Category: Children

For those of you who may not recognize Pastor Jon Courson’s name, Jon is a well-known Calvary Chapel pastor who pastor’s a church called “Applegate Christian Fellowship” in Jacksonville, Oregon. Jon lost his first wife and a daughter to identical head injuries in separate automobile accidents.

I copied down Pastor Peter John’s words (below the line break) that his pastor father, Pastor Jon Courson, re-played at Peter John’s memorial service held on February 10th in Jacksonville, Oregon. Peter John spoke to the church he helped pastor about a week before he went to be with Jesus. I thought his words were really good for all of us to remember. Praise Jesus, our Prince of Peace.

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“The Lord just spoke to me as I sat down. First of all, He said, “Good job, you made it.” Secondly, though, He just said this as I sat down right here in front of you guys. This is how every single one of you is going to feel. Oh, this is just a slight, um, caricature, this is just a sneak preview, this is exactly something you are going to feel that first moment you breathe your last here on earth and say, “Arrivederci,” or whatever it might be, and (with your next breath) you say, in the presence of the Lord, “Hallelujah!” And all of Heaven; the angels round about; all of Heaven; the saints that have gone on before you; the family and the friends that you are missing and looking for, it’s going to be better than even this (all of the people in church together that Peter John was speaking to). Oh, I’m amazed (deep sigh and breath). Here I am in the presence of my brothers and my sisters, at a moment and an hour, I don’t know what tomorrow holds, neither do you. But, I have a peace from God in my heart that’s guarding my mind and my soul. Let me tell you why that’s so important. You already know, but to have your mind and your soul, or your heart, guarded means you don’t have to come up with the answers. It means you don’t have to know why something is happening, or how come this is taking place, and that goes on over there. But, there’s a peace that comes with which He guards your mind and heart in Christ Jesus. Me, too.”

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I’ve been researching cluster migraines again online. Yesterday, I saw where cluster migraine people are 20 times more likely to commit suicide. Also, although many cluster migraine sufferers have very severe PTSD, some are discovering that LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, both of which are illegal, are curing their cluster headaches and allowing them to live more normal lives.

I’ve (Mark) been having more of my cluster migraines and they’ve left me pretty weak and brain-weary. But, one of the greatest things in my life is that my weakness has pretty much forced me to have to rely on Jesus, His leading, His grace, mercy, peace, rest, love and joy – Count it all joy has really helped lift me. I don’t ever have to fear weakness because it’s taught me to lean on Jesus and I’m truly finding that when I’m weak, He’s strong. And, there’s nothing on earth like His strength to get you through. ☺

I really like the kinds of readings like the ones I find in the daily devotionals Ann and I read every morning. I like Merlin Carothers’ books, too, because they meet me right where I’m at and inspire me to live above circumstances. We can rely on Jesus, precious people. Really.

The following was taken from today’s reading in the Joyce Meyer daily devotional, “Closer to God Each Day.” I hope it blesses your day. ☺

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Now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life].

There are times in life when we have to deal with stress, but we can be on top of it, not under it. Through the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power, we can handle our work and responsibilities with ease instead of stress. As we follow the promptings of the Spirit we will know how to handle each situation we encounter.

All of us have situations that come our way that we don’t like. But with the power of God, we can go through those circumstances while also avoiding stress. The more we lean on, and trust in, God, the easier life is. Every situation in life is not “easy,” but we can handle them with what I call “Holy Spirit Ease.” In other words, God empowers us to do whatever we need to do through Him. He energizes us and helps us.

God will guide us, but we need to trust Him enough to follow His directions. He never gives us any advice that is not for our benefit and progress in life. God is leading you into a place of victory and triumph, not into a place of defeat. As you follow His lead, I believe you will experience less stress than ever before. He may prompt you not to do something you want to do, or to do something you don’t want to do, but obedience to His leadership keeps us from taking wrong roads in life and wasting time and energy!

Simply obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit will often relieve stress quickly.

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Onwards and upwards! ☺

Counting it all joy,

Mark

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-8

I (Jesus) am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:5

And we know (We can if we’ll simply believe the Holy Spirit’s words here. The choice is ours each day) that all things (it all) work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Wow, Jesus changes everything (it all). I mean, He says to count “it all” joy. Most of us can’t count it all joy. What does that even mean? Our “joy” list is probably full of wants. It’s a list we don’t like violated to say the least. What would it do to our lives if we could count it all joy? What if “it all” was on our joy list?

