NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

“It is possible for believers who are completely willing to trust the power
of the Lord for their safekeeping and victory to lead a life of readily
taking His promises exactly as they are finding them to be true,

IT IS POSSIBLE to daily ‘cast ALL your anxiety on Him’ and experience deep
peace in the process. (1 Peter 5:7)

IT IS POSSIBLE to have our thoughts and the desires of our hearts purified
in the deepest sense of the word.

IT IS POSSIBLE to see God’s will in EVERY circumstance and to accept it with
singing instead of complaining.

IT IS POSSIBLE to become strong through and through by completely taking
refuge in the power of God and by realizing that our greatest weakness and
the things that

upset our determination to be patient, pure or humble, provide an
opportunity to make sin powerless over us. This opportunity comes through
Him who loves us and works to bring us into agreement with HIS will, and
thereby supplies a blessed sense of His presence and power.

All these are DIVINE POSSIBILITIES. Because they are HIS work, actually
experiencing them will always humble us, causing us to bow at His feet and
teaching us to hunger and thirst for more.

We will never be satisfied with anything less — each day, each hour, each
moment in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit — than walking with
God. We are able to have as much of God as we want. Christ puts the key to
His treasure chest in our hands and invites us to take all we desire. If
someone is allowed into a bank vault, told to help himself to the money, and
leaves without one cent, whose fault is it if he remains poor? And whose
fault is it that Christians usually have such meager portions of the free
riches of God?”

from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Cowman — published by our good friends
at Zondervan. You can order a copy of this powerful devotional from our
KESWICK ONLINE BOOKSTORE (www.americaskeswick.org), or call our on-site
store — 732-350-1187 ext. 31.

Join us for our special FREEDOM FIGHTER DAY coming up on Saturday, March 11.
Mark P. Fisher, Sandy Cove Ministries’ new President, will be sharing the
day with us and telling his story of how God has delivered him from a long
battle with pornography. Invite some men to be a part of this day that can
radically change their lives!!! To register or for fliers, call
800-453-7942.

YIELD YOUR WILL

“Love does not depend on your feelings. Your WILL is what God wants from
you. Run your household in a godly way, raise your children properly,
and give up empty pleasures. Seek to be simple, quiet. and humble. Let
your life be hid with Christ in God. This is what God is after.

When God asks you for something, do not refuse Him. Learn to wait for
God. Do not move until He directs you. Each day will bring its own
problems. As you deal with them you will grow deeper and deeper in God.

Let your faith strengthen you. When you feel absolutely weak, you will
discover a strength that is not your own. You will KNOW that the
strength is not your own. And if you go astray for a little while, then
you will learn humility as you return. Your Lord lives in the center of
your spirit. Return to Him there as much as you can. Surrender yourself
to God and learn to live by Him rather than out of your own strength.
Little by little this learning to live by your Lord’s strength unfolds
within you. No longer will you cling to things that you can see, but you
will cling to God, within you, and there you will find deep fellowship.”
— From the writings of FENELON — The Seeking Heart. You can order this
from the KESWICK BOOKSTORE — (1-800-453-7942 ext. 31)

“Will is the whole man active, and the whole active power and force of
the saint is to be laid at the feet of Jesus Christ. We busy ourselves
with work FOR Him while He waits for all our individual energy to be
curbed and submitted to Him that HE may re-direct it into the channels
HE wants.” — OSWALD CHAMBERS

Good words for today. Listen to the KESWICK TODAY radio broadcast this
week to find out how you can turn STUFF into treasures and build a godly
legacy for your family. Join us as we talk with Lauren Littaurer Briggs.
You can listen to the broadcast by visiting our website —
http://www.americaskeswick.org.

ENCOURAGE YOUR PASTORS

I am very concerned with what I am seeing happening in the church today.
During a recent conference at America’s KESWICK, I had the opportunity
to meet over 250 pastors and wives — men and women who are sold out for
Christ and serving on the front lines of the battle.

What we discovered is how many of these soldiers of the cross are
discouraged and on the edge of throwing in the towel. It was very
alarming to me to see these precious folks wounded and weary.

I am personally working with a number of godly men who faithfully
proclaim and teach the Word of God but who are being worn down because
they are expected not to be the shepherd of the flock as God has
intended them to be, but are being asked to be the “CEO” of a “church
business.” One dear brother in Christ was recently told that while he
was one of the godliest men that they knew, and that he handled the
Scriptures faithfully, was a good husband and father, he was lacking the
leadership skills to be the CEO of the church.

