree!

Interesting Bible Facts

Hyssop

(Heb. ezob. ) The ezob was used for sprinkling in some of the sacrifices and purifications of the Jews. In consequence of its detergent qualities, or from its being associated with the purificatory Services, the psalmist makes use of the expression, “Purge me with ezob .”  It is described in I Kings 4:33 as growing on or near walls. (Besides being thus fit for sprinkling, having cleansing properties and growing on walls, the true hyssop should be a plant common to Egypt, Sinai and Palestine, and capable of producing a stick three or four feet long since on a stalk of hyssop the sponge of vinegar was held up to Christ on the cross.

It is impossible to precisely identify the plant because the name was given not to a particular plant but to a family of plants associated together by Hyssop, qualities easily noticed rather than by close botanical affinities. Different species of the family may have been used at different times. The hyssop of the Bible is probably one (or all) of three plants:–

1.The common hyssop is “a shrub with low, bushy stalks 1 1/2 feet high, small pear shaped, close-setting opposite leaves all the stalks and branches terminated by erect whorled spikes of flowers of different colors in the varieties. It is a hardy plant, with an aromatic smell and a warm, pungent taste; a native of the south of Europe and the East.”–ED.)

2.Bochart decides in favor of marjoram, or some plant like it, and to this conclusion, it must be admitted, all ancient tradition points. (This is the Origanum maru , the zatar of the Arabs. The French consul at Sidon exhibited to Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” i. 161) a specimen of this “having the fragrance of thyme, with a hot, pungent taste, and long slender stems.” Dr. Post of Beirut, in the American edition of Smiths large Dictionary, favors this view.–ED.)

3.But Dr.Royle, after a careful investigation of the subject, arrives at the conclusion that the hyssop is no other than the caperplant, or Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. The Arabic name of this plant, asuf , by which it is sometimes though not commonly, described, bears considerable resemblance to the Hebrew. “It is a bright-green creeper, which climbs from the fissures of the rocks, is supposed to possess cleansing properties, and is capable of yielding a stick to which a sponge might be attached.” –Stanky, “Sinai and Palestine,” 23. –It produces a fruit the size of a walnut, called the mountain pepper.

Highways

Though during the sway of the Romans over Palestine they made a few substantial roads for their carts and chariots, yet for the most of the time, as today, the Jews had nothing such as we call roads, but only footpaths through which animals walk in single file. These are never cared for, no repairs are made or obstacles removed. This fact brings into striking prominence the figure of repairing a highway for the return Of the captives, or the coming of the great King. On special occasions kings had roads prepared for the progress of their armies, or their own going from place to place. –ED.

Hanging, Hangings

1.The “hanging” was a curtain or covering to close an entrance; one was placed before the door of the tabernacle. Exod 26:36,37; 39:38

2.The “hangings”; were used for covering, the walls of the court of the tabernacles just as tapestry is used in modern times.

Head-dress

The Hebrews do not appear to have regarded a covering for the head as an essential article of dress. Hats were unknown. The earliest notice we have of such a thing is in connection with the sacerdotal vestments. The tsaniph (something like a turban) is noticed as being worn by nobles, ladies, and kings, while the peer was an article of holiday dress (Authorized Version “beauty;”and was worn at weddings.

The ordinary head-dress of the Bedouin consists of the keffieh , a square handkerchief, generally of red and yellow cotton or cotton and silk, folded so that three of the corners hang down over the back and shoulders, leaving the face exposed, and bound round the head by a cord. It is not improbable that a similar covering was used by the Hebrews on certain occasions.

The Assyrian head-dress is described in Ezekiel 23:15 under the terms “exceeding in dyed attire.” The word rendered “hats” in Daniel 3:21 properly applies to a cloak.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

(More on How to Discern God’s Will)

George Mueller’s Six Steps

Evangelist and philanthropist George Mueller, born in Germany, became one of the most powerful evangelical leaders in nineteenth-century England and is particularly remembered for his work with orphans. He once articulated six principles he followed when seeking the Lord’s Will:

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3. I see the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
4. Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
6. Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving more important issues, I have found this method always effective.

J Oswald Sanders on Guidance

I try to gather all the information and all the facts that are involved in a decision, and then weigh them up and pray them over in the Lord’s presence, and trust the Holy Spirit to sway my mind in the direction of God’s will. And God generally guides by presenting reasons to my mind for acting in a certain way.

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

Troubles and Trials Are Not Always A Bad Thing

God puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness. -David Platt-

I wish so much that I had realized this much earlier in my Christian life.

It is so easy to look at troubles and trials as really bad things, or think that God is mad with you or punishing you for something. In the book of Job, Job’s friends came to the conclusion that he must have done some horrible sin to be going through such terrible trials.

I am seeing more and more that God does initiate things that are out of our control so we will be put in a position of desperation to trust in Him. When we absolutely can’t do it for ourselves, it is only God who will be thanked, praised, and worshiped for what He has done to miraculously bring about an answer to our problem.

The more you study the Bible and learn about God’s Character, the more you will know you can trust Him with every detail of your life. He will always have something better and more complex in mind than you can ever imagine. He always sees the “big picture” and knows exactly how your part will fit into the piece of the puzzle.

I’m certainly not saying that this is an easy way to live, because you usually can’t physically see how everything will turn out. But the way you respond to God’s call reveals much about who you think He is.
Make the choice right now to walk in obedience to Him even though you may not be able to see the end result beforehand. It will be a magnificent ride!

Welcome to the December 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

Learn To Walk In The Spiritual Rain

Deuteronomy 11: 8-14

Deu 11:8 Soon you will cross the Jordan River, and if you obey the laws and teachings I’m giving you today, you will be strong enough to conquer the land

Deu 11:9 that the LORD promised your ancestors and their descendants. It’s rich with milk and honey, and you will live there and enjoy it for a long time.

Deu 11:10 It’s better land than you had in Egypt, where you had to struggle just to water your crops.

Deu 11:11 But the hills and valleys in the promised land are watered by rain from heaven,

Deu 11:12 because the LORD your God keeps his eye on this land and takes care of it all year long.

Deu 11:13 The LORD your God commands you to love him and to serve him with all your heart and soul. If you obey him,

Deu 11:14 he will send rain at the right seasons, so you will have more than enough food, wine, and olive oil, and there will be plenty of grass for your cattle.    CEV

During a recent really nice rain (the kind that is light enough the dry ground can soak it up before it gets a chance to run off,) the Holy Spirit showed me an awesome word picture. It was sort of like a light bulb coming on that gave me a clear understanding about the above verses.

God told the Israelites that if they would obey His commands and love and serve Him with all their hearts, He would take care of them by sending the right amount of rain from heaven at just the right time to take care of their needs.  The rain they received would be perfect for the crops they were growing and would soak in for maximum benefit and yield.

When we have been in the middle of a drought, I have seen it rain so hard that the ground could not possibly soak up the rain fast enough and the majority of it just ran off to lower ground. If we got three inches, we may have only received the benefit of half the rain because of the run-off.

God wants to send His best spiritual rain into your life so it can always be fertile and open for growing maximum yields of fruit. He never wants the fertile ground of your heart to become dry, hard, rocky, and devoid of life-giving water that keeps it ready to plant a crop at any time.

We as Christians should always keep our mind, heart and ears open to hear the Holy Spirit and walk in obedience to His direction. It is then that the truth can soak in and change us from the inside, to be a powerful and fruit-filled Christian who can do great things for the Kingdom of God.

To “soak truth in” means to meditate and absorb a little at a time. Your mind always wants to rebel at something that is very different from what you know now. It tries to justify what you are doing now as right and the new thing as wrong, with its purpose being to throw you off and make you go in the wrong direction.

Let the word soak in and truly change your life by doing it slowly and surely. We usually wish we could grow and mature much faster than we do, but slowly and surely will always get the job done much better and the growth you have accomplished will last forever.

The Holy Spirit wants your heart to stay fertile and tilled so that it will be very easy for Him to give you direction in a certain area and know that He won’t have to spend days, weeks, or months trying to get you to think about things another way. He never wants you to get stuck in a certain way of doing things and be so stuck that you won’t consider doing them another way.

But…the Holy Spirit will never lead you to do something that is contrary to the Word of God. Even though God works in a much different way than we might think, He would never lead you to do something that is not in alignment with His Word. It might not make sense to you, but it always makes perfect sense to God because He can see the whole picture.

Make the choice now that you will be open to hear God and walk in obedience to what He tells you to do.

Something To Think About

The Face of Christ

In his book, When There Is No Miracle, Robert Wise wrote about hearing a man named Cecil Henson tell his “death story” many times. In 1940, Cecil was pronounced dead for 20 or 30 minutes, and after his resuscitation and recovery, he was a different man, no longer angry and now ready to pour himself into the raising of his young son Van (who later became a successful oral surgeon.)

Cecil said that during his period of “twilight” he encountered Jesus in person. In those moments he looked fully into the face of the risen Christ and saw Him in all His glory.

Robert Wise said, It is Cecil’s description of His face that has gripped my imagination through the years. He saw the face of Jesus as a marvelous mosaic made up of a hundred small faces.

Each piece added a shade or line to the total picture. So in looking into this composite face he could see the countenance of Christ. But as he looked, he could see a hundred parts.

The startling realization was that the mosaic pieces were not tile, metal, or glass. Each small section was a clear, distinct, cameo of someone’s face. As Cecil stared fixedly at the face there was a pulsating fluctuation between the total face and the cameo sections. One minute he could see the Face and then in the next he was aware of hundreds of faces.

In awe Cecil began to recognize what was revealed in each of those cameos. They were all people he knew. Moreover, they were all people who had loved him and given him kindness during his life. He could see an aunt and an uncle.

And there was his mother and on the other side his father’s face moved into focus. School teachers, friends, associates, people who had already become part of conveying the human picture of Christ.

Overwhelmed in worship and amazement, Cecil bowed before the risen Lord. In the lingering moments of that experience, anxieties, fears and doubts were healed. When Cecil “returned” to start his life again, the face of Jesus guided him through the years ahead. Christ and the Cross remained sufficient for him until, over 20 years later, he died.

Interesting Bible Facts

Chain

Chains were used,

1.As badges of office;

2.For ornament;

3.For confining prisoners.

4.The gold chain placed about Josephs neck, and that promised to Daniel, are instances of the first use. In Ezekiel 16:11 the chain is mentioned as the symbol of sovereignty.

5.Chains for ornamental purposes were worn by men as well as women. The Midianites adorned the necks of their camels with chains. Step-chains were attached to the ankle-rings.

6.The means adopted for confining prisoners among the Jews were fetters similar to our handcuffs. Among the Romans the prisoner was handcuffed to his guard, and occasionally to two guards.

Cooking

As meat did not form an article of ordinary diet among the Jews, the art of cooking was not carried to any perfection. Few animals were slaughtered except for purposes of hospitality or festivity.

The proceedings on such occasions appear to have been as follows: –On the arrival of a guest, the animal, either a kid, lamb or calf, was killed, its throat being cut so that the blood might be poured out, it was then flayed, and was ready for either roasting or boiling. In the former case the animal was preserved entire, and roasted either over a fire, of wood, or perhaps in an oven, consisting simply of a hole dug in the earth, well heated, and covered up. Boiling, however, was the more usual method of cooking.

Citizenship

The use of this term in Scripture has exclusive reference to the usages of the Roman empire. The privilege of Roman citizenship was originally acquired in various ways, as by purchase, by military services, by favor or by manumission.

The right once obtained descended to a man’s children.  Among the privileges attached to citizenship we may note that a man could not be bound or imprisoned without a formal trial, still less be scourged. Another privilege attaching to citizenship was the appeal from a provincial tribunal to the emperor at Rome.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

The Story of John Pounds

It was a terrible fall, and it sickened those who saw it. John Pounds, a tall, muscular teen laborer at the docks of Portsmouth, England, slipped and plunged from the top of a ship’s mast, pitching headfirst into the bowels of the vessel.

When fellow workers reached him, he was nothing but a mass of broken bones. For two years he lay in bed as his bones healed crookedly. His pain never ceased. Out of boredom, he began to read the Bible.

At length, John crawled from bed hoping to find something he could do with his life. A shoemaker hired him, and day after day, John sat at his cobbler’s bench, a Bible open on his lap. Soon he was born again.

John ultimately gathered enough money to purchase his own little shoe shop, and one day he developed a pair of surgical boots for his crippled nephew Johnny, whom he had taken in.

Soon John was making corrective shoes for other children, and his little cobbler’s shop became a miniature children’s hospital.

As John’s burden for children grew, he began receiving homeless ones, feeding them, teaching them to read, and telling them about the Lord. His shop became known as “The Ragged School,” and John would limp around the waterfront, food in his pockets, looking for more children to tend.

During his lifetime, John Pounds rescued 500 children from despair and led every one of them to Christ. Moreover, his work became so famous that a “Ragged School Movement” swept England, and a series of laws were passed to establish schools for poor children in John’s honor – boys homes, girls homes, day schools, and evening schools were started, along with Bible classes in which thousands heard the Gospel.

