“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?...” Matthew 16:26 NIV


I recently heard a sermon (New Birth MBC, Bishop Long, 7/09) which reminded us that we are all going to die someday. It is funny how we must be reminded of this fundamental fact. Most Ministers shy away from hell and brimstone sermons, not wanting to offend their parishioners. But, some people live as if they were going to live forever; some people act as if they can take all of their material possessions with them when they go; and some people do not know that without a doubt, they have a choice of heaven or hell.


This subject is especially relevant in light of several deaths, just in the last month, of prominent celebrities. These celebrities include actors, entertainers, and sport figures, such as John Carradine, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. These individuals seemed to have it all - money, fame, and beauty. After their deaths the media sensationalized their lives and the manner of their death. This was especially true of Michael Jackson.


I don’t want to judge these individuals, that’s not my place, but I do want to remind all of us, the living, that you can’t take it with you, but you have a choice now while you are living. Do not sacrifice your soul for the fleeting, material riches of this world.

SHAKEN

"That those things which cannot be shaken may remain."
—Hebrews 12:27

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We have many things in our possession at the present moment which can be shaken, and it ill becomes a Christian man to set much store by them, for there is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies; change is written upon all things.. Yet, we have certain "things which cannot be shaken," and I invite you this evening to think of them, that if the things which can be shaken should all be taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You are standing at the foot of His cross, trusting alone in the merit of Jesus' precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in Him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you can say, "He is my Father still. In my Father's house are many mansions; therefore will I not be troubled." You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the strength of His affectionate nature—nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the man who can sing, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time..

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Our country is Immanuel's land,

our hope is above the sky, and

therefore, calm as the summer's ocean;

we will see the wreck of everything earthborn, and

yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.
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PROPHECY

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY, AND I RECEIVED THESE TWO PROPHECIES
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THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns -- June 15, 2009:I Have I not spoken to you? Have I not called you? Have I not established you? Have I not set you? Will I not send you, says the Lord. These indeed are the days of the revealing of My power and glory in the land. For, I have a royal priesthood. I have a chosen generation who have been hungry for all that I have. And, I would have you know that there are treasure chests stored up in heaven with your names written on them. Now as you ascend, as you go forth, go forth with anticipation; go forth and find the treasure; go forth and find out that which I have hidden for you? For these are the days when the mysteries of old shall be revealed and the glory of old shall come forth. I am bringing a river of My anointing to flow in such a magnificent way that when it comes upon you it will carry you into the fullness of My purposes, says the Lord. Rejoice and again I say rejoice!
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SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- June 15, 2009:In a vision I saw myself re-digging a well and finding an old stream bed; it was like a spring that began to flow abundantly. I realized that the Philistines who stopped up Abraham's wells represented the people in my past with that same spirit who were also sent to stop the flow of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in me. They were those who drank of the water of life with me and saw the miracles and manifestation of God's power and then turned and endeavored to stop up the well. It's not just a matter of forgiving those who have brought reproach, but one of recovering all that has been stolen. I remembered that a few weeks ago I had part of a song that kept repeating in my spirit, "the long and winding road", and I thought of Ziklag, which means "winding". But, Ziklag was where David recovered all. It is time for us to recover all that has been stolen in the way of anointing and gifting and to walk in renewed life and faith.Genesis 26:18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up.

Today is Friday - end of another week in Phuket, Thailand. It is sometimes a fight to stay focused and not give in to despair. Even though I know the LORD brought me here for a purpose, the devil may whisper - 'you are a loser, you have no home and no job', but God reminded me that I am in His Purposes and His Will. I stand strong in the Lord and remember -
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Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

That is why this prophecy is right on time.....


SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- June 12, 2009:
The mind is the devil's playground and battleground. Fight to stay focused and clear. Refuse to give any place for confusion or despair to manifest. Be strong and war against fear, condemnation, hopelessness, helplessness, and lies from the enemy. You are not a victim! Stand in faith that I will cause you to triumph in all things. Trust Me to bring you through every battle in victory. I am the Lord of the breakthrough, and I will cause you to overcome, says the Lord.
2 Samuel 5:20a So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water."