The expectations of our Pastors today are out-of-control. I am afraid
that if many of our employers placed on us the number of expectations
that we place on our shepherds, we would have buckled in and quit a long
time ago.

On this Lord’ day, I want to encourage you to encourage YOUR pastor.
Martin Luther said that encouragement is oxygen to the soul. Paul urged
the members of the church at Thessalonica with these words: “Now we ask
you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead
you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly IN LOVE
because of their work . . . ” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Sometime during the week, write a note to your pastor and his staff and
encourage them. Pick of the phone and tell the Pastor how his ministry
has impacted yours. Thank him for serving the Lord at your church.

Many years ago I attended a Bill Gothard seminar and we were encouraged
to write thank you notes to people who had impacted our lives. I wrote
to the Pastor who led me to Christ at age 3 and thanked him for pushing
a little kid aside. This dear servant of the Lord had led hundreds of
people to Christ during is 35 years of ministry, but he wrote back to me
saying that I was the first one to ever say thanks. He died several
months later.

Well, sorry for meddling this morning . . . well not really. Thanks for
doing the right thing this morning!

CONFIDENCE IN THE PROMISES GOD

“When my little son was about ten years old, his grandmother promised
him a stamp collecting album for Christmas. Christmas came and went with
no stamp album and no word from Grandma. The matter, however, was not
mentioned, until his friends came to see his Christmas presents. I was
astonished, after he had listed all the gifts he had received, to hear
him add, ‘And a stamp album from my grandmother.’

After hearing this several times, I called my son to m and said, ‘But
George, you didn’t get a stamp album from Grandma. Why did you say
that?’ With a puzzled look on his face, as if I had asked a very strange
question, he replied, ‘Well, Mom, Grandma SAID, and that is the same
AS.’ Not a word would sway his faith.

A month passed and nothing else was said about the album. Finally one
day, to test his faith and because I wondered in my own heart why the
album had not been sent, I said, ‘George, I think Grandma has forgotten
her promise.’ ‘Ph no, Mom,’ he quickly and firmly responded. ‘She
hasn’t.’

I watched his sweet, trusting face, which for a while looked very
serious, as if he were debating the possibility I had suggested. Soon
his face brightened as he said, ‘Do you think it would do any good for
me to write Grandma, thanking her for the album?’ ‘I don’t know,’ I
said, ‘but you might try it.’ A rich spiritual truth then began to dawn
on me.

In a few minutes a letter was written and mailed, as George went off
whistling his confidence in his grandma. Soon a letter from Grandma
arrived with this message:

My dear George,

I have not forgotten my promise to you for a stamp album. I could not
find the one you wanted here, so I ordered one from New York. It did not
arrive until after Christmas, and it was not the right one. I then
ordered another, but it still has not arrived. I have decided to send
you thirty dollars instead so that you may buy the one you want in
Chicago.

Your loving Grandma.

As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor. From the
depths of a heart that NEVER doubted came the words, ‘Now Mom, didn’t I
tell you?’ George, ‘against all hope . . . in hope believed.’ (Romans
8:14) that the stamp album would come. And while he was trusting,
Grandma was working, and in due time faith became sight.

It is only human to want to SEE before we step out on the promises of
God. Yet our Savior said to doubting Thomas and to a long list of
doubters who have followed, ‘BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN AND YET
BELIEVED.” (John 20:29) — Today’s Freedom Fighter is from STREAMS IN
THE DESERT, available from the KESWICK ONLINE BOOKSTORE —
http://www.americaskeswick.org

EVERYONE NEEDS A BURNING BUSH

“I will not forget, Lord, what the burning bush means. What did it mean
to Moses? Exactly what You said it would mean: ‘This will be a sign to
you that it is I who have sent you’ (Exodus 3:12 NIV).

A sign! How many times, Lord, have You spoken to me through a sign?
Possibly none of them was as dramatic and arresting as a bush that
burned and yet was not consumed. But signs nevertheless. For the
important thing about a sign is not what it IS but what it POINTS to.
And Your signs have pointed me to the same all-powerful One as the
burning-bush sign pointed to Moses. The God of the burning bush was to
become the God of the Exodus. And the God of the Exodus became the God
of the Red Sea deliverance.

Moses was able to do such marvelous exploits because He believed in that
kind of a God. And he believed in that kind of a God because of what he
saw at the burning bush. The bush-burning experience created a
FOUNDATION for Moses’ faith. If God could do that —

All of God’s actions are designed to build a platform underneath our
faith. That is why I must have a personal burning bush. Someone else’s
experience is valuable to me only as an incentive. But that incentive
does nothing for me inwardly unless it leads me to a burning-bush
experience in which spiritual reality becomes conviction.