When John collapsed and died on New Year’s Day, 1839, while tending to a boy’s ulcerated foot, he was buried in a church yard on High Street. All England mourned, and a monument was erected over his grace, reading: “Thou shalt be blessed, for they could not recompense thee.

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

Prayer Is The True Gauge Of Spiritual Power

Charles Spurgeon delivered an awesome essay on prayer in September of 1871, and things have not changed since then as to what he said about your spiritual condition as it directly relates to your prayer life. It is an awesome and convicting read.

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When a man becomes cold, indifferent, and careless, one of the first things that will suffer will be his devotion. When a sick man is in a decline his lungs suffer and his voice; and so when a Christian is in a spiritual decline the breath of prayer is affected, and the cry of supplication becomes weak. Prayer is the true gauge of spiritual power. To restrain prayer is dangerous, and of deadly tendency. You may depend upon it that, take it for all in all, what you are upon your knees you are really before your God. What the Pharisee and the Publican were in prayer was the true criterion of their spiritual state.

You may maintain a decent repute among men, but it is a small matter to be judged of man’s judgment, for men see only the surface, while the Lord’s eyes pry into the recesses of the soul. If he sees that you are prayerless he makes small account of your attendance at religious meetings, or your loud professions of conversion. If you are a man of earnest prayer, and especially if the spirit of prayer be in you, so that in addition to certain seasons of supplication your heart habitually talks with God, things are right with you; but if this be not the case, and your prayers be “hindered,” there is something in your spiritual system which needs to be ejected, or somewhat lacking which ought at once to be supplied. “Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life;” and living prayers are among those issues.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “Hindrances To Prayer,” delivered September 13, 1871.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Welcome to the November 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

The Word And Its Astounding Effect

Acts 2: 14-36 gives Peter’s (what is now famous) Sermon on the Mount. It was a mere 448 words (KJV) which would have taken only a few minutes to say at most, but at his invitation at least three thousand people accepted Christ. Not only did they accept Christ, their lives were radically changed and those few thousand people turned the world upside down for Christianity.

What happened on that day had nothing to do with Peter’s talent or eloquence in speaking. He was merely a vessel that God could use to pour out His Power so that people could be changed. I’m sure that Peter was astounded at what happened. He certainly had to know that it was nothing he had done that had caused this huge outpouring.

It seems that most of us must become miserable in the way we are now in order for us to want “change.” The people in that day must have been so tired of their current lives that they wanted something better even though they might have been anxious as to what might happen in the future.

Also the presence of the Holy Spirit was working in an extremely powerful way in the thinking and hearing of those people present to hear Peter’s sermon.

As I was thinking about this passage I wondered, what is the hindrance for our churches today turning the world upside down for Christ?

I think more than anything else it is not being obedient to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. When God speaks, He expects us to be listening and walk immediately in obedience to what He has told us.

AND…many times He will tell us to do something that will be absolutely impossible from a human standpoint. The only way we will be able to accomplish it is by the awesome Power of God.

When Peter preached that great sermon in Acts, they listened to the Word and not the person preaching it. They didn’t put a person up on a pedestal. The Word itself was the thing that drew people to listen and it totally changed their life forever.

John 6:63

It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

Quickeneth in the Greek means to vitalize or make alive

The words that God speaks are filled with power and are true life to those who will live and abide by them. But you absolutely cannot do things from a human perspective and expect God to bless it.

He sees the whole picture and knows exactly how your part fits in with the rest of the puzzle. It makes perfect sense to Him even though you might not understand it at all.

He wants you to trust Him enough to believe that He has everything under control. The more you study the Bible and discover His Character, the more you will be able to trust Him with everything in your life.

It will truly astound you at what God will be able to accomplish through your life when you surrender your all to Him!

Something To Think About

Forgiveness Unclogs A Pipeline

Victor Guaminga, an Ecuadorian Christian, is a World Vision project coordinator in his own country. Wanting to eradicate water-borne diseases in his home village, Laime Chico, Victor developed a plan for building a pipeline to supply the villagers with clean, drinkable water from a source some distance away.

Unfortunately, the best path for such a pipeline was right through Laime San Carlos, a rival village – one with which Victor’s village had a long-lasting feud.

When certain implacable enemies in the rival village heard about the proposed water line, they made it known that they would destroy any pipes laid for that purpose. Therefore, the whole plan was stymied.

In spite of their neighbors’ hostility, however, Christians in Victor’s village, knowing that the other village had no church, decided to conduct an evangelistic effort there.

Doing so was both difficult and dangerous. Not many of the rival village’s people paid any attention to the evangelizers. But four did respond to the gospel message and became believers in Christ.

After being spiritually nurtured by believers from Victor’s church, the four converts became faithful witnesses to others in their own village. Slowly, a church formed there also.

Eventually the man who had most vehemently opposed the water project became a believer himself. Seeing, then, how wrong his attitude had been, he asked forgiveness and gave his cooperation to the project.

Five years after that project in Ecuador was proposed, clean, drinkable water flowed through dependable pipes not only to Victor’s village, but to the formerly hostile one, plus two other nearby villages.

And now there are growing churches in all four places.

Interesting Bible Facts

Uncleanness

The distinctive idea attached to ceremonial uncleanness among the Hebrews was that it cut a person off for the time from social privileges, and left his citizenship among Gods people for the while in abeyance. There is an intense reality in the fact of the divine law taking hold of a man by the ordinary infirmities of flesh, and setting its stamp, as it were, in the lowest clay of which he is molded.

The sacredness attached to the human body is parallel to that which invested the Ark of the Covenant itself. It is as though Jehovah thereby would teach men that the “very hairs of their head were all numbered” before him and that “in his book were all their members written.” Thus was inculcated so to speak a bodily holiness. Nor were the Israelites to be only “separated from other people,” but they were to be “holy to God,”  “a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”

The importance to physical well-being of the injunctions which required frequent ablution, under whatever special pretexts, can be but feebly appreciated in our cooler and damper climate. Uncleanness, as referred to men, may be arranged in three degrees:

1.That which defiled merely “until even.” and was removed by bathing and washing the clothes at the end of it; such were all contacts with dead animals.

2.That graver sort which defiled for seven days, and was removed by the use of the “water of separation;” such were all defilements connected with the human corpse.

3.Uncleanness from the morbid perpetual or menstrual state, lasting as long as that morbid state lasted; and in the case of leprosy lasting often for life. As the human person was itself the seat of a covenant token, so male and female had each their ceremonial obligations in proportion to their sexual differences. There is an emphatic reminder of human weakness in the fact of birth and death-mans passage alike into and out of his mortal state– being marked with a stated pollution. The corpse bequeathed a defilement of seven days to all who handled it, to the “tent” or chamber of death, and to sundry things within it.

Nay, contact with one slain in the field of battle or with even a human bone or grave, was no less effectual to pollute than that with a corpse dead by the course of nature. This shows that the source of pollution lay in the mere fact of death. The duration of defilement caused by the birth of a female infant being double that due to a male, extending respectively to eighty and forty days in all, may perhaps represent the woman’s heavier share in the first sin and first curse.

Among causes of defilement should be noticed the fact that the ashes of the red heifer burnt whole which were mixed with water and became the standing resource for purifying uncleanness in the second degree, themselves became a source of defilement to all who were clean, even as of purification to the unclean, and so the water. Somewhat similarly the scapegoat, who bore away the sins of the people, defiled him who led him into the wilderness, and the bringing forth aid burning the sacrifice on the Great Day of Atonement had a similar power.

This lightest form of uncleanness was expiated by bathing the body and washing the clothes. Besides the water of purification made as afore said, men and women, in their “issues,” were, after seven days, reckoned from the cessation of the disorder, to bring two turtle-doves or young pigeons to be killed by the priests. All these kinds of uncleanness disqualified for holy functions: as the layman so affected might not approach the congregation and the sanctuary, so any priest who incurred defilement must abstain from holy things. The religion of the Persians shows a singularly close correspondence with the Levitical code.

Unclean meats

These were things strangled, or dead of themselves or through beasts or birds of prey; whatever beast did not both part the hoof and chew the cud; and certain other smaller animals rated as “creeping things;” certain classes of birds mentioned in Levi 11 and Deuteronomy 14 twenty or twenty-one in all; whatever in the waters had not both fins and scales whatever winged insect had not besides four legs the two hindlegs for leaping; Besides things offered in sacrifice to idols; and ail blood or whatever contained it (save perhaps the blood of fish, as would appear from that only of beast and bird being forbidden,) and therefore flesh cut from the live animal; as also all fat, at any rate that disposed in masses among the intestines, and probably wherever discernible end separable among the flesh.

The eating of blood was prohibited even to “the stranger that sojourneth among you.” As regards blood, the prohibition indeed dates from the declaration to Noah against “flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof” in which was perhaps by Moses as still binding upon all Noahs descendants.

It is noteworthy that the practical effect of the rule laid down is to exclude all the carnivora among quadrupeds, and, so far as we can interpret the nomenclature the raptores among birds. They were probably excluded as being not averse to human carcasses, and in most eastern countries acting as the servitors of the battle-field and the gibbet. Among fish those which were allowed contain unquestionably the most wholesome varieties, save that they exclude the oyster. Practically the law left among the allowed Meats an ample variety. As Orientals have minds sensitive to teaching by types, there can be little doubt that such ceremonial distinctions not only tended to keep Jew and Gentile apart (and so prevented the Jews from becoming contaminated with the idolatry of the Gentiles), but were a perpetual reminder to the former that he and the latter were not on one level before God.

Hence, when that ceremony was changed we find that this was the very symbol selected to instruct St. Peter in the truth that God was not a “respecter of persons.” It remains to mention the sanitary aspect of the case. Swine are said to peculiarly liable to disease in their own bodies. This probably means that they are more easily led than other creatures to the foul feeding which produces it. As regards the animals allowed for food, comparing them with those forbidden, there can be no doubt on which side the balance of wholesomeness lies.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

Good and Bad Forgivers

In his delightful volume, The Other Side of the Hill, F W Boreham calls forgiveness “one of the arts of life,” and he suggests that some people are good forgivers, and others are poor forgivers. He gives an example of both from history:

[A] The Poor Forgiver

When John Wesley was traveling by ship to America he heard an unusual noise in the cabin of General Oglethorpe, the Governor of Georgia. Wesley stepped in to inquire. It turned out that Grimaldi, the Governor’s servant, had devoured the entire stock of the great man’s favorite wine.

“But I will be avenged!” cried the Governor, who ordered the poor man tied hand and foot to be carried away for severe punishment. “For you know, Mr. Wesley,” stormed Oglethorpe, “I never forgive!”

“In that case, sir,” replied Wesley, “I hope you never sin!”

The General was quite confounded at the reproof, and putting his hand into his pocket book, took out a bunch of keys, which he threw at Grimaldi, saying, “There, villain, take my keys and behave better in the future.”

His forgiveness, such as it was, was poor indeed.

[B] The Good Forgiver

Boreham contrasts that with the example of William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England. Once, when Gladstone was Chancellor of the Exchequer, he sent down to the Treasury office for a sheaf of statistics on which he based his budget proposals. Now it happened that, in compiling the statistics, the clerk had made a mistake that vitally affected the entire situation.

The blunder was only discovered after Gladstone had elaborated his proposals and made his budget speech in the House of Commons. The papers immediately exposed the fallacy, and for a moment the Chancellor was overwhelmed with embarrassment. He was made to appear ridiculous before the entire nation.

He sent down to the Treasury for the clerk to come to him at once. The clerk duly arrived, trembling with apprehension, and expecting instant dismissal. He began to stammer out his apologies, and his entreaty for forgiveness.

Mr. Gladstone stopped him. “I sent for you,” he said, “because I could imagine the torture of your feelings. You have been for many years dealing with the bewildering intricacies of the national accounts, and you have done your work with such conscientious exactness that this is your first mistake. It was because of your splendid record that I did not trouble to verify your calculations. I have sent for you to compliment you on that record and to set you at ease.”

“If the New Testament means anything,” commented F W Boreham, “it means that a man who can forgive with such gallantry and chivalry is a very great Christian indeed.”

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

The Danger Of Great Success When God Is Not In It

The Holy Spirit has warned me of a few things over the years as I have grown closer in my walk with God.

One of them has been that Satan will be happy to offer you something really good to keep you from getting God’s Best. There are many people who are Christians, but don’t really seek God or read the Bible enough to know much about Biblical truth. They depend on their preacher at church, TV preachers and programs, or other Christians to tell them the truth. The problem is that sometimes the people we think have a lot of knowledge might be misled about some things or just be speaking their own opinion about the matter.

The fact is, it takes some time and effort to study the Bible and be committed enough to have a quiet time with God each day. He desires fellowship with His Children just as a couple in love desire to be with each other as much as possible. They miss each other terribly when they must be apart for any length of time. God also misses having a close relationship with each of His Children when they are too busy to spend time with Him.

