THE SOURCE OF ABUNDANT JOY

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us . . .” (Romans 8:37)

“Paul was speaking here of the things that might SEEM likely to separate
a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that NOTHING
can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned
in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with
God and separate our natural life from Him. But NONE OF THEM is able to
come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on a spiritual
level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the
underserved, limitless miracle of Calvary; a love that is not earned and
can never be. Paul said this is the reason that “in all these things we
are more than conquerors.” We are super-victors with a joy that comes
from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to
OVERWHELM us.

Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous
thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own
circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against —
tribulation, suffering and persecution — are the very things that
produce ABUNDANT JOY in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him”
“in all these things”; not in spite of them, BUT IN THE MIDST OF THEM. A
saint doesn’t know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but
BECAUSE of it. Paul said, “I am EXCEEDINGLY joyful in all our
tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).

The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is
nothing built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing
can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday
events or terrifying ones, are powerless to “separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).”

Good words this morning from MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST written by Oswald
Chambers — available at the KESWICK ONLINE Bookstore
(www.americaskeswick.org) or by calling the Keswick Bookstore
(732-350-1187 ext 31).

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FAITH IN GOD NOT IN YOUR PRAYERS

Here are some thoughts on prayer from one of the great Bible conference
speakers of the past, Vance Havner. Though he was small in stature, he
was a giant of the faith.

“Many have prayed earnestly for some definite blessing and then, when it
failed to come, have grown bitter and even cynical. And one hears from
such disappointed hearts the frequent refrain, ‘I have lost faith in
prayer.’

The very phrasing of that statement reveals a misunderstanding of the
the right ATTITUDE toward prayer. Faith in prayer is one thing. PRAYER
IN FAITH is another.

The Christian who starts out with faith in prayer puts too much emphasis
upon prayer and not enough upon the GOD to WHOM he prays. He uses prayer
as a sort of magic talisman, an ‘open sesame; to the things he wants, a
quick way of getting things he wants from God. Then, when he doesn’t get
what he asks for, he gives up prayer as the heathen beats his fetish
when he gets into trouble. Prayer is really his god. Instead of being
pious, he is, in a sense, idolatrous. Faith in prayer may be a very
childish and inadequate attitude.

The OBJECT of our faith should be GOD rather than prayer. Then, prayer
in such faith will not fail. We ought first utterly commit all we are
and have into His hands and leave them in His keeping. We ought to
realize that while we can see only a tiny segment of life at a time, God
sees the length and breadth of it with all its complications and
intricacies. That being true, what we THINK we want man not, in His
sight, be our need at all. So, when we pray IN FAITH, faith in God, we
first recognize that ALL things are in HIS hands and that HE has
promised to supply our needs . . .

Faith in prayer may be a cheap thing, bordering on superstition, like
knocking on wood. But prayer in faith, FAITH IN GOD, is a sturdy, rugged
confidence that presents humbly, yet boldly, its claims and leaves the
rest with God.” — Vance Havner as quoted in MAGNIFICENT PRAYER — 366
Devotions to Deepen Your Prayer Experience by Nick Harrison, published
by Zondervan

SMALL PRAYERS WILL ACCOMPLISH MUCH IF THEY’RE DIRECTED TO OUR VERY LARGE
GOD.

Good words for today. This powerful resource is available online at the
KESWICK BOOKSTORE — http://www.americaskeswick.org.

A PRAYER OF WORSHIP

Glorious God,
It is a flame of my life to worship You,
the crown and glory of my soul to adore You,
heavenly pleasure to approach You.
Give me power by Your Spirit to help me
worship now,
that I may forget the world,
be brought into fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed.
Give me knowledge of Your goodness
that I might not be over-awed by Your greatness;
Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
but be drawn near with filial love,
with holy boldness;
He is my Mediator, Brother, Interpreter,
Branch, Daysman, Lamb;
him I glorify,
In Him I am set on high.
Crowns to give I have none,
but what You have given I return,
content to feel that everything is mine
when it is Yours,
and the more fully mine when I have yielded it to You.
Let me live wholly to my Savior,
free from distractions,
from carking [burdening] care,
from hindrances to the pursuit
of the narrow way.
I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus —
give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain
and every day be washed anew,
that I may worship You always in spirit and truth.

From THE VALLEY OF VISION — Prayers of the Puritan — available from
the KESWICK ONLINE BOOKSTORE

Have you registered for FREEDOM FIGHTER DAY — Saturday, March 11, 2006
with Mark Fisher, the new President of Sandy Cove Ministries. Call today
to register. Come and bring a friend. 800-453-7942.

GOD UPHOLDS ALL THINGS

“A human mechanic may leave the machine he has constructed to work with
his personal supervision, because when he leaves it, God’s laws take it
up; and, by their aid, the materials of which the machine is made retain
their solidity — the steel continues to be elastic, the vapor keeps its
expansive power.

But, when God has constructed His machine of the universe, he cannot so
leave it, or any the minutest part of it, in its immensity and intricacy
of movement, to itself; for, if he retires, there is no second God to
take care of this machine. Not a single atom of matter can He for a
moment withdraw his supervision and support. Each successive moment, all
over the world, the act of creation must be repeated. The existence of
the world witnesses the perpetuity of creating influence. Active
omnipotence must flood the universe, or its machinery stops, and its
very existence terminates.