Jesus is saying “count it all joy” can be accomplished in Him. Jesus says He wants to use “it all” to give us patience, to make us perfect, so we can be complete, wanting nothing. Why do we need patience, and how do we possibly become perfect and entire wanting nothing?

Well, because being impatient (imperfect and wanting “it all” to go our way) can bring great harm to our bodies, souls and minds. If Jesus can lift us above “it all,” if He can empower us to live above conditions, then nothing can really do us harm. We’d have more of His peace than we can even imagine. We’d be immovable in our spirit, mind and body. We would be more rested, peaceful, and content. We’d trust Him in “it all” all the time.

Can we really count “it all” joy? Can we really acquire that precious Holy Spirit perspective and indwelling? Yes. Jesus brings it up for that very reason. He’s saying that – with the help of the Holy Spirit, and with us yielding to the Holy Spirit living in us – we can count it all joy.

“Jesus, apart from You, I know I can’t count it all joy, and I’m tired of not counting it all joy. I’m worn out from trying to handle things on my own, in my own strength. Seems like I have so much care. I don’t like “care,” and I don’t like what being impatient does to me and to those around me. I know You want to help me become perfect in this important way of counting it all joy. Show me how to achieve this remarkable level of living in You. Help me to yield to the Holy Spirit when I need to count something all joy. I want to live free in You, Lord. I want to believe that You’re always in control of my life. Please help me become free, Jesus.”

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4 King James Bible

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance (patience) [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance (patience) have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 Amplified Bible

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Ephesian 3:16-19

to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…Wow, what riches. What a loving Father we have. He’ll do anything to strengthen us so we can meet any challenge to our faith with victory. What peace, love and joy that will give us.

God bless,

Mark

Count it all joy! What a radical statement. But then, that’s God. ☺

For the longest time, I thought I was fighting all of hell in my life. What I’ve come to realize is that a lot of what I thought I was up against was actually God growing me up in Him. He was teaching me His ways, and I didn’t like it for a long time. I was rebuking everything in sight. I discovered that most of what I was trying to fight was actually God allowing situations to bring me closer to Him, to plant and cultivate His fruit of the Spirit in my life. Be encouraged. God is at work in you, my friend. He’s putting His life and Spirit in you and making you stronger than you ever thought you could be. ☺

The following is taken from page 71 in Merlin Carothers’ wonderful, faith-filled book, “Power In Praise.”

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Dear brothers/sisters, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete (James 1:2-4)

God has a very special plan for your life. It began long ago when He first created you. He formed you lovingly, carefully, exactly to His specifications, every detail just as He wanted it – your looks, your abilities, your place of birth, the family you were to be born into (or the lack of it). Nothing about you or your life has been accidental. In love, He reached out and drew you to Himself through circumstances He had arranged just for that purpose. You were given a new birth, new life through His Holy Spirit when you accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior, and were baptized, saturated with the Holy Spirit. And now God’s plan is to make you full and complete!

For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be (Romans 5:2)

God bless,

Mark

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32

It’s so wonderful to walk in God’s love, to let His love (His truths) guide me each day. Doing so keeps me from some sins I can fall into like bitterness, anger, resentment, pride, jealousy, being offended, etc. When I choose Jesus, I’m choosing to turn away from these sins. The result is that I’m free from these awful sins that can make my life miserable. I want to get to know Jesus more so I can be more and more free from the weight, wages, and consequences of sin. Who wouldn’t want to get free from such sins?

Jesus is so wonderful. Not only does He keep the entire universe operating, He helps me along life’s narrow – and free – way.

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Psalm 119:165

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105

I keep asking the Lord to help me become more and more like Him – Free, as I follow Him and learn how to walk with Him every day.

God bless,

Mark

Set Me (Jesus) Before You Continually

The following (below the line break) is taken from Sarah Young’s “Always Jesus” daily devotional for today. I’m having a migraine attack and can’t see very well as I copy this down so I hope it’s all legible. ☺

Keep praising God, my friends. He’ll always see you through.

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Set Me (Jesus) before you continually; keep your eyes on Me. I am at your right hand, close by your side. This is the most reliable source of Joy: knowing that I am always near. Seek to strengthen your awareness of My Presence so you can enjoy Me in your moments and feel more secure.