There is a huge difference between getting very good and having God’s Absolute Best for your life (for each person His Absolute Best will be something different.) God never wants to have to settle for only giving you “good” in any form, but Satan will be happy for you to settle for something that looks really awesome to make you think you have chosen the best thing.

Absolute Best is where the real power lies in your walk with God and you won’t be able to have that power if you settle for anything less. Believe me, Satan is well aware of this fact and will work overtime to keep you from seeing this truth.

ñ Satan will try to tempt you with something you are already good at and will be able to do in your own power.

ñ God calls you to do things that you are not capable of doing in your own power because He wants to work through you and get all the glory for what happens. If you can’t do it in your own power, you won’t be tempted to try to take any of the glory for what God has done through you.

God works in ways that we haven’t usually thought of and His ways are always fresh and invigorating. Make the choice right now that you will wait on God to bring about His Plan for your life, no matter how long it takes.

It will definitely be worth it.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Welcome to the October 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

2 Articles From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

Two Parts To Every Burden

There are two parts to every burden. One is the burden in itself, and the other is how much of that burden you internalize and take for your own. You cannot magically transport yourself away from difficult circumstances. Yet you can choose to see, understand and live the fact that even the most difficult burden is not a part of who you are.

Ralph Marston

When a huge trial comes your way and stays there for awhile, it seems as if it tries to become a part of you. If you are not careful, it can change your whole personality and make you go from being cheerful and lively to bitter, depressed or moody. God never intended for you to carry a huge burden on your own with no help from Him in any way.

Matthew 11: 28-30

Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The following quote is from Charles Finney, who explains it very well.

1. Then let it be understood that Christ’s real yoke, or the true service of Christ, is never hard. His real yoke is never heavy. It is self-will and selfishness that at any time fault the yoke or the service of Christ.

2. If what we call religion is burdensome, it is not Christ’s yoke, it is not Christ’s religion. If we make an uphill business of it, and if we find it “hard to obey, and harder still to love,” Christ says to us, Who has required this at your hand? What I require of you is a love-service, not this slavish service. If you love me not, if you do not serve me from love, I abhor your doings. Let no one think himself truly religious whose religion is a bondage, and not the highest liberty.

3. Whatever is hard in religion is made so by our want of heart, our want of love, our want of confidence; and is therefore not Christ’s yoke at all. It is not true religion, it is not Christian liberty, but legal bondage.

4. All truly religious duties are easy. If we make them hard, they are not a love-service, and not what Christ requires. If we make them hard we spoil them. If we go complainingly about his service, grumbling about the difficulties and the hardness of his service, he loathes our bondage, he cannot accept it.

**********

I know that many times I have lived in huge bondage because I took on burdens and problems that I should have given to God and left with Him to work out when the time was right.

Charles Finney has written such an awesome definition of the difference between living in bondage and living in freedom.

Make the choice right now that you will choose the way of Christ’s yoke of freedom!

The Ultimate Time Management Technique

God has convicted me that I should ask Him what I need to be doing each day and “buckle down” (that is definitely Southern terminology) and get it done. He has given me 24 hours and He expects me to be a good steward of that time and make progress to further His Kingdom here on earth (and no you don’t have to be a minister or work at a church to allow Him to use you to further His Kingdom each day.)

God just wants to be able to use you where you are planted right now. In the course of an ordinary day at work, you might have many opportunities to minister to others that you are not even aware of unless you are prepared for the important job of ministry.

It seems that there are at least a million ways to waste time and look as if you are really working – at least, convince yourself that you are accomplishing a lot of good things.

I decided to keep track of how I spent my time each day and found that even though I thought I was pretty disciplined, there were many areas where I could improve. It is hard to sit down and take a frank look at your habits because “pride” tries its best to get in the way of real and productive change.

It is not the easiest thing in the world to be able to concentrate for a long period of time without your mind starting to wander (BELIEVE ME I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT.)

I want to share with you something that has worked for me in the past and still helps me to stay disciplined:

Before you start a big project make up your mind that you will not be distracted by anything, but will ZERO in on what you are doing until it is finished. You can even break up a huge project into several smaller projects with a time line for each. Give yourself a certain amount of time to do each project and then take a short break to do something else that doesn’t require such intense concentration.

Discover how you work best and concentrate on improving that until you really are disciplined to get maximum work each day.

We all need times of rest and relaxation where we can kick back and enjoy the day or a few days without feeling guilty, but that shouldn’t be our normal daily activity. Those times should be like dessert, and when they do come we can enjoy them much better because we don’t have to feel guilty that we are wasting time.

Even Jesus had to get away every now and then for some “down time” to get refreshed and rejuvenated for the important work ahead. Totally enjoy your “down time” but then get right back into doing your very best for each thing you do during the day.

If you have asked Jesus into your heart, you need to set an example for others to see that you are different and every job you do is ultimately for God and not man. Just that one thing will make a huge difference in your work habits.

When you know that God is your ultimate boss, and He will be the one that measures your performance, you definitely won’t want to cut any corners or waste time doing meaningless things. You might be able to fool your boss or someone else close to you, but you will never fool God. He knows your innermost thoughts and attitudes. If you treat everything as extremely important because you are doing it for Him, you won’t have to worry about doing mediocre work.

Let God be THE BOSS each day and see how much more disciplined you can be.

Something To Think About

Terrible Heresy

On one occasion Martin Luther had been brooding for several days. Reports had been and still were coming of groups of peasants in revolt, and of increased papal pressure on the nobles to renounce their stand for Luther. These conspired to make him feel that he had undertaken a hopeless task.

On the morning when he was most deeply melancholic, he came into the dining room for breakfast. His wife, Katie, greeted him attired in a black dress which was as funeral in appearance as the costume she had worn as a nun.

Martin glanced at her quizzically. She usually greeted him with a cheerful, “Guten morgen, Herr Dokter,” but this morning she said not a word.

“What is wrong, Katie?” Martin inquired.

“God is dead,” she announced sadly.

“Woman that is a terrible heresy. God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. Never say that The Eternal has died. When heaven and earth shall pass away God will remain,” he affirmed.

“Then why do you waken each morning with such a doleful expression on your face? Why go through the day sighing like the north wind? In your university classes you claim to interpret the mind of God. You have appeared to know Him well, and I became certain, from the expression on your face, that God must surely have expired.”

She made this statement without a change of expression. Suddenly Martin burst out laughing.

“You have convinced me, Katie, dear,” he said. “So, if ever you see me again with a melancholy countenance, remind me that God is living, that He will live forevermore. I promise you that I shall try not to appear as dour as a shriveled turnip.”

Interesting Bible Facts

Kiss

Kissing the lips by way of affectionate salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes, in both patriarchal and later times. Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degree between those of different sexes, the kiss on the cheek as a mark of respect or an act of salutation has at all times been customary in the East, and can hardly be said to be extinct even in Europe. In the Christian Church the kiss of charity was practiced not only as a friendly salutation, but as an act symbolical of love and Christian brotherhood. It was embodied in the earlier Christian offices, and has been continued in some of those now in use. Among the Arabs the women and children kiss the beards of their husbands or fathers. The superior returns the salute by a kiss on the forehead. In Egypt an inferior kisses the hand of a superior, generally on the back, but sometimes, as a special favor, on the palm also. To testify abject submission, and in asking favors, the feet are often kissed instead of the hand. The written decrees of a sovereign are kissed in token of respect; even the ground is sometimes kissed by Orientals in the fullness of their submission. Kissing is spoken of in Scripture as a mark of respect or adoration to idols.

Knife

1.The knives of the Egyptians, and of other nations in early times, were probably only of hard stone, and the use of the flint or stone knife was sometimes retained for sacred purposes after the introduction of iron and steel.

2.In their meals the Jews, like other Orientals, made little use of knives, but they were required both for slaughtering animals, either for food or sacrifice, and for cutting up the carcass.

3.Smaller knives were in use for paring fruit (Josephus) and for sharpening pens.

4.The razor was often used for Nazarite purposes, for which a special chamber was reserved in the temple.

5.The pruning-hooks of were probably curved knives.

6.The lancets of the priests of Baal were doubtless pointed knives.

Key

The key of a native Oriental lock is a piece of wood, from seven inches to two feet in length, fitted with the wires or short nails, which, being inserted laterally into the hollow bolt which serves as a lock, raises other pins within the staple so as to allow the bolt to be drawn back. Keys were sometimes of bronze or iron, and so large that one was as much as a man could carry. They are used in Scripture as a symbol of authority and power. Giving keys to a person signifies the intrusting of him with an important charge. In England in modern times certain officers of the government receive, at their induction into office, a golden key.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

The Bounty’s Bible

The English ship Bounty, commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh, journeyed to the South Pacific in 1787 to collect plants of the breadfruit tree. Sailors signed on gladly, considering the voyage a trip to paradise.

Having no second-in-command, Captain Bligh appointed his young friend Fletcher Christian to the post. The Bounty stayed in Tahiti six months, and the sailors, led by happy-go-lucky Fletcher Christian, enjoyed paradise to the full.

When time came for departure, some of the men wanted to stay behind with their island girls. Three men, trying to desert, were flogged. The mood on the ship darkened, and on April 28, 1789, Fletcher Christian staged the most famous mutiny in history. Bligh and his supporters were set adrift in an overloaded lifeboat (which they miraculously navigated 3700 miles to Timor.)

The mutineers aboard the Bounty immediately began quarreling about what to do next. Christian returned to Tahiti, where he left some of the mutineers, kidnapped some women, took some slaves, and traveled with the remaining crew a thousand miles to uninhabited Pitcairn Island. There the little group quickly unraveled.

They distilled whiskey from a native plant. Drunkenness and fighting marked their colony. Disease and murder eventually took the lives of all the men except for one, Alexander Smith, who found himself the only man on the island, surrounded by an assortment of women and children.

Then an amazing change occurred. Smith found the Bounty’s neglected Bible. As he read it, he took its message to heart, then began instructing the little community. He taught the colonists the Scriptures and helped them obey its instructions. The message of Christ so transformed their lives that 20 years later, in 1808, when the ship Topaz landed on the island, it found a happy society of Christians living in prosperity and peace, free from crime, disease, murder – and mutiny.

Years later the Bible fell into the hands of a visiting whaler who brought it to America, but in 1950 it was returned to the island. It now resides on display in the church in Pitcairn as a monument to its transforming message.

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

There Is Much Creativeness In The Center Of God’s Will

I woke up early one morning with this strong word from the Holy Spirit:

People get frustrated and burnt out when they do things that are not what God has told them to do.

But… when you are in the center of His Will, and even if you are not a creative person, the Holy Spirit will pour ideas into your mind that you would never think of otherwise.

The Holy Spirit has led me down some roads recently that I would have never thought of going down on my own. When I look back on what has happened, I can say that the experience has been awesome; however I feel as if I have stepped into the unknown (which I have) and in some ways I still do not see the end of the path. I can absolutely say one thing, though – I HAVE NOT BEEN BORED!

I must say that even though I might not know exactly where I am going, God always does and I can count on Him to lead me down the right path.

Being creative is not a natural gift I have ever had, and I have always been amazed at people who have great ideas that pop into their head at a moment’s notice. I generally struggle to come up with one idea that turns out to be mediocre at best.

I have truly been amazed the last few years at how the Holy Spirit has given me guidance to do things that I truly would never have given a single thought to doing on my own.

I encourage you to start asking God to show you the next step in what you are to do, and take it; no, you probably won’t be able to see the end result at first, but you can trust God to lead you step by step in the right direction.

Get to the point that you consider obedience to Him the top priority in your life. Don’t choose to stay in a “comfort zone” and miss the awesome things God wants to do in your life.

I am continually amazed that God would choose to use me for anything at all, and I wish I had a much greater faith to believe for things that would be totally impossible without intervention from Him.

I think of how many times I have tried to go in my own direction, and traveled far too long down the wrong road before God finally had to close a door to get my attention. The things I was doing were not bad, but were good things that were keeping me off track in getting God’s Best for my life.

There really is a huge difference in getting God’s Best and settling for just “good” – even “very good”. Satan will offer you “very good” to keep you from getting God’s Best.

Decide right now that you will not settle for anything less than being in the center of God’s Will for your life. It is an awesome place to be!

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Welcome to the September 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

What Does It Mean To Be Crucified With Christ?

Galatians 2: 20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Paul was a person just like you. He ate, slept, worked, had fellowship with friends, etc. The big difference was that he had come to the point that he wanted God to rule his life instead of only doing things to please himself.

Material things of the world no longer had any real satisfaction for him, and the love of money had lost its hold on him.

He had found that the world could not satisfy him like God could. The more he saw God work in his life, the easier it was to separate himself from the vile things of the world. Paul wanted to be connected with God in every way, and not give his own fleshly desires any roots to develop. More than anything else he wanted to follow God with his whole heart, mind, and strength.