The signs of an all-pervading supernatural energy meet us wherever we
turn. Every lead waves in it, every plant in all its organic processes
lives in it; it rolls round the clouds, else they would not move; it
fires the sunbeam, else it would not shine; and there is not a wave that
restlessly rises and sinks, nor a whisper of the wanton wind that ‘blows
where it listeth,’ but speaks the immediate intervention of God.”

And my friend, the God of the universe who upholds all things by the
word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) is the God who is intimately acquainted
with YOU and loves YOU with His everlasting love. As you prepare your
heart for HIS day tomorrow, reflect on these words:

I sing the mighty pow’r of God,
That made the mountains rise;
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
And built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command,
And all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord,
That filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with His Word,
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed,
Where e’re I turn my eye:
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!

There’s not a plant or flower below,
But makes Thy glories known:
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order of Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee
Is ever in Thy care.
And every where that man can be,
Thou, God, art present there.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Good words to ponder. Have a great day.

DO YOU HEAR ME NOW?

God’s Word speaks to our hearts! It is His way of communicating us if we
will LISTEN to His voice. I remember when Zach was fairly young and he
wanted me to tell me something and I was half-listening. He was smart
enough to know that I was only half-listening to him. He came over to me
placing his little hands on my cheeks and said, “Dad, are you listening
to me!”

Sometimes we approach the Lord that way. He wants to get our attention
as we read His Word — but He doesn’t have our undivided attention or we
just really don’t want to hear what He has to say. We aren’t tuned in to
what He wants to communicate with us. Devotional writer says: “To hear
the word of God is not enough though certainly necessary. I must mix
what I hear with faith, I must believe it to be the truth, and finally I
must obey what it tells me to do.

The universe is full of radio signals. But only when I turn on my radio
and pick up the frequency do I receive a message. God’s Word is full of
continually emitted signals intended for me personally, but only as I am
tuned in does the message ever penetrate my being. God is saying
something to me right now from His Word about that personal need or
problem, but I keep cloying the message by getting hung up on Greek
words, theological meanings, archaeological evidence, and historical
data. Sometimes I feel that God wants to shake me, as Moody used to
shake his audiences by saying; ‘Listen! I’ve got a message for you and I
want you to hear it!’

Lord, You are the God of the NOW, and Your Word is Your message of the
NOW. I will not tune You out, Lord; I will tune myself and the world
out, and I will listen to Your personal message to me right now.” —
from Daily With the King

Has He been trying to get your attention this week? Open your ears
–receive the truth and than OBEY.

TRUST AND OBEY FOR THERE’S NO OTHER WAY — TO BE HAPPY IN JESUS — BUT
TO TRUST AND OBEY!!!

Good reminder as we begin this weekend.

Have you registered for our FREEDOM FIGHTER DAY next Saturday, March
11th? Mark P. Fisher will be sharing his journey from bondage to
pornography to freedom in Christ. Call today to register and bring a
friend — 800-453-7942.

YIELD YOUR WILL

“Love does not depend on your feeling. Your will is what God wants from
you. Run your household in a godly way, raise your children properly,
and give up your 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, 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 you can see, but you will cling to God, within you, and
there you will find deep and true fellowship.”

from Fenelon — A SEEKING HEART — available at the ONLINE KESWICK
BOOKSTORE — or call 800-453-7942 and order from our live store.

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON SIN . . .

Most mornings I am sharing with you from what God is teaching me in my
own quiet time as I read the Word and devotional readings.

Many mornings there seems to be a common thread weaved by the Holy
Spirit that ties all of the readings together. It is hard to explain as
none of the materials were written in the same year and were penned by
various writers.

The common thread today deals with sin — a good reminder as we face the
temptations of life and the grip of sin on our lives. I am sharing with
you several quotes this morning that deal with this topic that will
hopefully awaken your spirit again this morning to God’s point of view
towards sin in the life of a believer.
“I preached on the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of
faith. While I was speaking, several dropped down as dead and among the
rest such a cry was heard of sinners groaning for the righteousness of
faith that it almost drowned my voice. But many of these soon lifted up
their heads with joy and broke out into thanksgiving, being assured they
now had the desire of their soul – the forgiveness of their sins.” —
John Wesley

“Am I so self-deceived that I believe that if I give in to sin, its grip
will be weaker over me? Do I really think that if I give in to Satan, he
will thereafter leave me alone? I like Paul’s word, ‘Do not give the
devil an opportunity’ (Ephesians 4:27). Do not give him a chance to
maneuver, get a toehold or a grip on you. Do not give him a satisfaction
of a look, a glance, or a listen. Look at the wreckage of those who gave
him a chance — Eve, David, Judas! The price is too steep.” — Guy Evans

“Sin taints every thought, word, and act, including the seemingly best
deeds.” — R. C. Sproul

“We are so depraved that God must drag us to himself. The beauty of the
gospel, however, is that at the same time, the Spirit’s work is to make
us willing to come.” — R. C. Sproul