Every child of God needs his burning bush, the place where God is so
real he can no longer doubt, no longer equivocate, no longer rebel. He
will never be the same person afterward. His remaining life may have its
share of trials, burdens, and afflictions as Moses’, but it also will
have its victories and triumphs. The burning-bush tells us of a God who
is so real that He dares us to doubt.” from DAILY WITH THE KING —
published by Moody Press

“For I am confident of this very thing, that HE who began a good work in
you will perfect it until the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Good words for today. Visit our website to find out about our special
FREEDOM FIGHTER DAY!!! Don’t miss it. — http://www.americaskeswick.org

HOW DO YOU SMELL?

One of Zach’s favorite shows growing us was BEAR AND THE BIG BLUE HOUSE.
Every morning he’d watch Bear go through the ritual of preparing his
house for his friends. Bear would pick up a scent and begin sniffing and
say, “I smell something . . . and . . . it’s YOU!

Our nose is an amazing organ. Did you ever notice that you can be
someplace and pick up a scent that takes you back to another place you
have been? We were just at another conference center on the weekend and
as we were walking around, there was a distinct smell that took me back
years ago to when I was a camper at Sandy Cove. Scientists tell us that
our noses are so incredible that its six million olfactory cells inside
of it can detect 10,000 separate odors and as many as a half-million
combination odors. Without this sense, we would not be able to tell
perfumes from poisons, the fragrance of a flower from the stench of a
dead animal, Coca Cola from 7-Up, or a gas leak from baked bread.

We have a friend of the ministry that before she was even near you, you
could smell her perfume a mile away . . . well not quite. It would be
funny as our staff would catch a whiff of the perfume, look at each
other and say, “So and so is here!”

I have been reading in my ONE YEAR BIBLE through the book of Exodus and
Leviticus as God gives Moses instructions about the building of the
tabernacle and the use of offerings. The incense that Moses was to make
was to made with the finest of spices and was to be a sweet aroma to the
Lord. The different sacrificial offerings were designed to be a soothing
aroma to the Lord.

As I was meditating on these truths this morning, I was reminded that we
are to present ourselves to the Lord as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)
and was reminded that the fragrance of our lives does make an impression
on people. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: “But thanks be to God
who always leads us in triumph IN CHRIST, and manifests THROUGH us the
sweet aroma of the knowledge of him. For we are a FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST to
God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
to one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to
life.” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

When you walk in the room how do you smell? Is your life a sweet aroma
that points people to Jesus? Good thoughts to ponder on this Thursday,
February 16, 2006.

Listen to Dr. Fred Hartman as he shares more today on Bible Prophecy on
KESWICK TODAY. You can pick up the broadcast by visiting our website:
http://www.americaskeswick.org

DON’T LET THE SONG GO OUT OF YOUR HEART

“A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the
day with song.” — Proverbs 15:15 (The Message)

He died at age 99 and he certainly lived a full life. During the course
of his life he and his wife had no children of their own, but during the
course of their ministry, they parented hundreds of kids. He was not
your typical senior citizen — in fact, when we were in his youth group
— he and his wife were already in their late 60’s. Age didn’t hold him
back — up until his late 80’s, Kale Tomlin was still skiing in the
winter and canoeing in the summer.

During the last several years of his life when his physical body was
beginning to show signs of “old age” he couldn’t sleep at night. His
dear wife, Peg, said at three in the morning, Kale would lay on the bed
and sing at the top of his lungs the hymns and choruses that had been a
blessing in his life over the years. He’d sing — he’d whistle.

That was Kale. I can remember as a teen riding in his car to the mission
— the car jammed with kids (illegal today for sure). And we would sing
and sing and sing. He always had a song on his lips. You could tell when
he was approaching because if he wasn’t singing, he was whistling. When
Kale walked into a room, the music of his life turned the light on in
the room. He had a song in his heart.

As I read this verse this morning, I was reminded of a song that I
learned years ago. The Freedom Fighter is a little later today because I
needed to find the song in my office. Here are the lyrics from the pen
of John W. Peterson . . .

Tho the road is often rough and stormy,
Tho the hills are often steep and high,
You can wear a smile and keep on singing,
Never let your courage die!

And when crushed beneath a weight of sorrow,
When the falling tear drops stain your cheeks,
Jesus is your Friend — He’ll lift you burden:
Comforting, the words He speaks.

When the sky is dark and life’s uncertain
And the future fills your heart with fear,
Just remember God still watches o’er you
And His help is ever near.

Refrain
Don’t let the song go out of your heart,
No matter how dark the day;
Don’t let the song go out of your heart —
Your troubles will soon pass away.