For many years I thought it a very difficult thing to be crucified with Christ. I desired it very much, but it seemed like it was always out of my grasp. It seemed next to impossible to actually be dead to sin and live an everyday life where I worked a job, interacted with people, and did all the everyday activities that took much of my time. I imagined myself as having to live a secluded life with very little interaction with anyone else and just read my Bible and pray all day – in other words not thinking about much else but biblical things.

Naturally, I found that it was impossible to live in that way.

But gradually I found that the more I let the Holy Spirit control my life, the more I could be dead to sin and not let my fleshly desires control me. I found that the things of the world were very boring when compared to what I saw God doing in my life. It is amazing how He can change your heart and mind about something that you previously thought was very important, and make it very unimportant to you.

I certainly cannot say yet that I am completely dead to the world, but the more I am obedient to Christ, the more the world becomes more inadequate to satisfy my deepest needs. I no longer want to do the same things that I thought were so exciting years ago.

Romans 6: 6-11

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Dead to” and “crucified to” were common expressions among the Hebrews, Greeks and Latins.

To die to a thing or person is to be totally separated from or have nothing to do with it or them.

To live to a person or thing is to be wholly given up to and have intimate connection with that person or thing.

Having the old man crucified means that one has no further dealings with him.

We as Christians no longer have to let sin rule over us. We can choose to let the Holy Spirit be our guide and walk in obedience to what He tells us to do. The more we make the choice to do this, the more we will be “crucified to” our old way of doing things and our fleshly thoughts, emotions, and actions will not be able to control us anymore.

Don’t settle for anything less than God completely controlling your life to use as He pleases. I promise, the things of the world will become more and more boring when you start to see the supernatural works of God at work each day before your very eyes.

I know I never want to go back to the way I used to be, and I don’t think you will either once you see God at work in your life.

Something To Think About

Resilence To Go Forward

William Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, wanted to translate the Bible into as many Indian languages as possible. He established a large print shop in Serampore where translation work was continually being done. Carey spent hours each day translating Scripture, often while his insane wife ranted and raved in the next room.

Carey was away from Serampore on March 11, 1812. His associate, William Ward, was working late. Suddenly Ward’s throat tightened and he smelled smoke. He leaped up to discover clouds belching from the printing room. He screamed for help, and workers passed water from the nearby river until 2 am, but everything was destroyed.

On March 12, 1812, missionary Joshua Marshman entered a Calcutta classroom where William was teaching.

“I can think of no easy way to break the news,” he said. “The print shop burned to the ground last night.” Carey was stunned. Gone were his massive polyglot dictionary, two grammar books, and whole versions of the Bible. Gone were sets of type for 14 eastern languages, 1,200 reams of paper, 55,000 printed sheets, and 30 pages of his Bengal dictionary. Gone was his complete library. “The work of years – gone in a moment,” he whispered.

He took little time to mourn. “The loss is heavy,” he wrote, “but traveling a road the second time is usually done with greater ease and certainty than the first time, so I trust the work will lose nothing of real value. We are not discouraged; indeed the work is already begun again in every language. We are cast down but not in despair.”

When news of the fire reached England, it catapulted Carey to instant fame. Thousands of pounds were raised for the work, and volunteers offered to come help.

The enterprise was rebuilt and enlarged. By 1832, complete Bibles, New Testaments, or separate books of Scripture had issued from the printing press in 44 languages and dialects.

The secret of Carey’s success is found in his resiliency.

“There are grave difficulties on every hand,” he once wrote, “and more looming ahead. Therefore we must go forward.”

(Another story on William Carey below)

Interesting Bible Facts

Incense

from the Latin “to burn,” “a mixture of gums or spices and the like, used for the purpose of producing a perfume when burned;” or the perfume itself of the spices, etc., burned in worship. The incense employed in the service of the tabernacle walls compounded of the perfumes stacte, onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense. All incense which was not made of these ingredients was forbidden to be offered.

Aaron, as high priest, was originally appointed to offer incense each morning and evening. The times of offering incense were specified in the instructions first given to Moses. When the priest entered the holy place with the incense, all the people were removed from the temple, and from between the porch and the altar.

Profound silence was observed among the congregation who were praying without, and at a signal the priest cast the incense on the fire and, bowing reverently toward the holy of holies, retired slowly backward. The offering of incense has formed part of the religious ceremonies of most ancient nations. It was an element in the idolatrous worship of the Israelites.

It would seem to be symbolical, not of itself, but of that which makes acceptable, the intercession of Christ. In Revelation 8: 3-4 the incense is as something distinct from offered with the prayers of all the saints, and in Revelation 6:8 it is the golden vials, and not the odors or incense, which are said to be the prayers of saints.

Ivory

The word translated “ivory” literally signifies the “tooth” of any animal, and hence more especially denotes the substance of the projecting tusks of elephants. The skilled work-men of Hiram, king of Tyre, fashioned the great ivory throne of Solomon, and overlaid it with pure gold. The ivory thus employed was supplied by the caravans of Dedan, or was brought with apes and peacocks, by the navy of Tarshish.

The “ivory house” of Ahab was probably a palace, the walls of which were paneled with ivory, like the palace of Menelaus described by Homer. Odys. iv. 73. Beds inlaid or veneered with ivory were in use among the Hebrews.

Idol

An image or anything used as an object of worship in place of the true God. Among the earliest objects of worship, regarded as symbols of deity, were the meteoric stones, which the ancients believed to have been images of the Gods sent down from heaven. From these they transferred their regard to rough unhewn blocks, to stone columns or pillars of wood, in which the divinity worshipped was supposed to dwell, and which were connected, like the sacred stone at Delphi, by being anointed with oil and crowned with wool on solemn days.

Of the forms assumed by the idolatrous images we have not many traces in the Bible. Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines, was a human figure terminating in a fish; and that the Syrian deities were represented in later times in a symbolical human shape we know for certainty. When the process of adorning the image was completed, it was placed in a temple or shrine appointed for it. From these temples the idols were sometimes carried in procession on festival days. Their priests were maintained from the idol treasury, and feasted upon the meats which were appointed for the idols use.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

William Carey was a cobbler who lived, as one historian put it, “in a forgotten village in the dullest period of the dullest of all centuries.”

He was born in 1761 in Paulerspury, a rural village of 800 inhabitants north of London. His father was a poor weaver, working at a loom in his own cottage.

William was a sickly child, afflicted by numerous allergies and sensitive to the sun. He was also poorly educated. Entering adolescence, William frequently got into trouble, swearing, lying, and running with an undesirable group. At length, he was apprenticed to a shoemaker.

William found himself working alongside a senior apprentice named John Warr, who was a dedicated Christian and who began faithfully to witness to William, but the young man wanted nothing to do with religion.

Those were the days of the American Revolution, and King George III, hoping for divine assistance in his war efforts, proclaimed a day of national prayer for Sunday, February 10, 1779. Warr persuaded his young friend to join him for a church service.

The preacher spoke from Hebrews 13: 13, urging his listeners to give their lives to Christ. The text spoke directly to 17 year old William, and from that day the direction of his life changed. He was baptized and became a member of the local Baptist church. In time, he began to do some preaching and pastoral work in nearby Baptist churches.

In 1781, William married Dorothy (Dolly) Plackett, and within a year they bore a daughter, Ann. But fever swept through the Carey household. Their little girl died, and William nearly died also. He recovered at last, but the disease had left him bald; for many years he wore a wig.

One day William acquired a book that had become a best seller in England – Captain Cook’s Voyages. Reading the accounts of the famous sailor’s travels, William began thinking of overseas evangelism. On the wall of his cobbler’s shop, he hung a homemade world map, jotting down facts and figures beside the countries.

During those days, most Protestants believed the Great Commission had been given only to the original Apostles. Except for the Moravians, there was virtually no thought about missions in the church.

But William Carey began preaching about it. At meetings of Baptist ministers, he continually brought up the subject until they wearied of it. In one famous exchange, Dr. John C Ryland, the man who had baptized him, said, “Young man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, he’ll do it without consulting you or me.”

Carey, deeply disturbed, authored a book justifying and explaining the imperative of Gospel evangelism. Published on May 12, 1792 it has become a classic in Christian history: An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, to use means for the Conversion of the Heathens in which the Religious State of the Different Nations of the World, the Success of Former Undertaking, and the Practicability of Further Undertakings, are Considered.

William was invited to preach to his fellow ministers on Wednesday, May 31, 1792, at the Baptist Associational meeting in Nottingham. He spoke on the imperative of world evangelization from Isaiah 54: 2-3 and it was in this sermon that he is quoted as having said:

Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.

The following morning there was a business meeting among the ministers, and William expected a resolution that would lead to establishing a missionary society. When no action was taken, William turned to fellow minister Andrew Fuller, gripping his arms, and asking, “Is nothing again going to be done?”

Before the Assembly dispersed at noon, it had been resolved on a proposition from Fuller “that a plan be prepared against the next Minister’s Meeting at Kettering, for forming a Baptist Society for propagating the Gospel among the heathens.”

On Tuesday, October 2, 1792, fourteen men huddled in the back parlor of widow Wallis’ house in Kettering. Carey, 31, reviewed the achievements of the Moraviana and recounted the Bible’s missionary mandate. By and by, a resolution was worded:

Humbly desirous of making an effort for the propagation of the Gospel amongst the Heathen, according to the recommendations of Carey’s Enquiry, we unanimously resolve to act in Society together for this purpose; and as, in the divided state of Christendom, each denomination, by exerting itself separately, seems likeliest to accomplish the great end, we name this the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Heathen.

Andrew Fuller passed around his snuff box with its picture of Paul’s conversion on the lid, taking up church history’s first collection of pledges for organized, home-supported Protestant missions. And Carey immediately began planning to go to India.

That’s when his problem began…

But the end of the story is this: William Carey did go to India. He never took a furlough and never returned to England. He stayed for 41 years, dying there at age 73. When all was said and done, he had translated the complete Bible into 6 languages, and portions of the Bible into 29 others. He had founded over 100 rural schools for the people of India. He had founded Serampore College, which is still training ministers to this day.

He introduced the concept of a savings bank to the farmers of India. He published the first Indian newspaper. He wrote dictionaries and grammars in 5 different languages. He so influenced the nation of India that, largely through his efforts, the practice of sati (the burning of widows) was outlawed.

Most importantly, he launched the modern era of missions and laid the foundations for the modern science of missiology. One biographer, Mary Drewery, wrote:

“The number of actual conversions attributed to him is pathetically small; the number indirectly attibutable to him must be legion.”

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

There Is A Road To Go Down For Every Action!

There is always a road to go down that follows any action that has been taken. The question is – how long will the road be and how long will it take to go down it.

The Holy Spirit gave me this thought and it has affected me in a powerful way. Every day it is possible for you to make several different choices as to the direction you will take for the future.

Some choices are huge and others are tiny, but they propel you in one direction or another. It is easy to think that just one day won’t make much of a difference because it is only one day among the thousands that will make up your entire life.

Many times when you are older, you can look back to one decision that you made that might have started you down the wrong road, and it may have taken you years to get back on the right one. An example would be the first time you tried alcohol or drugs.

It truly is possible for one small action to change your life forever. Just saying YES or NO one time can have very powerful consequences – whether good or bad.

God gave us the Bible specifically so that we can have a guidebook to know how to live and so that we can have the best life possible. He wants you to live a life of peace and joy even in the midst of problems or persecution, and that can only be done through living a life for Christ.

When the next temptation comes your way to make the wrong decision or put something off until another day, think about the fact that what you decide to do will ease you further along a road, but which one will it be?

Will you be able to look back a year from now and see progress or will you have lost ground? Each day’s actions are much more powerful than you can ever imagine.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Welcome to the August 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

A Rumor From God

II Kings 19:7

NAS – I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor

AMP  -  Behold I will send (to give) a blast (a breath that is a sensible or violent exaltation) upon him and he shall hear (to hear intelligently with attention and obedience) a rumor (report, announcement) and shall return (to turn back or retreat) and will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

In order to understand the significance of verse 7, we need to go back a bit and find out the reason God would need to say these words. God wanted to bless His Chosen people Israel to show the heathen nations around them that He was the One True God who could handle every circumstance and problem they might ever have.

All God wanted was for them to put Him first in everything they did; they would then stay close to Him for a time, then start a period of falling away which ended in severe consequences for them until they cried out and received another  deliverer.

In fact, they had rebelled so many times against God that they had been divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms with different kings for each. The Northern Kingdom was captured and lost their freedom several years before the Southern Kingdom.

So now we come to Hezekiah, who was the king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. He was 25 when he became king and ruled for 29 years.  He obeyed God and was completely faithful to Him and God made him successful in everything he did, because he got rid of all the heathen idols and anything else that had been used for heathen worship.

He brought Judah back to a point of total worship and consecration to God.

But by his fourteenth year as king, Hezekiah was starting to fall away from God and Assyria came against Judah. The Assyrians had conquered almost all the nations around them, and from a human standpoint victory looked eminent for them. Since Hezekiah had fallen away from being totally consecrated to God, it was easy for him to believe that Judah could be beaten. He sent a message telling the king of Assyria that Judah would pay handsomely if they would stop their attack.