Communicating with Me – in silent prayers, in whispers, in spoken words, in shouts of praise – is the best way to stay attentive to Me. I want you to be real with Me in your prayers. Instead of worrying or obsessing about things, turn those thoughts toward me. Talk with Me about whatever is on your mind. I will show you My way to handle the person or situation that concerns you.

Study and meditate on Scripture. Let is saturate your heart and mind, changing your way of thinking. Permeate your prayers with biblical concepts and content. As you stay in close communication with Me, the Joy of My Presence is yours!

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Psalm 16:8

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
Psalm 71:23

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
Philippians 4:6

God bless,

Mark

The Anti-Sin Secret Of Proverbs 5
By Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn

There’s a powerful secret to overcoming sin and temptation in the Book of Proverbs. You’ll read many warnings against the adulteress. But in Proverbs 5:8, it says, “Stay far away from her door.” This is a critical and powerful secret of dealing with sin. For it is one thing to avoid an adulteress, but it’s another thing to avoid her door. To deal with an adulteress or an adulterer can be hard. You may be under pressure or temptation. But to deal with a door is much easier. No one has ever been pressured, enticed, or tempted by a door. So if you want to be successful in overcoming sin, then don’t deal with sin – deal with the door. Don’t even allow yourself to get near that temptation. Stay away from even the door of the situation that could lead you there. Stay far from that house, that bar, that subject, that relationship, that image, that program, or whatever it is. For then, you won’t even see the temptation, and you’ll be blessed. For no matter what sin you’re dealing with…dealing with its door is a lot easier.

Today’s Mission: Today, stay away from even the door of any situation that could lead you to dishonor God.

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Peter 2:9

While Jonathan’s writing talks about sexual temptation, the “door” idea can be applied to the temptation to be conformed to this world, unforgiving, bitter, jealous, not trusting God, not believing His Word, being pressured to be self-sufficient, anger, using bad language, worry, greed, pride, selfishness, not loving our spouse, etc. His words sure helped me to look at the generational sins that I still deal with in my own life in a new light. I’m asking Jesus to help me to remember the “door” so I don’t spend time thinking about worry, jealousy, bitterness, reacting in a wrong way, and any other sins the Holy Spirit reveals to us. All of this can help us to take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ so sin can’t get a foothold, and attempt to cause us harm. In His love for us, God points out sin to bless us by reminding us to stay far away from it.
God bless,

Mark

1 Early on Sunday morning,[a] as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.
Matthew 28:1-8

I was reading today’s one-year Bible passage in Matthew about Jesus’ resurrection. Boy, it must have been a sight. It scared the Roman guards who were sent to guard the tomb so much they fainted right on the spot.

I was talking to Annie about it when the Holy Spirit reminded me of how real all these Bible stories are. He reminded me of the time the Holy Spirit fell on everyone at the little Mexican church (even my Baptist parents who were with us were filled, and they used to make fun of anyone who believed in outpourings of the Spirit like that) Ann and I once visited in the San Fernando Valley up in the Los Angeles area back in the late 70s. The Holy Spirit told me, “What you’re reading today in your Bible about Jesus’ resurrection is just as real as when I filled everyone in that church that day.” When the Holy Spirit tells you things like this, it’s powerfully convincing.

Christianity is real. At times, the enemy can make us think it’s not, but it’s more real than we know which makes me think of how real it’s going to be when the Ezekiel 38 war breaks out; Christians are suddenly taken from earth to be with Jesus; the Tribulation begins with the most horrendous time the earth and those on it will have ever experienced.

The Holy Spirit filling that San Fernando Valley church that day was unbelievable and unstoppable. Whether they like it or not, evolutionists, agnostics and atheists can’t stop the Word from coming true and taking place. It will happen just as it’s written.

God bless,

Mark

“Well, you know that Mark. He’s just thinks we all need to be praising God all the time.” ☺

1 And he (Jesus) began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14 The sower soweth the word.

15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mark 4:1-20

I felt pretty weird in bed again last night – this is a strange flu bug. Had a headache, couldn’t think straight, and felt really confused. But, again, (Yay!) the Lord reminded me to begin to praise Him in all things. What a life-infusing difference that made. Thank You, Jesus, for Your amazing faithfulness to me…

Boy, Ann and I had some really good talks during coffee this morning. We talked about not becoming the devil’s POWs; about when God sews the seed of the Gospel in lives; and about how vital it was for God to show us we desperately needed to praise Him in all things to keep our hearts from getting mad at Him, getting hard-hearted and bitter, becoming POWs again. All of our discussion made me think about my praise list. What can I praise God for and what would I not be able (not willing to, really) to praise God for.