Good words for today.

Check out the Keswick Today radio broadcast today with Dr. Fred Hartman
as we discuss God’s prophetic timetable — http://www.americaskeswick.org.

PRAYER FOR A DOG?

Well yeah! I really can’t stand her. She is big and stupid — but she is
Zach’s dog. Her name is Crystal and she is part German Shepherd and
Boxer. She is an offspring of our son and daughter-in-laws boxer. Her
father was supposed to be a boxer, but — well you know what happens
sometimes — Ruby was out roaming and a German Shepherd caught her fancy
(romantic story for Valentine’s Day).

I REALLY can’t stand this stupid dog, but Zach loves her —
unconditionally! She can annoy the tar out of him, but he loves her any
way. She’s big, clumsy, and I did say stupid? Last night he put her
outside and normally she needs about 15 minutes to figure out what she
needs to do. Well he forgot her and a half hour later, he remembered
her. He went to the door and she wasn’t there. He called and called —
no Crystal! She was gone.

Jan and Zach hopped in the car and drove the Keswick grounds. No
Crystal. Then Zach and I drove the grounds. Then Julie and I drove the
grounds. No Crystal. Zach was trying to hold it together — and I was
torn. Part of me was thrilled, but the other part saw the love he had
for that dog and how it was breaking his heart that she was gone.

We were in the car, and we prayed together. Yep! That we would find that
stupid dog. I reminded Zach that God knew where EVERYTHING was —
nothing is hidden from His eye — not the stars, the hairs on our heads,
the sparrows. He knew where Crystal was. Zach prayed a kids prayer. It
was precious. We went to bed and he was sad. Jan was praying. I was
praying. And around 12:01 — one of our staff gals who was out walking
her SMART dog, found her!

Zach was half asleep when he heard us yell, “She’s home!” His words
were, “Thank You, Jesus, You found her!”

Why is it that the kids have to be the ones to teach us the value of
prayer? He really BELIEVED that God would answer his prayer. This
morning I was reminded that “when the righteous cry for help, the Lord
hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near the
brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18.

Thanks, Lord, for answering the cry of our child, Zach. And now, that
big, stupid dog is fast asleep in her cage. Oh yeah — she was chasing a
skunk — glad Jan and Zach had to clean her up!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Confused about what is going on our world right now? Listen to our
scholar-in-residence, Dr. Fred Hartman, as he shares insights this week
on the Keswick Today radio ministry. To hear the broadcast, visit our
website http://www.americaskeswick.org.

ARE YOU LISTENING?

Here is a powerful devotional from Oswald Chambers — My Utmost For His
Highest (available from the KESWICK BOOKSTORE ONLINE —
http://www.americaskeswick.org)

“Just because I have listened carefully to ONE thing from God does not
mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of
love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind
toward what He says . . .

Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized
that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed
it. But most of us show incredible DISRESPECT to God because we don’t
even hear Him. He might as well never spoken to us.

The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus
Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me
(John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time
through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God
may convey God’s message to me.

What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not
that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas
of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own
convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him.

The attitude of a child of God should always be, ‘Speak, for your
servant hears.’ If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of
hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I
become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things — which I
THINK I must do. The is not living the life of a child of God. Have you
heard God’s voice today?”

Powerful for words that we need to HEAR today from HIM!

Join us on Thursday night, February 16th, for our monthly MEN’S
FELLOWSHIP NIGHT. Steve Schmidt, a full-time staff member at America’s
KESWICK and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy will be sharing God’s
Word. Steve just returned Saturday from Siberia. Great food, fellowship
and a challenge from God’s WORD. Call today for your reservation. Dinner
begins at 6:15 PM in the Raws Dining Room. 732-350-1187

ANOTHER INCREDIBLE GIANT

“I can do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to
keep doing so.” — President Abraham Lincoln

This giant of a man and a life of great difficulty and sorrow:

1831 — Failed in business

1832 — Defeated for legislature

1833 — Again failed in business

1834 — Elected to legislature
1835– Sweetheart died

1836– Had a nervous breakdown

1838– Defeated for Speaker

1840– Defeated for elector

1843– Defeated for Congress

1846– Elected to Congress

1848– Defeated for Congress

1855– Defeated for Senate

1856– Defeated for Vice-President

1858– Defeated for Senate

1860– ELECTED PRESIDENT

” . . . A crisis does not make character; a crisis REVEALS character. A
man’s character is what he habitually is.” — Oswald Chambers

Good words to consider on this day to honor President Abraham Lincoln’s
birthday.