The king demanded 11 tons of silver and a ton of gold. To get up the amount, Hezekiah ended up taking all the silver from the house of the Lord and all the treasure from the king’s house. He also cut off the gold from the door of the temple and the gold that overlaid the doorposts.

The messengers from Assyria had been sent to intimidate the Israelites into an easy surrender, and these are their words: “Listen carefully to the words of The Great King, the king of Assyria: Don’t let Hezekiah fool you; he can’t save you. And don’t let Hezekiah give you that line about trusting in God, telling you, ‘God will save us—this city will never be abandoned to the king of Assyria.’ Don’t listen to Hezekiah—he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Listen to the king of Assyria—deal with me and live the good life; I’ll guarantee everyone your own plot of ground—a garden and a well! I’ll take you to a land sweeter by far than this one, a land of grain and wine, bread and vineyards, olive orchards and honey. You only live once—so live, really live!

“No. Don’t listen to Hezekiah. Don’t listen to his lies, telling you ‘God will save us.’ Has there ever been a god anywhere who delivered anyone from the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? And Samaria—did their gods save them? Can you name a god who saved anyone anywhere from me, the king of Assyria? So what makes you think that God can save Jerusalem from me?”  II Kings 18: 29-35

It certainly looked like Assyria had the upper hand and Judah would be carried off as Israel had been years before that.

When the messengers from Hezekiah heard the news, they ripped their robes in despair and told the King what had been said.

When Hezekiah heard, he too ripped his clothes and dressed in rough burlap,  sent word to the prophet Isaiah and told him everything that had happened; they then asked Isaiah to lift up prayers for them and asked God to send a miracle.

Isaiah answered them, “Tell your master, ‘God’s word: Don’t be at all concerned about what you’ve heard from the king of Assyria’s bootlicking errand boys—these outrageous blasphemies. Here’s what I’m going to do: Afflict him with self-doubt. He’s going to hear a rumor and, frightened for his life, retreat to his own country. Once there, I’ll see to it that he gets killed.

To make matters worse, right after the word from God, Sennacherib once again threatened Judah by reminding them that not one country had been able to win against them and Israel would not be the first.

Hezekiah went to the temple and cried out to God, praying fervently for victory.

God responded back to Hezekiah through Isaiah again by reaffirming that He would truly fight for them and that Assyria would be doomed.

That very night an Angel of God came and massacred 185,000 Assyrians. When the people of Jerusalem got up the next morning, they saw a whole camp of corpses. The Assyrian king managed to escape, but it had been already prophesied by Isaiah that he would be killed. One day when he was worshiping in the temple, his own sons murdered him, thus ending his reign of terror.

God was totally true to His Word and gave Judah an awesome victory without them ever having to physically fight at all.

Many times God speaks a word of victory in the midst of a situation that looks absolutely and utterly impossible. You must decide if you will believe God or what you might be physically seeing or hearing at the time.

The next time you are faced with a situation that looks physically impossible, will you turn to the same God who delivered Hezekiah and the people of Judah in such a dramatic way?

Let’s start to be a people of God who believe what the Bible says so much that God has no other choice but to honor His Word. That’s the way He wants us to live each day. He can see the future, and we can certainly trust a God who always has our best interest at heart.

Something To Think About

Observations about Fear

Martin Luther made this interesting observation in his Table Talk book.  God and the devil take opposite tactics in regard to fear. The Lord first allows us to become afraid, that he might relieve our fears and comfort us. The devil, on the other hand, first makes us feel secure in our pride and sins, that we might later be overwhelmed with fear and despair.

Someone once described fear in an acronym:

False Expectations Appearing Real

Dr. Paul Tournier observes that “fear creates what it fears. Fear of war impels a country to take the very measures which unleash war. The fear of losing the love of a loved one provokes us to just that lack of frankness which undermines love. The skier falls as soon as he begins to be afraid of falling. Fear of failing in an examination takes away the candidate’s presence of mind and makes success more difficult.”

Interesting Bible Facts

Gamaliel

(recompense of God)

Son of Pedahzur; prince or captain of the tribe of Manasseh at the census at Sinai, and at starting on the march through the wilderness. (B.C. 1490)

A pharisee and celebrated doctor of the law, who gave prudent worldly advice in the Sanhedrin respecting the treatment of the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. We learn from ( Acts 22:3 ) that he was the preceptor of St. Paul. He is generally identified with the very celebrated Jewish doctor Gamaliel, grandson of Hillel, and who is referred to as authority in the Jewish Mishna.

Garden

Gardens in the East, as the Hebrew word indicates, are enclosures on the outskirts of towns, planted with various trees and shrubs. From the allusions in the Bible we learn that they were surrounded by hedges of thorn, ( Isaiah 5:5 ) or walls of stone. ( Proverbs 24:31 ) For further protection lodges, ( Isaiah 1:8 ; Lamentations 2:6 ) or watchtowers, ( Mark 12:1 ) were built in them, in which sat the keeper, ( Job 27:18 ) to drive away the wild beasts and robbers, as is the case to this day. The gardens of the Hebrews were planted with flowers and aromatic shrubs, ( Solomon 6:2 ; 4:16 ) besides olives, fig trees, nuts or walnuts, ( Solomon 6:12 ) pomegranates, and others for domestic use. ( Exodus 23:11 ; Jeremiah 29:5 ; Amos 9:14 ) Gardens of herbs, or kitchen gardens, are mentioned in ( 11:10 ) and 1Kin 21:2 The rose garden in Jerusalem, said to have been situated westward of the temple mount, it is remarkable as having been one of the few gardens which, from the time of the prophets, existed within the city walls. The retirement of gardens rendered them favorite places for devotion.

Golgotha

(skull ), the Hebrew name of the spot at which our Lord was crucified. ( Matthew 27:33 ; Mark 15:22 ; John 19:17 ) By these three evangelists it is interpreted to mean the “place of a skull.” Two explanations of the name are given: (1) that it was a spot where executions ordinarily took place, and therefore abounded in skulls; or(2) it may come from the look or form of the spot itself, bald, round and skull-like, and therefore a mound or hillock, in accordance with the common phrase –for which there is no direct authority– “Mount Calvary.” Whichever of these is the correct explanation, Golgotha seems to have been a known spot.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

About Meditation…

Mull, Mill, and Meal

The words mull, mill, and meal all come from an Old English word meaning the pulverizing of corn in a grinder. To mull over a subject is to ponder it, to pulverize it in the millstones of the mind.

In October of 1920, Dr. Frederick Banting was working on his lecture for the following day. His medical practice was too new to be lucrative, so he supplemented his income by teaching.

He worked far into the night on the problem of diabetes, but medical science provided scant data on the dreaded disease, and no cure had yet been discovered.

He fell asleep. At two in the morning, he awoke with a start. Grabbing a notebook, he penned three short sentences then collapsed again in sleep. But those three sentences led to the discovery of insulin.

A century earlier, Elias Howe’s fertile mind had imagined the sewing machine. He worked and worked on his invention, but its stitches were jagged and uneven. One night, he dreamed that a tribe of savages had kidnapped him. They threatened to kill him if he didn’t invent a sewing machine in 24 hours. He failed, but as the spears flew at him, he noticed they had holes near their tips. He awoke with an idea: put the eye of the needle near the tip.

He patented his sewing machine in 1846.

In his little booklet on the life of Jonathan Edwards, Ed Reese writes: “One of the secrets of his success was that he always thought through his subject matter. Even on walks and while riding horseback through the woods, he would jot down items and pin them to his coat. When he returned to the parsonage, he wrote out the fuller explanation of the bits noted on the scraps. It is said that at times the whole of his coat front would be covered with bits and pieces of paper.”

Abraham Lincoln learned the art of pondering and meditating early in life. He once said: “Among my earliest recollections I remember how, when a mere child, I used to get irritated when anybody talked to me in a way I could not understand.

I can remember going into my little bedroom, after hearing the neighbors talk of an evening with my father, and spending no small part of the night trying to make out what was the exact meaning of some of their, to me, dark sayings.

I could not sleep, although I tried to, when I went on such a hunt for an idea, until I had caught it, and when I thought I had got it. I was never satisfied until I had repeated it over and over again, until I had put it in language plain enough, as I thought, for any boy I knew to comprehend.”

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

Make It A Point To Do Things God’s Way

I Corinthians 1: 27-29

27. For God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.

28. And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

29. So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.

OH if we could only see things from God’s perspective. We certainly would trust Him much more than we do when He tells us to do something that seems hard.

He can see everything about your life – the most strength you are capable of having, the most endurance you can stand under pressure, how far your limits will reach in any given situation, and how much stamina you can have before you can’t take it anymore.

A good word picture would be a “stress test” (a medical test) that tells you the condition of your heart. You basically walk on an electronic treadmill exercise machine. The whole point is to try to keep up with the machine as it makes you walk faster and faster, walk uphill, then walk fast and uphill at the same time; you are hooked up to heart monitors the whole time to see how your heart is responding. If you can endure to the end, you definitely have a healthy heart.

God wants you to use His strength, ability and power to do what He has called you to do. In fact, He does not want you to be able to accomplish it on your own. He will tell you to do things you are not capable of doing so He can receive all the glory in what you are able to accomplish.

In the Bible, God consistently told people to do things they were totally incapable of doing on their own. They felt overwhelmed even thinking about how they would accomplish such huge undertakings. But God knew exactly what they could be capable of doing with HIS power and HIS strength added to their own.

He chose ordinary people like you and me who didn’t think of themselves as special in any way. They just had a heart that wanted to know and obey God, and He chose to use them in great and marvelous ways.

Vs. 25 says “…the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.

So how many times do we miss out on God’s way because we try to put Him in a box and expect Him to act in a way that is already familiar? What if He wants to do things in a new way? Will you be open to listen and obey?

Many of the Israelites missed Jesus because they were expecting a Savior in the form of a leader who would go to battle against their surrounding enemies and defeat them. God had worked in that way numerous times before, but this time He had in mind a much better and different plan.

Will you open your mind and heart to hearing and obeying God even if He chooses to do things in a way that you have never imagined? Your life will definitely not be boring.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Welcome to the July 2011 Edition

This issue includes:
1 Article From Me
Something to Think About
Interesting Bible Facts
A Powerful Story
Favorite Article from My Blog
Links to My Other Sites

What Does “No Fear in Love” Mean?

1 John 4:16 Amplified Bible (AMP)
…God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

I John 4: 18 AMP
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete
perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

Fear – Phobos
To be put in fear, alarm or fright, exceedingly, fear, terror

Love – agape
Affection or benevolence, love feast – the highest kind of love

Perfect – teleios
Complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character). Completeness, of full man, perfect

Casteth – ballo
To throw, more or less violent or intense, arise, cast out, dung lay, lie, pour, send strike throw down

Out – exo
Away, forth, outside of, literally or figuratively

Torment (punishment) – kolas is
Penal infliction, punishment, torment

Perfect – teleioo
To complete, accomplish, consummate, consecrate, finish, fulfill
This definition different from the first perfect

It’s funny how you can read a verse for years and suddenly God opens your eyes to an aspect of it you have never seen before. The Bible speaks of love in several different places, and I always thought of it as being nice to others and trying my best to love them regardless of the way they treated me; but the Bible says that God is love and if we want His blessing on our lives we must truly love others.

Some people just seem unlovable or it makes us totally uncomfortable to be around them. It might seem much easier to stay away because things might get messy if we try to love them enough to help them change their lives instead of just applying a band-aid to the wound.

If we have “no fear in love” we won’t be afraid to go the extra mile in loving another person who doesn’t seem very lovable. Jesus went out of His way to eat with Zaccheus, who was a dreaded tax collector. Everyone disliked him because he gouged them by burdening them down with extra taxes, which made their daily lives extremely hard.
But Jesus knew that it would be well worth it to spend time with Zaccheus because his heart would be radically changed. Zaccheus eventually more than made it right with everyone he had treated wrongly.

Jesus died on the cross for the most terrible and evil person on earth, and had a huge amount of love for them. He was not afraid to get His hands dirty to try to help even the worst of them, and He was able to do it because of a bold, fearless love that was so great it could change lives.

Jesus could see the heart of others and He knew who was ready for and needed help. He was not afraid to reach out to those people, but He also had God’s power on Him so strongly that those around Him were changed and healed. Many heathen people were changed dramatically because they knew He was genuine and truly had the power they were so looking for to change their lives. They recognized that His teachings were radically different from what they had been hearing from the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus knew who would be open to receive help and He opened His heart willingly to help them.

The more the Holy Spirit takes control of your life, the more you will be able to discern those people who will be open to change, even if they don’t realize it at first. You will be able to love them with a true love, see them in a different light, and show them Jesus through your actions and deeds toward them. The Holy Spirit can change your attitude and heart towards another person if you will let Him.

I John 4: 20-21
But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? The commandment that God has given us is: Love God and love each other!

Dake’s Reference Bible says this is the “acid test of a born again experience.”

