How would you like to be guaranteed Success?!!

If you knew someone who had the answer to success in life wouldn't you go and talk to them about it? Well the answer is actually found in Joshua 1:1-9! More specifically verses 8-9. Here are the steps in more detail that you have to follow in order to achieve true success. 1. Reject the worlds view of success-(vs. 7) *money, material possessions, popularity, power-Luke 12:15-21 2. Embrace a theo-centric view of success-(vs. 7-9) 3. Pursue God's plan of success A. Take sin seriously-(vs. 2-6) *if you don't kill sin it will kill you-Numbers 33:50-56 B. Treasure the word-(vs. 8) * soak yourself in God's word...see what God wants to teach you in your daily devotions...dwell, meditate, and observe, have a desire to learn more about God and love Him C. Trust in the Lord-(vs. 9) * if you love the Lord and long to know him better, you will surrender your life to him and fully rely on him for everything you may need to fulfill his plan for you.

Do you really trust God?

Why do we worry about our life and what is going to happen in the future? Why don't we believe that God will take care of us and provide for our every need? Is it because of fear? Because, fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real. Ultimately it is because we don't take Him seriously! When was the last time you read the Lord's Prayer? As a child you probably have recited it a few times, but how about today? When was the last time that you prayed that God's name would remain holy, or that his will would be done here on Earth as it is in Heaven, before asking that he would provide food for you? I think we should all re-evaluate what we really think is more important. Would we rather have our daily bread, which directly relates to us, or would we be concerned for the unsaved who are dying and going to Hell. Why do we not trust in God? Is it because we are afraid we won't get everything that we think we need to live here? If so, we are living for the wrong reasons. Do you really think that the One who made it possible for us to live here wouldn't take care of us? If God can take care of the birds and the flowers of the field, he can surely take care of his people! Life is a treasure from God! He has promised to reward those who are faithful to him with treasures in Heaven. We need to be trying to store up treasures not here on earth but in Heaven, where those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior will be living with him for eternity. Unless we are fully trusting in God, we are living a life that has no real purpose or meaning. Ask yourself, who are you living for? We need to be living for God and trying to advance his Kingdom every hour of every day. We need to look at our priorities and examine how God said they should be as stated in the Lord's Prayer. We can not do this by ourselves, but only through Jesus. We need to ask Him to help us change and live for him! He promises that if we give ourselves fully to him, solely devoted to advancing his kingdom, he will provide for our every need! You can read about this in Matthew 6.

A lesson from Sunday School

Hey everybody, I just thought that I would take a few minutes to write about what I have been able to learn from the messages at Harvest Baptist Church. Some of these things mean quite a bit to me but I am not sure how much you will be able to understand so forgive me if it is unclear. In Sunday school we have been going over the book of Romans. I know that most people reading this have read the book before but did you really grasp what it is talking about? You probably have a general idea but did you ever pay attention to the way that Paul specifically outlined each verse of each chapter? I have an outline that opens up a new angle to the book. Chapters 1-3:20 explains the condemnation of ourselves and the portrayal of what we are without Jesus Christ. Chapters3:21-8 talks about the gift of salvation. Chapters 9-11 explains the history of the Gospel. Finally Chapters 14-16 goes over the exhortation and tells us how we are to reach others with the Good News of the Gospel! The theme of the whole book is stated in the first chapter, verses 16-17. It says that, "The just shall live by Faith." In this verse just is meaning righteous. Those who have been made righteous shall live by faith. Faith is not just a one time act....it is a way of life. You might not think that we can really be righteous, but it is made possible by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, and only through him are we able to be made righteous before a Holy God. Changing the subject for a minute. A message that we heard on a Sunday morning from an evangelist had the title of, What is Real Salvation. All of us know what salvation is! But do we really live out what God has done for us? I am going to try to briefly explain the main points in his message. Real Salvation begins when God pursues you *We love God because he first loved us-John 6:44 Real Salvation can only happen when you come to grips with your sin Real Salvation occurs when you trust in Christ alone How do you really know that it has happened to you? *Your life changes, and will continue to change *Your desires will change *You will want to reach people with the Gospel So the question is, What are you going to do with what Jesus has given you? Ok. All of that to say this....the first step in changing our life is mourning over our sin. Sin will be punished. Until we realize the damaging effects of sin we will never really be fully thankful for the gift of Salvation. In heaven there are going to be two types of people. First there will be those who say to God, " Thy Will be done", and then the group where God says, " Thy will be done". Which group would you fit under right now? Which group do you want to fit under? The basic problem of the human race is not ignorance of the truth but rebellion against the true God! All people know God exists yet they still choose to rebel against him. The only thing we can do for those people is pray for them. Do you know what it really means to pray? You are probably thinking that we can all talk to God. Yes we all can talk to him but what are we really doing when we are talking to him? We are not being quiet to listen to his voice and instruction! We learned that to pray you must Praise, Repent, Ask, and Yield. So next time you are going to pray take a second and think about your purpose. Are you always asking him to do things for you or only going to him when you need help. Maybe we all need to take some more time to thank and praise God for the things that he has given us. To ask for forgiveness for our sins and to give up our wants and desires and listen to what He has in store for us.