“The wrath of God is a perfection of the Divine character upon which we
need to frequently meditate. First, that our hearts may be duly
impressed by God’s hatred of sin . . . The more we study and ponder
God’s hatred of sin and His frightful vengeance upon it, the more likely
we are able to realize its heinousness. Secondly, to beget a true fear
in our souls for God . . . ‘for our God is a consuming fire’ (Hebrews
12:29). We cannot serve Him ‘acceptably’ unless there is due ‘reverence’
for his awful Majesty and ‘godly fear’ of His righteous anger; and these
are best promoted by frequently calling to mind that ‘our God is a
consuming fire.’ Thirdly, to draw our souls, in fervent praise for our
having been delivered from ‘the wrath to come.’ (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
A. W. Pink

May the Lord impress upon our hearts the awfulness of sin and how He
hates it. Ask Him for the desire to forsake all that is sin in you.

Good words for our consideration, not only for today, but every day.

SURVIVING OR OVERCOMING?

“I am determined not merely to SURVIVE as a Christian, but to OVERCOME.
Too often my life has been a ‘hanging in there’ kind of thing, when
actually God has called me to be an OVERCOMER. Do I get into one scrape
after another and then say, ‘Thank God I got out of that one alive’? Is
that all there is, getting out of things alive?

The secret of overcoming is ADEQUATE RESOURCES, and the secret of
adequate resources is tapping the infinite supply of God. I have been
struck with the poor widow’s plight (2 Kings 4). She had little oil,
nothing more. Creditors were pressing her to sell her sons as slaves.
Elisha advised her to procure all the empty jars she could find, then
pour what little oil she into them one by one until each was full. Then
it happened!!! By some wondrous power the oil kept flowing until every
jar was full.

Where did the oil come from? Where else but the same place as the
loaves, the fish, the wine, the manna, and the thousand other things God
sent His poverty-stricken people! God was simply supplying out of HIS
storehouse that which was perfectly visible to HIM but not to them. If
only we could see God’s infinite supply!

I am not an overcomer because I an not a taker. God’s enormous
quantities are at my disposal if only I will claim them. The lack is not
with God, it is with me. I can grit it our with sheer determination and
scant faith, but I will never OVERCOME that way. God, let me believe
You, really believe You. for therein lies my ability to fight and
overcome, not merely exist. It is ‘according to YOUR riches in glory
(Philippians 4:19). You measure supply; and according to our faith, You
allow that surely to be tapped.”

from DAILY WITH THE KING, published by Moody Press and available in the
KESWICK BOOKSTORE (Online — http://www.americaskeswick.org) or by calling our
bookstore (800-453-2942 ext 31)

Good words for you on this beautiful Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

ARE YOU DEPENDABLE?

Bill Gothard in his book THE POWER FOR TRUE SUCCESS . . . HOW TO BUILD
CHARACTER IN YOUR LIFE defines dependability as “purposing in our hearts
to do the will of God WHATEVER the cost. He states that a dependable
person is defined in Scriptures as one who is FAITHFUL. “The Greek word
for faithful is PISTOS and means ‘trustworthy’ true; reliable; and sure.
The Hebrew word for faithful is AMAN. It means ‘to build up or support;
to foster as a parent; to nurse; to be steadfast.”

Mr. Gothard lists 11 characteristics of dependability:

1. A dependable person will be in harmony with the heart and mind of
God. (1 Samuel 2:35; Isaiah 55:8-9; Psalm 37:4)
2. A dependable person has a great reverence for God. (Nehemiah 7:2)
3. Ad dependable person is faithful in LITTLE things as well as big
things. (Nehemiah 9:8)
4. A dependable person has a heart attitude of faithfulness. (Nehemiah
9:8)
5. A dependable person keeps confidential information private. (Proverbs
11:13)
6. A dependable person communicates energy and health. (Proverbs 13:17)
7. A dependable person is truthful in all that he says. (Proverbs 14:5)
8. A dependable person will not tell people how good he is. (Proverbs
20:6)
9. A dependable person encourages those whom he serves. (Proverbs 25:13)
10. A dependable person is faultless at his work. (Daniel 6:4)
11. A dependable person deals wisely with resources and relationships.
(See Luke 16:1-15)

Are you a dependable person? Ask yourself the question — can others
count of YOU?

To keep your word?
To stay on schedule?
To be alert to details?
To make wise decisions?
To use your time wisely?
To complete assignments?
Good words to consider as we begin a new week. Have a great day!

SEARCH ME, O GOD

“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my MIND and HEART. Behold, You
desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden parts will make me
to know wisdom. I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your
testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep your commandments.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have an ADVOCATE with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself, is the propitiation
for our sins. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to ender the Holiest
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for
us, through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a HIGH PRIEST over
the house of God, let us draw near with a TRUE heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water.

(Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 26:2; Psalm 51:6; Psalm 119:59-60; 1 John 1:9;
1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 10:19-22)

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word, and make me pure within.
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord — in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in me.
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

James Edwin Orr (1912-1987)

Good words as we prepare our hearts for this Lord’s Day, February 26,
2006