The Spirit has really been moving today in my life. In addition to the previous post, I receive this prophecy which also talks about positioning myself in the Will of God...

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Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns -- June 8, 2009:I will pour out of My Spirit in a fresh and mighty way. It will create a flow of anointing that shall become a river that will carry you forth into the blessings of this season. All you have to do, My children, is believe and position yourself in the River of God so that I can have My way in your life. If you choose to get in My river, you will be astounded. You will be established and blessed beyond your imaginations. Freedom, healing, and provision will come in this season because it is My season, which is designated to bring forth the fullness of the manifestation of the Kingdom that I rule over and abide in, says the Lord.

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SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- June 8, 2009:I heard in the Spirit "long bow". And, the Lord said, "You are well able to engage in battle on a new level, for I have extended My power and authority to gain the victory. I have taught your hands make to war and have given you strength to meet every enemy head on. Exercise the discernment you've been given, and do battle in My name. You are like Nehemiah- building with one hand, a sword in the other. So, I say, watch and build; watch and fight. Victory is assured. Psalms 18:34 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17)

What Next?

My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald Chambers

June 8, 2009

Determine to know more than others. If you do not cut the moorings,

God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all

on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purposes, and you get

your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your

time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight,

but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into

the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have

spiritual discernment.

I read this devotion a week after I boarded a plane going from Georgia to Thailand, a one-way ticket as a matter of fact. My purpose was to work and help my brother start a school for children in a labor camp on the island of Phuket in Thailand. I have since learned that as I abide in Jesus, that my 'free choices are God's foreordained decrees'. God 'expects me to do His will, and He is in me to do it.'

God stripped me of all I had in Georgia - house, children, job - everything that I thought of as my life accomplishments. He has cut the moorings and sent me out.

Whom He justified, them He also glorified. Romans 8:30

Morning and Evening
Charles H. Spurgeon
May 28, 2009

Whom He justified, them He also glorified.—Romans 8:30

Here is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God's child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory. Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If He hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from His love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death's dark gloom to immortality's unuttered splendours. Rest assured, the heart of Him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where,

"Far from a world of grief and sin,

With God eternally shut in,"

thou shalt rest for ever and ever.

I SEE MYSELF WITH ALL THAT GOD HAS PURPOSED FOR ME TO BE...

The sermon today, by Bishop E. Long at New Birth, was based on Philippians 3:13-. This is the Scripture that I have been meditating on for over a month. God put it on my heart, and I didn't fully understand what He was telling me until today...



Philippians 3:13-

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

I must forget those things which are behind me, let go of the hardships that I'm facing, I may be in the hole - economically and in my mind - but don't dwell on the past or on my failures, or even triumphs, or how I got into the hole (for instance Paul was in prison when he wrote this), or on sins I have committed. Rather I would want to be found straining to what is ahead of me.

Forget does not mean to fail to remember, but the past does not control me or pain me. Such as those who have hurt me in the past, I will not hold their sins against them -

"18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,"

Break the power of the past, by living in the future... don't give the past power, don't give the past (ex's) power to continue to harm me. God has plans for me to prosper me and not to harm me. God has set me free, let go of yesterday. Live in what God has planned for me, not yesterday. God wants to see me straining forward.

ISAIAH - the yoke shall be destroyed by the anointing... You can't let go of something unless you are reaching for something. Reach forward and let go of the past.

PRESS - what will make me whole is knowing, living in what He told me to do.

Hebrew 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

With God all things are possible...One thing I do forgetting those things that are behind me, and I am going to stretch toward those things before. It's not that I am all that I should be, but I am stretching and pressing to what God has called me to be. I see myself in peace and joy, my children serving God, I see myself with all the things I lost, with all that God has planned for me to be. Jesus said, 'forgive them for they know not what they do', He was saying I'm looking to the future. He who has begun a good work in me, He shall complete it.