Years ago, the list of things I could praise God for, that I was willing to praise God for had nothing on it. Yeah, that’s how bad off I was. As the years went by, God began to show me how valuable it was (It really was a matter of life and death and He encouraged me to choose Life, to choose Jesus) for me to line up with His will. If I didn’t take a step towards being willing to praise Him, I was going to stay the enemy’s POW living in his cage of bitterness, anger, upset, frustrated, no good to anyone, etc. I don’t even remember exactly when I first began to praise God. I remember it wasn’t easy and I still didn’t feel like praising Him. I did it because I knew He wanted me to in order for me to begin to break out of my POW life.

Today, I can still get caught hesitating to praise God in this or that. BUT, He’s faithful to keep my heart soft with the oil He gives me when I praise Him in all things.

What about you? Do you have a list of things you can praise God for? Do you have two lists? One list of things you might be willing to praise Him for and another list you can’t praise Him for? I found that as long as I’m not willing to praise Him about something that I’m in bondage to some degree. And, when I begin to praise Him for that thing, He is faithful to help set me free from the chains that bind me to that thing; from a hardening heart.

I can’t even begin to tell you how important this whole topic is in our walk with Jesus. I now know it’s life or death. Choose life. Choose Jesus and be free.

Ask Jesus’ help in praising Him. He’ll show you how to move everything to your praise list and you’ll be lighter and free in your spirit. Believe me. Believe the Word.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Psalm 28:7

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
Psalm 34:1

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4

God bless,

Mark

There’s a real battle for our minds. The enemy of our souls will give us any excuse to follow his lead, to believe his lies that keep us down and bound to his agenda for us each day. For the Christian, this battle goes on all day every day, and Jesus can help us win the battle because He’s overcome the world.

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:31

Jesus was always mentioning “O ye of little faith.” He was always amazed that we didn’t trust in Him 100% all the time. He must have known that we could or He wouldn’t have challenged/admonished/cautioned/exhorted us about our little faith. He wanted us to learn to overcome our little faith so we could live in the liberty great faith gives us, gives our minds, bodies, and emotions.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Psalm 28:7-8

I wasn’t feeling well in bed last night and began asking Jesus to help me, my body and my thoughts…

Got up this morning feeling kind of down. I’d had the stomach flu all weekend and then had chili for dinner last night – often, spicy food can help my stomach issues. Didn’t sleep much last night and the chili began taking a toll on me this morning. ☺

Anyway, I came out to the living room and waited for Ann to come out. I started giving into the weakness I was feeling in my body and the low electrolytes the flu had caused. Right then, the Lord said, “Mark, be “in” Me. You don’t need to give into your body, to your flesh.” I knew what He was saying and my thoughts quickly came out of the fog and self-pity that was trying to control me.

Folks, we don’t need to sit and take the wrong thoughts. Jesus wants to set us free from our bodies and any impact disease may have on it. Ann and I began to talk about this and we both began to feel the Holy Spirit’s power welling up in us as we talked about Bible heroes and how the Lord gave them victories. It’s so wonderful when Jesus brings us back to Him and bolsters our faith with His truth.

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
Isaiah 35:4

Choose to be “in” Jesus, precious people. Your life will be so much better off if you ask the Lord to help you live “in” Him, in His truth, in His love, peace, mercy, faith, joy and rest each moment. He’ll be faithful to help you.
God bless,

Mark

Happy Monday, Everyone –

It’s interesting to me that when we pray and God doesn’t answer the way we think He should, that we get mad at Him – satan loves this. I used to be like this a lot when “things didn’t go my way.” We get mad at God because we know He can change our situation but chooses not to. In reality, what’s happening is – because He can see the “whole picture” in our lives – He’s got something better in mind for us by not giving us the immediate answer we’re looking for. We need to learn to trust His judgment in every matter. This is entering His rest. And we can do so because of Romans 8:28. ☺

Now, I can look back on my life and thank God for not doing things the way I often prayed He would. He was right not to give me what I wanted. This makes it a lot easier for me to trust Him into the future.