Scars of Life

SCARS OF LIFE

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida , a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.' You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in their life and what they are going through. Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they got them. Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too - enough to not let them go .

Always Tell Your Family And Friends How Much You Love Them!!!

Is Obama the Antichrist?

This is an email that we got from a relative that states some very interesting things about the Presidential candidate and the "end times". I am anxious to hear what you think after you read this. "MAY WE ALL PRAY FOR WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT AND PRAY FOR EACH OTHER AS WE MAKE THIS DECISION OF A LIFETIME! OUR LIVES, CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN'S LIVES WILL BE CHANGED FOREVER BECAUSE OF OUR CHOICE THIS ELECTION. MAY GOD BE WITH US ALL! God help us if this man is elected!! But it is all stated in the Bible and it will happen sooner or later. This is from Darlene Millican, wife of the pastor of Trinity Bapt. Church here in Sun City . I have felt for sometime now that Obama is the one person that 'Frightens Me'. I believe the Bible has warned us that 'A man will come from the East that will be charismatic in nature and have proposed solutions for all our problems and his rhetoric will attract many supporters!' When will our pathetic Nation quit turning their back on God and understand that this man is 'A Muslim'....First, Last and always....and we are AT WAR with the Muslim Nation, whether our bleeding-heart, secular, Liberal friends believe it or not. This man fits every description from the Bible of the 'Anti-Christ'! I'm just glad to know that there are others that are frightened by this man! Who is Barack Obama?Very interesting and somet hing that should beconsidered in your choice. If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it. snopes.com <http://snopes.com/>' confirms this is factual. Check for yourself. Who is Barack Obama? Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu , Hawaii , to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIMfrom Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita , Kansas Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii . When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia . When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocate to Indonesia . Obama attended& nbsp;a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in a Catholic school. Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim . He is quick to point out that, 'He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.' Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical. Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obamawas enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta .Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRIS TIAN when seeking major public office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran. Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show anyreverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obamaturns his back to the flag and slouches. Do you want someone like this as your PRESIDENT?Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy. The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own! TheBible says 'He will come from among you!' Would you want this man leading our country? NOT ME!!! WITHOUT GOD, WE ARE NOTHING!!!"

McDonalds' Dollar Menu turned out to be a little more expensive than we thought...

By Carl Jr. Last Sunday evening we were on our way home from church and we were all hungry so Dad had the idea to stop off at the McDonalds(conveniently located at the corner where we pass leaving church) to grab a quick bite to eat. Well it was empty which was nice so we had all agreed on the double cheeseburgers and fries from the dollar menu. We stepped up to the counter......."hello welcome to McDonalds may I take your order" sure, "we need ten double cheeseburgers and three fries for here please"..............."ten???"......."that's right".......so after we shocked all of the workers and paid we went to sit and wait for our food. It came a few minutes later like it allways does and we chowed down........Mom was the smartest and didn't eat anything but fries! Well there were seven of us and ten burgers......you do the math......a few of us got a little fuller than we had hoped that night but you just can't let that good food go to waste! Well back to the car we went, all "fat and happy". Well about midnight Dad, NellieMae, and C.J. all were throwing up all night long. We only have two bathrooms so the kitchen sink was busy too. Well it seemed like we were all dying so we went to the clinic when they opened up at eight and 'long story short' after three IV's apiece were able to go back home at five that evening. They diagnosed us with some kind of bacterial food poisoning. So that was a very eventful day.......... So next time you are hungry after church think twice about getting the double cheeseburgers from McDonalds..........!!!!!!!!!