By no means am I advocating that you should be a doormat for another person to trample on. Loving with a God kind of love and having the leadership of the Holy Spirit are instrumental in dealing with a person who constantly tries to belittle or take advantage of you.

Jesus knew when a person could be helped and he didn’t just give a handout that would help them on a temporary basis. He gave them something that would last long term to help them become a strong Christian; then they could in turn help others.

If you will follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you won’t get “taken” by another person. He will show you exactly how to help them, even though it might not be exactly what they would want.

Doing things in the above way will ensure that you will truly be able to help others, and also ensure that you won’t be taken advantage of so much that you will get burnt out and give up helping at all.

Instead of turning away from people who are hard to love or be around, ask the Holy Spirit what He desires your actions to be; then let Him change you into a person who can glorify God in every circumstance into which you are placed.

Something To Think About

Helen Hayes once made a shrewd observation that is as pertinent to business leadership as it is to her own profession of acting.

“Talent and ability are not enough,” she said. “Nothing is any good without endurance.”

The word persevere comes from the prefix per, meaning through, coupled with the word severe. It means to keep pressing on, trusting God, looking up, doing our duty – even through severe circumstances.

Interesting Bible Facts

PERFUMES
The free use of perfumes was peculiarly grateful to the Orientals, whose olfactory nerves are more than usually sensitive to the offensive smells engendered by the heat of their climate. The Hebrews manufactured their perfumes chiefly from spices imported from Arabia though to a certain extent also from aromatic plants growing in their own country. Perfumes entered largely into the temple service, in the two forms of incense and ointment. Nor were they less used in private life; not only were they applied to the person, but to garment, and to articles of furniture, such as beds.

PIPE
(Heb. chalil ). The Hebrew word so rendered is derived from a root signifying “to bore, perforate” and is represented with sufficient correctness by the English “pipe” or “flute,” as in the margin of I Kings 1: 40. The pipe was the type of perforated wind instruments, as the harp was of stringed instruments. It was made of reed, bronze or copper. It is one of the simplest, and therefore probably one of the oldest, of musical instruments. It is associated with the tabret as an instrument of a peaceful and social character. The pipe and tabret were used at the banquets of the Hebrews, and accompanied the simpler religious services when the young prophets, returning from the high place, caught their inspiration from the harmony, or the pilgrims, on their way to the great festivals of their ritual, beguiled the weariness of the march with psalms sung to the simple music of the pipe. The sound of the pipe was apparently a soft wailing note, which made it appropriate to be used in mourning and at funerals and in the lament of the prophet over the destruction of Moab. It was even used in the temple choir. In later times the funeral and death-bed were never without the professional pipers or flute-players, a custom which still exists. In the social and festive life of the Egyptians the pipe played as prominent a part as among the Hebrews.

POOL
Pools, like the tanks of India, are in many parts of Palestine and Syria the only resource for water during the dry season, and the failure of them involves drought and calamity. Of the various pools mentioned in Scripture, perhaps the most celebrated are the pools of Solomon near Bethlehem called by the Arabs el-Burak , from which an aqueduct was carried which still supplies Jerusalem with water.
(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

Perspective

Sadie Smithson grew up in Johnson Falls, West Virginia. Her father kept a livery stable, Sadie herself contributed to the family income by sewing, and the family floated just above the poverty level.

But Sadie craved respect. She wanted to mingle with the upper crust of Johnson Falls, and she had a plan for doing it. Her secret ambition was to join the Laurel Literary Society, an organization that represented all that was socially prestigious in her town.

After high school, she applied for admission into the Laurel Literary Society. Nothing doing. She was rejected.

Well, she thought, perhaps they’ll think better of me if I tour Europe. Few in Johnson Falls had ever been abroad. So she saved her money, daydreaming of the soft-gloved hands clapping after she had read her paper on “My Trip to Europe.”

After many years she saved her money. Finally, she took her long-planned trip abroad, traveling with a professor and his wife, only to be caught in the opening shots of World War I.

Sadie, in Belgium at the time, managed to get a ride to Paris; but the driver lost his way, and suddenly they found themselves crossing a battlefield.
Right beside the car lay one soldier, badly wounded. He looked into Sadie’s eyes and moaned “Water, for God’s sake!”

Sadie immediately jumped out of the car with her drinking cup and made her way to a nearby spring. Then another dying soldier wanted a drink. Sadie refused to leave those boys, and finally the car drove off without her. All night long she ran back and forth to the spring with her little cup, carrying water to injured men.

She tore her skirt into bandages. She scribbled notes and messages for loved ones at home. And as she worked with each wounded man, she offered a prayer: The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you.

It was a night of horror, of darkness, and of moaning, dying men. Finally, the darkness gave way to the dawn and with it an ambulance and young doctor. He was astonished to find a poor girl from West Virginia amid all the blood and carnage of war. “Who are you and what are you doing here” he asked?

“I’m Sadie Smithson,” she said, “and I’ve been holding hell back all night.”
As she was returning to America she told her story to a fellow passenger on the ship. “I’ve never been married – never known what it was to have children – but that night all those men were my children, even the biggest and roughest of them, and I believe I could have died for any one of them.”
The friend said, “The Laurel Literary Society will be glad enough to have you belong to it now.”

“No,” she replied, “I’ve been face to face with war and death and hell and God. Now little things like the Laurel Literary Society don’t matter to me any more.”

“What does matter?” asked the friend.

“Nothing,” Sadie said. “Nothing but God and love – and doing what I can do for those he sends me to.”

Jesus Christ came in the darkness of night to a dying race of humanity. He loved us and gave himself for us. When we receive him, our perspective changes, and with it our attitude.

The trivial and the important change places.

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

How to Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Conformed – suschematizo

to fashion alike or put on the form, fashion , or appearance of another

Transformed – Metamorphoo

metamorphoses, change, transfigure, transform

Renewing – anakainosis

Renovation

Prove – dokimazo

To test, literally or figuratively, allow, discern, examine, try

Good – agates

Good in ant sense, benefit, well

Acceptable – euarestos

Fully agreeable, well pleasing

Perfect – teleios

Complete, in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, completeness, of full age

Will of God – thelema

A determination or choice, purpose, decree, inclination, desire

We as Christians should not conform to the patterns and habits of the world, but God wants us to renew our mind and stay in that pattern of renewal on a daily basis. The Bible uses the term “new creature” when referring to one who has asked Jesus into his heart, so it is God’s desire that we be totally renewed from the inside first. He knows once the inside has been renewed it will spill over into our daily actions without us even thinking about it.

It is possible to fool others for awhile by pretending to be someone you are not, but eventually the real person will show through regardless of your best efforts.

If you will let God renew your mind, then you can have lasting change through your actions and interactions with others. They will be able to see that even though you might be having severe problems in certain areas of your life, you now handle it in a completely different way than before.

This is something that only God can do, and others will be able to tell the huge difference He has made in your life.

In the end it will never be easier to just conform to the world and live by its principles, never having any of your own.

So how do you renew your mind? Read, believe, and LIVE (put into daily practice) the principles of the Word of God.

The mind is not renewed by the study of the Word alone. You must practice what it says and let it live in you so much that it becomes a part of you, just like your bones and muscles are woven into the fiber of your very being.

Then when something comes along that shakes you to your very core, your renewed mind will automatically do the right thing immediately instead of the flesh kicking in and trying to overwhelm you with fear, anxiety, hopelessness, or anger.
God truly does have your best interest at heart in every way.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person
Handbook for Victorious Christian Living
Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living
Power of the Living Word

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Victorious Christian Living Newsletter

Welcome to the June 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

Video of the Month

Why Prayer Is So Vitally Important!

Prayer is the most powerful thing you can do to change your circumstances or solve problems that arise in everyday living. If you get into the habit of giving all the small things to God, when a burden comes along that is so huge you think you can’t stand under the load, you will automatically take it to Him first because you know that He has the right answer and it will come at exactly the right time.

It does take a lot of energy to pour out your heart to God in prayer because you must get everything out of your mind and concentrate only on Him. Most of us are so busy “doing things” that this is not an easy feat to accomplish.

Many times we think that we don’t have time to pray or read our Bibles, but the truth is we ALWAYS have the time to do what is most important to us. We think that we must be busy all the time to lead a productive life, but many times that is just a way of keeping our minds occupied so that we don’t have to deal with the most important things. AND we have learned to be professionals at staying busy at things that aren’t nearly as productive as we would like to think.

There are thousands of articles that have been written on how to pray, but this one is written from the perspective of getting your life in a position that you can always be open to pray however the Holy Spirit leads you and to be ready to do it at a moment’s notice.

God wants to work through His Children in order to accomplish what He desires. What an awesome thing it is to be chosen by Him and be open to hear Him when he speaks.

Many people will never be able to get past their own selfish thinking enough to walk in obedience to God. You don’t have to watch many advertisements or television shows to get the impression that life is all about “ME” and what I want. It is easy to be compassionate every now and then and go out of your way to help someone, but to do it on a regular basis is not nearly as easy.

Being a great “prayer warrior” does not mean that you have no social life because you choose to lock yourself in your “prayer closet” all day praying. Unless you are old enough to retire, you must either have a job yourself or live with someone who provides you a living. We all have to at least make enough money to buy essentials for our everyday needs.

But I do have good news about how you can be a prayer warrior for the Kingdom of God and still live and function well in this world.

It is God’s desire for you to live to the utmost in your everyday life, and you can do it with an attitude of prayer. Then any time the Holy Spirit lays a person or problem on your heart, you can instantly be to the point where you can pour your heart out to God.

You can’t always go to a place of solitude and stay there for two hours, but you can pray an intense prayer for the person or situation right where you are at the time.

There are other times when God might wake you up in the middle of the night to pray urgently for a particular person or situation. You might be called to intercede on the other’s behalf until you feel a peace that things are going to be fine, no matter how long it takes.

God wants you to be so familiar with His Word and His Character that you can stand on the Bible and its promises with everything in you. He will give you the strength you need to do whatever it is He has called you to do.

Make the choice to read the Bible first thing each morning and ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind to see the truths it contains. God wants you to be ready to be used by Him at a moment’s notice.

Living in an attitude of prayer is a wonderful thing to God because He knows that your life is open to him to use whenever He chooses and in whatever way he chooses.

The next time you feel that God has laid an urgent need upon your heart, pray with everything in you. You may be the one person who will be able to intercede for someone and really make a difference – and you might be able to do it from halfway around the world without knowing that person at all or the full impact that your prayer might have.

Something To Think About

“Little Sins”

Little sins are not like an inch of candle, which soon expires, but they resemble a trail of powder, which takes the fire until at last the barrels burst asunder.   –Rev. William Seeker, 17^th Century British Minister-

“Screwtape’s Advice”

You will say that these are very small sins, and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy (God).

It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to keep the man away from the Light…Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.

Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

-Screwtape’s advice to Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters      by C S Lewis-

Interesting Bible Facts

NAZARITE

more properly Nazirite (one separated ), one of either sex who was bound by a vow of a peculiar kind to be set apart from others for the service of God. The obligation was either for life or for a defined time. There is no notice in the Pentateuch of Nazarites for life; but the regulations for the vow of a Nazarite of days are given. The Nazarite, during-the term of his consecration, was bound to abstain from wine grapes, with every production of the vine and from every kind of intoxicating drink.

He was forbidden to cut the hair of his head, or to approach any dead body, even that of his nearest relation. When the period of his vow was fulfilled he was brought to the door of the tabernacle, and was required to offer a he lamb for a burnt offering, a ewe lamb for a sin offering, and a ram for a peace offering, with the usual accompaniments of peace offerings, and of the offering made at the consecration of priests. He brought also a meat offering and a drink offering, which appear to have been presented by themselves as a distinct act of service.

He was to cut off the hair of “the head of his separation “(that is, the hair which had grown during the period of his consecration) at the door of the tabernacle, and to put it into the fire under the sacrifice on the altar. Of the Nazarites for life three are mentioned in the Scriptures –Samson, Samuel and St. John the Baptist. The only one of these actually called a Nazarite is Samson. We do not know whether the vow for life was ever voluntarily taken by the individual. In all the cases mentioned in the sacred history, it was made by the parents before the birth of the Nazarite himself. The consecration of the Nazarite bore a striking resemblance to that of the high priest.

The meaning of the Nazarite vow has been regarded in different lights. It may be regarded as an act of self-sacrifice, that it was essentially a sacrifice of the person to the Lord is obviously in accordance with the terms of the law. As the Nazarite was a witness for the straightness of the law, as distinguished from the freedom of the gospel, his sacrifice of himself was a submission to the letter of the rule. Its outward manifestations were restraints and eccentricities. The man was separated from his brethren that he might be peculiarly devoted to the Lord. This was consistent with the purpose of divine wisdom for the time for which it was ordained.

NEW MOON

The first day of the lunar month was observed as a holy day. In addition to the daily sacrifice there were offered two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first year as a burnt offering, with the proper meat offerings and drink offerings, and a kid as a sin offering.