And everlasting joy shall be upon their head… Amen!

God bless,

Mark

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32

I really like to be free, don’t you? God’s truth is making me free. It’s settling me down, removing my sinful tendencies to be bitter, unforgiving, to love my wife, to let His peace rule in my heart and so much more…

My daughter and son-in-law read the one year Bible each year. I saw theirs’ and bought one last year. I love reading each day’s scripture passages. I “hide it in my heart” so I can live His ways and not be trapped by sin, by the consequences of doing things my way. Reading it keeps me in the Word, in Jesus, in God’s love and will. By the way, this Bible is the NLT version in large print so it’s easy on the eyes and easy to understand.

Here’s the one year Bible at Amazon that we read from each day. I hope you’ll consider buying one.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Bible-Premium-Slimline/dp/141431244X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549549502&sr=8-2&keywords=the+one+year+bible+Premium+Slimline+large+print

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11

Living life God’s way is so loving, compassionate, comforting and safe.

God bless,

Mark

God knows how to bring us to the place where we’ll seek Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

God’s really settling us down. He’s re-making us inside out. He’s bringing a calm to our souls we’ve never experienced on a long term basis. He’s doing a work in us that’s truly letting His peace rule in our hearts. What a different and glorious life He brings to troubled hearts. We can really feel Him, The Prince of Peace, becoming Lord to/in us.

At times in our lives, the fear of man, what others thought (even other Christians), kept us from truly following God, from seeking Him with our whole heart. I think this is true for many Christians. We’re grateful to God that He allowed us to become so desperate that we had to have more and more of Him.

I truly believe there is no higher pleasure than entering God’s rest. What could possibly contend with being able to trust Him all the time in everything? Nothing could possibly compete with the joy His rest contains. Nothing…

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Ann said to me this morning, “I love you so much. I’m so glad we’re learning how to enter God’s rest.”

I knew what she meant. We both grew up with unrest in our homes and hearts – Maybe you did, too. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted in life but we knew we wanted something different than where we’d come from.

In the late 70s, we’d spend time praying and asking God to show us more of Him. We’d read about how God could change a person and end the strife in their life; that He could take all their “care” and give them an abiding peace that passes understanding. While we didn’t know just how to get there, we thought that kind of life must be an incredible place to live.

God’s showing us how to enter His rest and it’s really healing us deep in our souls. Unrest can still trip us up from time to time, but His rest is replacing more and more of the unrest in us. We could never thank God enough for giving us what He knew we needed all along. God’s been so faithful to bring us along, to reveal more of Him and His rest to us.

Thank You, God for Your rich love and for never giving up on us even when we didn’t think we could go on and keep believing for another day. Thank You for taking us to Oregon to show us how to love each other, and for showing us how to “do” Your Word, Lord.

Remember your leaders (the precious people at Christ’s Center Church in Junction City, OR, and others), who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do (put into practice, apply it in your life): and (then, and only then) the God of peace shall be with you (Always in all things).
Philippians 4:9 KJV

There can be no greater joy than Jesus. Please, ask Him to make you search for Him with your whole heart…

God bless,

Mark

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 42:11

There was a time, and not all that long ago, when I could not praise God in all things. I was really cast down and disquieted. God is changing all that and it’s absolutely wonderful and life-changing. Really.

I went to two different doctors (both doctors were gentle, thorough and caring) yesterday thinking I might have a torn or detaching retina in my left eye. What was so wonderful about it was that, by remembering Romans 8:28, I had nearly perfect peace at both offices. The Holy Spirit kept giving me the reassurance that He was working all things together for my good even while having two doctors appointments in the same day. That’s something for someone who’s been known to have panic disorder and anxiety disease, worry, fear, fretting, etc. God just let me settle down and accept whatever outcome came from the two visits. What a blessing. Even my wife was blessed by how the Holy Spirit kept me calm, comforted and secure in His love and will.