I see myself with all that God has purposed me to be...

PRESSING TOWARD THE GOAL

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:  but this one thing I do,

 

forgetting those things which are behind,

 

and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 

I press toward the mark for the prize of the 

high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13, 14

I TRUST HIM

There is a song by Donnie McClurkin that asks if we will trust God, basically, in all circumstances, the good and the bad.

Job asks if we should only expect good things from God?

I am learning to trust Him like that. I really have no choice.

Friends and family judge and leave.

I cannot always see God's Hand and lose sight of His Face.

But I'll trust Him, and pray for Grace to trust Him more.

HOME SICK

There are times when I get a little homesick, when I feel as if I am in another country trying to understand a foreign language and culture.

In the last few years the Lord set me aside, put me through the fire, and prepared me for His Purposes. He taught me what it means to seek "...His Kingdom and His Righteousness...". This is all well and good when it is just Him and me, when I am on the 'mountain top'. Issues arise when I am back in the 'valley'. These are the times when I long for home and other 'Kingdom Seekers', those who understand the language and principles of the Kingdom.

I watched a TBN program last night where they had guests who had been to heaven or hell and came back to tell about it. There was also a psalmist who sang a song about this being a 'Temporary Home'. I could really relate. The time that we spend on this earth, in this body, is not even a fraction of eternity. I long for the time when I can '...walk around heaven all day', praising and worshiping God, not concerned with the rules and regulations of participating in the church, or ability and opportunity to sing in the choir, but just praising God.

I was trying to explain this to a friend recently, and she asked me if I was ready to 'check out'. I found it hard to express what I longed for. Then I rememered a passage in 2Peter 3:11-14 that dealt with longing to go home.

11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

I believe, as it states here, that I can be homesick, but I should also be '...diligent... in peace, without spot, and blameless.

IT'S NOT ABOUT OBAMA

It is all about Him - Jesus Christ

As I watched the Presidential Inauguration of Barak Obama, I was stirred and moved, brought almost to tears, and found myself praising God. My family and friends had the same reaction. We realized that it is all about Him - Jesus Christ. He is Faithful. This same reaction was seen in the interviews of people attending, and even the entertainers at the different events.

When I thought and prayed about this, I realized three things:

1. This event was validation of our humanity. For many years African Americans in this country have been dehumanized. We have believed that if we were bad enough, or rich enough we could be accepted. We have tried to lighten our skins, thin our noses, and straighten our hair, in an effort to get rid of the characteristics that actually make us beautiful. I heard an African American comedian say once that there is not a white man in this country who would want to change places with him, he stated, "... and I'm rich." But there is nothing wrong with us if a man who looks like us, an African American, can be President of the most powerful country in the world.

2. Second, it is all about love. There is a saying that 'Unless we are all free, no one is free'. I believe that this was also central to Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.'s message. The Bible says that you cannot say you love God and hate your brother. If you are in this situation, you are a liar. I heard many people around this country and other countries state that there is hope for America. Meaning that Americans call themselves a democratic, free country, and yet have a history of injustice against people of color. Now there is hope for the American people.

3. Third, it is all about God. God is Faithful.

• Over 100 years ago when that African American mother cried out to God, as her child was sold and taken away from her - 'How long Lord must we suffer?'. God heard the cry of that mother and answered on January 20, 2009.
• When in the 1950's a young African American man was hung and burned, and cried out through the unbearable pain and inhuman torture, 'How long Lord?'
• When a young boy was enslaved and beaten and forced to give up his African culture and name, God heard and allowed an African American man named Barak Obama to become President of the United States of America.

And yet, it's not about Obama, it is all about God. Whatever situation we may find ourselves in today, remember that God is Sovereign, God is Almighty, and God is Faithful.