As on the Sabbath, trade and handicraft work were stopped, and the temple was opened for public worship. The trumpets were blown at the offering of the special sacrifices for the day, as on the solemn festivals. It was an occasion for state banquets.

In later, if not in earlier times, fasting was intermitted at the new moons. Judith 8:6. The new moons are generally mentioned so as to show that they were regarded as a peculiar class of holy days, distinguished from the solemn feasts and the Sabbaths. The seventh new moon of the religious year, being that of Tisri, commenced the civil year, and had a significance and rites of its own. It was a day of holy convocation. The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time.

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

A Wing and a Prayer

In the book, A Home Forum Reader, Glenn Wasson related a simple experience that had a profound effect on him. He had been clearing brush in the mountains for several hours when he took a lunch break, sat on a log, and bit into his sandwich.

The scenery was beautiful – by a rushing stream, woods all around him, a canyon close by.

But his contemplations were broken by a persistent bee that started tormenting him, buzzing around his head, its stinger threatening. Glenn waved it off, but it returned. This time he swatted it to the ground and stepped on it. But to his amazement, the bee emerged from the sand to renew its attack.

This time Glenn ground the insect into the sand, bringing all his 210 pounds to bear. The deed being done, he returned to his log to resume his lunch. But eventually the corner of his eye noticed movement in the sand near his feet. The bee was dragging itself back into the land of the living.

Glenn, intrigued, bent over to watch. The bee’s right wing seemed all right, but the left one was “crumpled like a piece of paper.” Nonetheless, the bee stretched and tried his wing, moving it slowly up and down. It ran its legs along the length of the damaged wing, trying to straighten it. At the same time, the bee groomed and doctored itself as well as it could trying to recover from the disaster.

Finally, it tried using its wing, but the left one seemed hopelessly crippled.

Glenn knelt in the sand and bent over for a closer look. Being a veteran pilot, he knew a good deal about wings. He concluded that the bee would never fly again.

The bee, however, had other ideas, and it kept working with its wing, furiously trying to press out the crinkled spots, stretch out the torn spots, and increase the tempo of its fluttering.

As Glenn, still on his knees, watched, the bee attempted to fly. It managed an elevation of three inches before crashing back to earth. Undeterred, it tried again, and again. Each effort was a little more successful, though sometimes the bee would fly erratically this way or that. At last, the bee took off, buzzed over the stream, and was gone.

“As the bee disappeared,” Glenn later wrote, “I realized that I was still on my knees, and I remained on my knees for some time.”

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

The Story of ME vs. THE ROCK CLIMBING WALL

I recently had a very unique experience that made me think a lot about the phrase “take a leap of faith.”

I have never had the desire to go “rock-climbing” before, but I found myself facing the challenge of a rock wall and decided that I might as well give it a try. I do walk each morning but definitely don’t consider myself in top physical shape, so I thought I would probably only be able to climb 5 or 6 feet at the most.

I knew there was no real danger of getting hurt because the climbing gear that had been fitted to me was attached to a rope and pulley that would let me down safely if I lost my footing.

The first time I tried I got up maybe 8 – 10 feet before my arms started to give out. I then was told that if you use your legs to take the brunt of the weight, you will be able to last much longer than trying to use your arms.

I rested a few minutes and decided I would give it one more try in a different place on the wall. Armed with my new found knowledge about letting my legs be my main strength and just taking it slow and easy and thinking about where I needed to go next, I was ready for one more chance.

I was going pretty well for about the first 10 feet up, and then the climbing holds started getting a little farther apart. I had to really think about how I would make my moves. I had lots of encouragement on the ground from people who had already gone up and knew the best path. They were telling me to go right or left, but still when you are several feet up all those directions are much easier given than actually accomplished.

Through some careful placement of my hands and feet, I managed to get up about 20-25 feet high. Then just as I thought I would make it to the top, the next rung up was a good 8-10 inches above the farthest I could reach with my hand while standing on tiptoes.

I am only around 5 feet tall, so the higher I climbed, the farther apart the climbing holds were. I had already been told that as I stood on tip-toe I should gain some momentum by making a lunge for the next rung; then when my hand was secure on  the climbing hold I should quickly find a place for my foot to rest.

That is definitely much easier said than done, and it all had to happen in a split second. By this time my legs and arms were tired and shaking a bit, so I didn’t have a lot of strength left to make the lunge up and get one of my legs up at the same time to hold me up

I wish now that I had given it all I had and tried the lunge up even if I missed the rung and came falling down. I think I must have started to think about how tired I was, plus I was convinced it was impossible for me to be able to lunge upward that many inches.  I finally rappelled down the side of the wall.

Don’t get me wrong; I am really proud of being able to accomplish the first 20-25 feet, because that is 3 times higher than I thought I would ever be able to achieve. It was also my first time even attempting something of that magnitude.

God has been dealing with me mightily about a complete and utter surrender to Him and giving Him complete control over what He desires to do with my life.  I started to think about the fact that the first few feet were not easy by any means, but they were manageable as long as I carefully calculated how to place my hands and feet. I could even say that I had been successful by my own physical abilities and strengths up until this point.

But when the extreme challenge came, I was already physically tired and it didn’t take much to convince me that reaching the next rung was impossible.

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

God has impressed upon me that if I really believe that the Lord is the Strength of my life, I will be able to accomplish things that are totally out of my reach because I will have his Supernatural Strength to help me lunge to the next climbing hold, no matter how high it is. My springboard will be the power of God Himself to undergird me to take me to the next level.

I truly don’t know if I could have made it to the next climbing hold on the rock wall, but in my everyday walk with God I can reach into the unknown knowing that He is with me every step of the way and will give me the supernatural strength to do whatever He wants me to do. I just have to be bold enough to trust that He is leading me down the path that is best for me.

As humans, we tend to want to stay where we can be safe and comfortable, but God has so many great things in store for the Christian who will commit to Him and surrender fully.

Will you join me in surrendering your own plans and dreams to God? I feel sure we won’t regret it.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

Video of the Month

Praise You In The Storm

By Casting Crowns

URL:  http://youtu.be/uHdcyue0bSw

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Victorious Christian Living Newsletter

Welcome to the May 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

Video of the Month

A Huge Defeat for Israel by the Little Town of Ai

This article was a hard one for me to write, but I know it is for someone who will be reading this newsletter. I tried to go other directions with it, but the Holy Spirit kept leading me this way. So…here goes.

Joshua 6 tells the story of how God gave Joshua and the Israelites an awesome victory over Jericho. I’ll bet absolutely no one had ever thought that such a victory could be obtained by walking around the city one time for 6 days, then 7 times on the 7^th day, and then right before their eyes watching the walls fall in and the people ripe for the taking.

All they had to do to obtain the victory was follow God’s instructions exactly. If they had only walked around 6 times or put the soldiers first instead of the singers, they would have been defeated.

God had specifically told them not to take anything personal from Jericho. This first city was to be His and He gave them exact instructions as to what to do with the bounty. It didn’t matter if His instructions made sense to them; they were just expected to obey.

Achan saw all the rich bounty and thought maybe he could get away with a few things and hide them in his tent. After all, who would notice when there was so much bounty. It was probably pretty easy to stuff them under his shirt or hide them easily with all the people concentrated on getting everything out.

Nobody obviously noticed that he took anything for himself, but the most important one – GOD – saw him. Then the whole tribe had to suffer a terrible and humiliating defeat at a small place called Ai. I’m sure that was an awful thing to endure after their glowing victory only a few days earlier. This small place should have been very easy to conquer after the hugely fortified and thickly walled city of Jericho.

As Joshua sought God about their miserable defeat, the truth began to come to light and desperate measures had to be taken to get the Israelites back into fellowship with God. He had told them specifically before they went into battle that the city of Jericho was “accursed” (doomed or dedicated for destruction) and that if they did not keep themselves from the “accursed” thing they would become “accursed” themselves.

Achan had already been told there would be consequences for his actions, but undoubtedly he thought he would be exempt from them or would never get caught.

The Israelite troubles actually began before they went into battle the next time, but it didn’t show up until they had resoundingly lost what should have been an extremely easy battle.

Joshua 7: 1 says “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan… took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.”

God would no longer be with them until they got rid of the accursed things, so they had to take drastic measures to be right with Him again.

Achan and his family paid the ultimate price for disobeying God. He took a beautiful garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of 50 shekels weight. Those are small things compared to the extreme price he had to pay in the end. PLUS his sin not only affected him, but every member of his family had to pay the ultimate price.

All Satan wants is for you to give him a very small opening and he will keep poking and prodding until he has enlarged it enough to form a huge stronghold to hide behind. He wants to make it as large and strong as possible so that it will take much time and effort for you to get rid of. He knows that if he can do this many people will just give up and accept the consequences, thinking it is much too hard to tear down the stronghold.

We now look at Joshua 8: 1-8 and see that God truly does give second chances when we get rid of our pride and do whatever it takes to get rid of our sin. The Israelites were able to take the city of Ai easily with God working supernaturally on their behalf.

Have you thought you could handle things on your own and messed everything up terribly?

Israel messed up and lost the battle with the little city of Ai. They thought they could do it on their own and found out the hard way they couldn’t.

God never wants any man to take the glory that is His, but He wants you to live your life in such a way that you are willing to walk in obedience to whatever it is He wants you to do.

He wants to work in a supernatural way in your everyday life to do things that only He can ever get the credit for. You may have done some bad things, but His mercy and grace are so astounding that He truly wants to take your messes and turn them into awesome victories for His Kingdom.

You are greatly loved and uniquely special to the LIVING GOD and He truly does have BIG plans for your life.

NEVER give Satan even the slightest opening to cause havoc and destruction in your life or the life of your family. As soon as you realize you have gotten off track, immediately swallow your pride and repent before God.

Satan will put every excuse in your mind as to why you should not repent. Some of the ones I have faced are:

Wait until a better time

Everyone will think you are weak

People will make fun of you or talk behind your back

…And the list goes on and on

Satan will do anything to keep you from having a close relationship with God. He doesn’t mind if you believe in God – even if you radically believe in God. He just doesn’t want you to live your life in a way that you can be USED by God.

If you already have a huge stronghold, it is not too late to start tearing it down. The Holy Spirit can give you direction and guidance as to how to get started and keep at it until you have the victory.

Don’t let Satan win even one more day. If there is anything standing between you and God get on your face, get forgiveness, and start in a new direction.

I can tell you with certainty that Satan won’t like it a bit, but you don’t have to let him win any longer. Choose obedience to God over everything else and let Him give you victory over any area where Satan has gained control.

Something To Think About

Turn That Over To Me

The career of missionary E. Stanley Jones, who died in 1973, was nearly cut short by chronic worry. When he had first arrived in India, Jones wore himself out, working and worrying.

“I was suffering so severely from brain fatigue and nervous exhaustion,” he later wrote, “that I collapsed, not once but several times.”

Aboard the ship returning to America, he collapsed again and the doctor put him to bed. After a year’s rest, he attempted to return to India, but became a bundle of nerves on the return trip and arrived in Bombay a broken man.

His colleagues warned him that any attempt to continue ministering in such a state of anxious care would be fatal.

While praying one night, groping in emotional darkness, Jones seemed to hear a Voice ask him, “Are you yourself ready for this work to which I have called you?”

“No, Lord,” replied Jones. “I am done for. I have reached the end of my resources.”

“If you will turn that over to me and not worry about it,” the Voice seemed to say, “I will take care of it.” Jones answered, “Lord, I close the bargain right here.”

A great sense of peace closed in over Stanley Jones, a rush of abundant life that seemed to sweep him off his feet. His energy returned, his enthusiasm bubbled over, and he plunged back into his work with a vitality he had never before known. Jones went on to spend a lifetime of ministry in India, writing numerous books, and ministering to multitudes around the world.

He later wrote, “This one thing I know: my life was completely transformed and uplifted that night…when at the depth of my weakness and depression, a voice said to me: ‘If you will turn that over to me and not worry about it, I will take care of it,’ and I replied, ‘Lord, I close the bargain right here.’”

Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved…Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  Psalm 55:22 & I Peter 5:7

Interesting Bible Facts

POOL

Pools, like the tanks of India, are in many parts of Palestine and Syria the only resource for water during the dry season, and the failure of them involves drought and calamity. Of the various pools mentioned in Scripture, perhaps the most celebrated are the pools of Solomon near Bethlehem called by the Arabs el-Burak , from which an aqueduct was carried which still supplies Jerusalem with water.

PITCH

The three Hebrew words so translated all represent the same object, viz., mineral pitch or asphalt in its different aspects. Asphalt is an opaque, inflammable substance which bubbles up from subterranean fountains in a liquid state, and hardens by exposure to the air, but readily melts under the influence of heat. In the latter state it is very tenacious, and was used as a cement in lieu of mortar in Babylonia as well as for coating the outside of vessels, and particularly for making the papyrus boats of the Egyptians water-tight. The Jews and Arabians got their supply in large quantities from the Dead Sea, which hence received its classical name of Lacus Asphaltites.

PLAINS

This one term does duty in the Authorized Version for no less than seven distinct Hebrew words.