All of this makes me think of these scriptures again:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice…

…6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:4; 6-13

I write each day to encourage you to choose Jesus every day, to remember His Word when you’re tempted to worry or fear. Just as we’re (Ann and I) attempting to do each day, we want to encourage you to put your trust in God, in His Word, to put it to the test and give it the time God needs to prove its authenticity in your life. It’s amazing what begins to happen in our souls as we stand on the Word, as we apply it to our everyday, real life circumstances and situations. While we have days when the spiritual battles are more intense than others, we’re reminded to stand on the Word and to remember that God has a victory for us in each trial. God is so good all the time. He guaranties that in Romans 8:28 and so many other Bible passages.

My retina is “fine and normal for my age.” ☺

God really strengthened me yesterday. His peace that passed my understanding kept me and was amazing. What a blessing it can be if we’ll let Him strengthen us with His loving, living Word, Jesus, every day.

God bless,

Mark

Happy Monday, Everyone!

The following was taken from Joyce Meyer’s “Closer To God Each Day” daily devotional for today.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust (believe) in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through (by) the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Jesus replied, “This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe…”

Little children usually automatically believe what their parents tell them, and that is how God wants us to be with Him. He wants us to believe what He says in His Word! Christians are often referred to as “believers,” and believers should believe!

Are you a believing believer, or a doubtful believer? Simple childlike faith produces a lot of good fruit. For example, joy and peace are found in believing (Romans 15:13). Doubt, reasoning, worry, and fear produce all kinds of misery, but it all can be avoided by making a decision to believe the Word of God. Believe that something good is going to happen to you. Believe that when you repent, your sins are completely forgiven. Believe that God wants to meet all of your needs, that He loves you and is always willing to help you.

When we believe, then we can enter the rest of God and really enjoy each day of our lives. We can take life one day at a time and trust that our future is secure in God.

If you are going to doubt anything, doubt your doubts.

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God bless,

Mark

Our Father loves us SO MUCH. More than we know. Each day, He wants to show us, and come to understand more and more of His love.

Is it really possible to acknowledge the Lord in all my ways? Can I really be careful for nothing? God says we can live this way in His Word if we’ll step out in faith and follow His lead to “do” His Word even when it seems inconvenient to us. With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

The Grace and Wonder of Staying in the Lord –

At times, in our day, we’re tempted to act apart from the Lord. We’re tempted to take matters into our own hands without consenting with or being mindful of Jesus…

Here’s a simple, loving lesson the Lord allowed me to experience the other day.

Our car battery was really weak and barely started our car Monday morning. After dropping my wife at work, I took our car to Walmart which is where I buy my car batteries. I’d gotten there early and was first in line in the oil and lube line so I moved my car over to another lane since I needed my battery checked. I had to wait about 45 minutes for Walmart’s automotive service to open so I grabbed some peanuts and sat down in the auto service waiting area. I noticed that when they opened, two other cars I arrived ahead of were being waited on and neither driver said anything to the technician about me being there first. I thought, “That seems inconsiderate.” The Lord immediately told me not to “take” that thought and that He was with me.

About 10 minutes later, a technician came over to the car and tested my battery. After the test, he told me it may take a charge and that it would take about 30 to 90 minutes for them to determine that. He walked off with the battery test printout. About 5 minutes later, another Walmart technician came over and asked me if I’d had my battery checked. When I told him it had been tested, he asked me where the test printout was. I told him the other technician had it. I told him the printout had said my battery needed to be charged for 30-90 minutes to determine its status. He asked me to drive my car over to the other side of the auto service area, but I told him it may not start. He asked me to try it. The car started and I drove it over to the other side. The technician met me on the other side, lifted the hood and tested my battery again. This time, the printout said the battery needed to be replaced. I was so happy. The technician told me a new battery would be about $120. At that time, a third auto technician walked over and asked about the battery test printout. When he read it, he told the other technician to replace my battery and that it was free since I was still within the battery warranty period. Happy, Happy, Happy.

Now, what I want to convey in this email is that whenever I was tempted to become impatient, whenever I began to get in “my flesh” about this situation, the Lord kept reminding me to wait on Him and that everything was okay. In fact, He kept asking me to be extra patient and kind to everyone. He was with me, knew all about my wanting to get going so I could get some things done, etc. He told me He would make sure I got everything done I thought was so important if I just gave this situation to Him and followed His lead.

It was so neat how everyone around me responded to His leading in my heart. I calmed down, gave Him the situation and was like a spectator watching Him work all of it out for me. One of the other customers who’d come in after I’d arrived, and had his car serviced before me, went out of his way to find the auto service department manager for me so the manager could printout the transaction paperwork so I could be on my way.