1.Abel . This word perhaps answers more nearly to our word “meadow” than any other. It occurs in the names of Abel-maim Abel-meholah, Abel-shittim and is rendered “plain” in  “plain of vineyards.”

2.Bikah . Fortunately we are able to identify the most remarkable of the bikahs of the Bible, and thus to ascertain the force of the term. The great plain or valley of Coele-Syria, the “hollow land” of the Greeks, which separates the two ranges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon is the most remarkable of them all. Out of Palestine we find denoted by the word bikah the “plain of the land of Shiner,” the “plain of Mesopotamia,” and the “plain in the province of Dura.”

3.Ha shefelah the invariable designation of the depressed, flat or gently-undulating region which intervened between the highlands of Judah and the Mediterranean, and was commonly in possession of the Philistines.

4.Elon . Our translators have uniformly rendered this word “plain;” but this is not the verdict of the majority or the most trustworthy of the ancient versions. They regard the word as meaning an “oak” or “grove of oaks,” a rendering supported by nearly all the commentators and lexicographers of the present day, The passages in which the word occurs erroneously translated “plain” are as-follows: Plain of Moreh, plain of Mamre, plain of Zaanaim, plain of the pillar, plain of Meonenim, plain of Tabor

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

Worship From God’s Perspective

There is an old story about a man who dreamed that an angel escorted him to church one Sunday. There he saw the keyboard musician playing vigorously, the praise team singing, the musicians playing their instruments with gusto.

But the man heard no sound. The congregation was singing, but the sound was utterly muted. When the minister rose to speak, his lips moved, but there was no volume. In amazement, the man turned to his escort for an explanation.

“This is the way it sounds to us in heaven,” said the angel. You hear nothing because there is nothing to hear. These people are engaged in the form of worship, but their thoughts are on other things and their hearts are far away.”

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

NEVER Let Anyone Else Rob You Of Your Joy!

If a man can rob you of your joy, he can rob you of your usefulness.
-William Wilberforce-

William Wilberforce was a man who fought 46 years in order to end slavery in England in the 1700s. God laid it on his heart with such a passion that he had no other choice but to continue the fight until there was victory – at least if he wanted to continue to live a life of obedience to God.

There was much opposition to ending slavery, so he probably had plenty of chances for people to rob him of his joy and keep him in a state of defeat and turmoil. I’m sure he thought of giving up numerous times, but God had specifically chosen him for this important job and he kept plodding day after day until the victory was achieved.

There are far too many times in my life that I have let the words or actions of others deflate me as quickly as sticking a pin in a balloon, watching all the air come rushing out, and seeing it fall to the floor.
There are many things in life that you have absolutely no control over, but you can control how you let other people make you feel. They might try to inflict wounds by the words they use, but you don’t have to let those words pierce you to the point of making you give up what God has told you to do, or what you feel you need to do.

There is always someone who will stick a pin in your balloon to watch it deflate if you will let them.

God can see the whole picture, so He usually works in a way that most of us haven’t even thought about. We plan things out in a way that is very logical to us, and He usually does not follow our plans because His are so much better.

The problem arises many times that you are following God’s plan, but someone else either can’t see it or doesn’t want to see it – sometimes they are not even capable of seeing it because of their own spiritual maturity.

If you “know that you know that you know” (my words for being absolutely, positively sure) about something, then you need to follow what God tells you to do and not let others make you give up no matter how persuasive they might try to be. Remember, though, that they key words here are KNOW and GOD.

I don’t mean that you know what YOU want to do, but that you know what GOD wants you to do. It is only then that you will have his power, strength and anointing to carry out the task.

We would have so much more power to win the world for Christ if every Christian would simply ask God what he wanted them to do and proceed with the business of doing it no matter what anyone else thought or said about it.

I can’t promise that what God tells you to do will be easy, just like it wasn’t easy for William Wilberforce, but at the end of the day when you go to sleep you will know that your actions have made a difference for the Kingdom of God.

Will you dare to ask God to show you what it is that you need to be doing in order to make a difference for His Kingdom?

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

Video of the Month

“Three Little Pigs”

Comedy by Chonda Pierce

I thought you might enjoy seeing a really funny, clean video. Chonda always makes me laugh but she can quickly go from funny to very serious and give you something to think about.

http://youtu.be/hmSg1wY0gso

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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

Victorious Christian Living Newsletter

Welcome to the April 2011 Edition

This issue includes:

1 Article From Me

Something to Think About

Interesting Bible Facts

A Powerful Story

Favorite Article from My Blog

Links to My Other Sites

Video of the Month

Obedience = A Life Of Extraordinary Adventure!

Joshua Chapter 5

The Amorites and Canaanites were powerful heathen countries which surrounded the land of Israel. They both had many different gods which they must have thought were the source of their strong power.

But when they had heard about how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan River for the Israelites to pass through on dry land, they realized that Israel’s God was much more powerful than their own.

The Bible says “their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them anymore, because of the children of Israel.”

As soon as they had come into the land God had promised them, he told Joshua to circumcise every male. Some of the older men had already been circumcised, but ones who had been born in the wilderness had not been. This was the way God chose for them to be set apart as His own special people, and He expected them to obey.

He told them that He would not help them obtain the victory in this new land unless they obeyed him in circumcision. Because of their disobedience God had brought judgment upon them for a time and they did not operate under His Blessing; therefore, they didn’t carry out many of their Jewish customs and ordinances while they were in the wilderness.

God wanted His Chosen People to be spiritually clean both inside and out so that His Glory and Awesomeness could be revealed to the heathen people around them.

After they had been obedient to everything He had told them to do, He then “rolled away the reproach of Egypt” from off their lives and made them a people that others looked up to and even feared again. They were no longer the failures and slaves they had been in the past. Now they were a people who were revered and feared because of their God and how powerful He was.

BUT the way they achieved this success was through obedience to what God told them to do, even though they probably didn’t understand at all how this would make them be clean and pure before Him; he just wanted them to obey.

Has God asked you to do something that doesn’t seem very significant at all to you? Maybe He just wants to see if you will walk in complete obedience to His will.

I can truly say that I am just now understanding (but only in part) something that God told me to do two years ago. At the time I thought it would be a huge step backward and really didn’t want to do it.

In fact, I fought with God for about a week telling Him that I didn’t want to do this particular thing. I was extremely disappointed because I knew that if I didn’t do it I would be choosing to rebel against His wishes, so ultimately I knew I had no other choice if I wanted to continue to grow as a Christian.

Once again, as I look back I can’t believe how selfish I was to think I couldn’t trust Him to work everything out for the best; even worse is the fact that I had the nerve to think that He was messing up my well laid plans.

Much of the time I wonder why He bothers to use me at all, but I am so thankful that He can see something in me that He CAN use. I marvel at His grace, mercy, and forgiveness when many times I act as if I know so much more than He does.

As I look back I see that God wanted me to be a part of something much bigger than I had ever thought of doing on my own, even with my grand dreams and huge plans. I could only see from a very limited perspective at the start, and never imagined the complexity and depth that God would take me in this endeavor.

I can say with certainty that your life will never be boring if you choose to go through the doors that God opens. As for my life, things get tough at times and Satan tries to bring me down, but I have started to see God in a way that I never have before and I never want to go back to the way I used to be.

It is an awesome feeling to see that God has chosen YOU to do a particular thing for His Kingdom when He could have chosen someone else. Make the choice that you will trust His Ways with your whole heart and not get your heart set on carrying out your own plans.

Living life in this way is sort of like being in a James Bond movie where everything is full of action and suspense the whole movie. You never really know where God will lead or who He will place in your life to minister to, but you can always say that life will be interesting and full of surprises.

I am certainly not saying that you won’t have any problems or heartache, but you WILL have the God who created the Universe on your side to help, lead, guide, and direct your every move – and there is no greater person to have on your side.

Something To Think About

Keep Kicking

Two frogs fell into a tub of cream. The one looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, “It is hopeless.” So he resigned himself to death, relaxed, and sank to the bottom.

The other one determined to keep swimming as long as he could. “Something might happen,” he said. And it did. He kept kicking and churning, and finally he found himself on a solid platform of butter and jumped to safety.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! You never know what God has planned, and by all means you don’t want to miss it.

The Influence of a Very Average Life

In her little book, Kept for the Master’s Use, hymn-writer Frances Ridley Havergal says:

Of ourselves we may have but little weight, no particular talents or position or anything else to put into the scale, but let us remember that again and again God has shown that the influence of a very average life, when once really consecrated to Him, may outweigh that of almost any number of merely professing Christians.

Such lives are like Gideon’s 300, carrying not even the ordinary weapons of war, but only trumpets and lamps and empty pitchers, by whom the Lord wrought great deliverance, while He did not use the others at all. For He hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.

Interesting Bible Facts

Jabbok

(emptying ), a stream which intersects the mountain range of Gilead, and falls into the Jordan on the east about midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. It was anciently the border of the children of Ammon. It was on the south bank of the Jabbok that the interview took place between Jacob and Esau, and this river afterward became, toward its western part, the boundary between the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. Its modern name is Wady Zurka.

Jacobs Well

a deep spring in the vicinity of Shechem (called Sychar in Christ’s time and Nablus at the present day). It was probably dug by Jacob whose name it bears. On the curb of the well Jesus sat and discoursed with the Samaritan woman. It is situated about half a mile southeast of Nablus, at the foot of Mount Gerizim. It is about nine feet in diameter and 75 feet deep. At some seasons it is dry; at others it contains a few feet of water.

Jerubbaal, or Jerubba-al

(contender with Baal), the surname of Gideon, which he acquired in consequence of destroying the altar of Baal, when his father defended him from the vengeance of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:32)

(Taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

A Powerful Story

George Mueller’s Practice

The German Christian George Mueller, who developed highly successful ministries to homeless children in the 19^th Century, wrote this in his diary on May 9, 1841:

It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than 14 years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished…

Before this time my practice had been, at least for 10 years previously, as a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer after having dressed myself in the morning. Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that then my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed…

The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching as it were into every verse to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my soul.

The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.

When I thus have been for a while making confession or intercession or supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go, into prayer for myself or others, as the Word may lead to it…

By breakfast time, with rare exception, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.

My Favorite Blog Post For The Month

Unnecessary Things Will Keep You From Getting The Best Things!

Get rid of the unnecessary things so that you can have time to do the best things.

It is very easy to fill your free time each day doing trivial things that are only time-fillers and don’t do anything at all to make you a better person, advance you in a position at work, or help you to grow as a Christian.

As long as your day is filled with “stuff” God can’t give you His Very Best. Discipline is something that many people don’t have on a daily basis. It is one thing to work hard on an intense project for a week, but keeping it up day after day and week after week is another thing entirely.

I have wondered how CEOs of large companies have the time to get everything done. After I read about their work habits, I realized that they have disciplined themselves to concentrate on the most important things and let other people handle the things that are not as important or the things that they don’t have a real talent for doing.

Sanctification means set apart for something, so if you are set apart for a particular thing you make it top priority in your life with everything else coming under it. You WILL make the time to do whatever you want to do, so you must decide what that is and make the necessary changes in your life to accommodate that priority you have set.

God wants you to make Him a top priority by deciding that you will walk in obedience to Him. He wants to have a real relationship with you. I didn’t understand what that real relationship meant during my early Christian years. I felt that going to church and participating in all the activities there pleased God immensely. I don’t think I ever thought about there being much more than that to my relationship with Him.

Before I knew it I had filled my life with good “stuff” but it carried me like a huge wave into the realm of “religion” where I felt that all my good works were what pleased Him the most. I didn’t think about the fact that because I was a Christian the Holy Spirit now lived inside me and wanted to have a close relationship with me by showing me truths, helping me to become a discerner of things so I wouldn’t get caught in a trap, and IS a real, living being who wants to have a relationship with me like I would with my best friend each day of the week.

I never dreamed what a wonderful thing it would be until I experienced it firsthand. Wow, how awesome to not have to make a huge decision all on my own and wonder if I have made the right one, or wonder what would have happened if I had gone the other direction. Would things have been better?

When I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit I know totally and completely that I have taken the right direction because God always wants the best for me and would not lead me in the wrong direction on purpose.

One person can never be good at everything, and can only fit so many things into a single day. The Holy Spirit knows which of those things are the most important, and which ones will lead to the greatest benefit.

Whether you realize it or not, to get the best out of each day you will have to cut out the less important things, and it has nothing to do with your age. Just because you might be retired does not mean that God will not be able to use you in a dramatic way.

Age has absolutely nothing to do with setting priorities so that you can walk in obedience to God and go down the path He leads. Don’t let anything stop you from getting His Best, especially if you have never had it before now.

To check out my blog go to Who God Is

Please check out my other sites by clicking on the links below:

How to Deal with a Selfish Person

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

Video of the Month

Man of Sorrows (Hallelujah What A Savior)

URL    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVYaIpa4c4

That’s it for this newsletter. I hope that you have been truly inspired and blessed. I pray that each word written will minister to you 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