It’s so wonderful when we yield to Jesus, when we say “No” to our hurried, worried, impatient, selfish flesh, and keep our spiritual ears tuned in to Him even though our flesh is wanting its way. God is so faithful if we’ll just be willing to be “doers” of the Word, if we’ll keep the faith, if we’ll be His people especially when we’re tempted to not want to do so at any given time throughout our day.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:6-8

Listen to Jesus, and let His “rest” keep you each moment of the day. That’s what He wants for us. He just wants to love us and give us His amazing peace – even in what seem like small matters. He’ll make sure we get everything done and be blessed (and be a blessing to those around us) in the process.
God bless,

Mark

Hello, Everyone –

When I opened up Yahoo this morning, I saw that President Trump wants to bring his favorite book, the Bible, back into public education. Wow, what a blessing that would be…

Jonathan’s new year message was really good so I thought I’d share it with you…

Blessings in Messiah For The New Year!

Many of us grew up being taught that Isaac Newton came up with the law of gravity after having an apple fall on his head. The story is most likely a fable, but Newton did formulate the law of gravitation. We generally think of gravity as the force that makes things go down. But gravity is really not a force that pulls down, but rather, it’s a force that pulls objects to each other. The closer you get to an object, the more you’re affected by its gravitational pull. This is true for stars and solar systems, planets, moons, and satellites. It’s even true for small objects. Every object has a gravitational pull.

At this point, you might be asking, “But what does this have to do with my spiritual life?” Everything. Every believer deals with habits, sins, temptations, things they want to overcome and break free of. Hidden in the law of gravitation is a spiritual principle and secret that can change your life. Just as physical entities contain gravity – a gravitational pull, so also do spiritual entities. And what this means is that the closer you get to an object, the more you come in contact with its gravitational field and pull.

Thus, if you hang around people who are into a specific sin, you’re more likely to be drawn into that same sin. If you hang around with people into gossip and negativity and complaining, you’re more likely to be pulled into that same gossip, negativity, and complaining. It means that if you’re tempted with romantic feelings that are outside God’s will, the closer you stay to that person, the object of the temptation, the stronger the temptation becomes and the greater the chance you’ll fall. It means that if you’ve had a vulnerability to alcohol, then the closer your proximity to a drink, or to a bar, or to an event where alcohol is served, the greater the gravity and chance for falling. It the same way, if you’re struggling with lust, the closer you are to that magazine, or that television show, or that website, or whatever else it is, the greater the gravitational pull toward falling will be.

In the inverse of this law comes the secret. If you want to break free from any sin, habit,m failure, the first and most basic thing you have to do is get out of its gravitational pull. In other words, get as far away from its proximity as you can. The farther away you go, the weaker its gravitational pull will be, the weaker its force and influence on your life. This can be something as simple as getting out of the situation, our of the relationship, out of the house, out of the room, out of the area, our out of the gathering. Then you want to keep going farther away. You’ll want to get yourself away from even the possibility of temptation. The word of God tells us not only to stay away from adultery, but stay away from the door of the adulteress. In other words, protect yourself not only from the sin, but even from a situation that might leave the door open to that sin. If you’re more vulnerable to falling when you’re tired, then leave the situation before you get tired. If being in a certain room could open the door for temptation, then don’t just avoid going in that room, avoid the house, avoid even the street if you have to. It works for temptation, it works for idols, and it even works for distractions. Get away from the gravitational pull and it will weaken.

Once you do this, you can move to the next stage of freedom. You can start moving even your thoughts out of the gravitational field of that sin. Start practicing moving your thoughts as far from that sin as possible. Direct them to a new gravitational field – the gravity of God, His word, and His love. Replace the unclean thing with the pure and the holy. Replace the temptation with the joys of the Lord. The more you get away from the gravity of this world, the more you’ll be free to dwell in the heavenlies and vice versa. So get more and more into the joy of dwelling with God every day in His heavenly places and you’ll live in greater freedom, for there is no gravity in heaven!

“And God raised us up with Messiah and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Messiah.” (Ephesians 2:6) If we are raised up with Messiah then the gravity of earth will ultimately be powerless over us! Rejoice today and make a commitment to move farther and farther away from earthly gravitation to take up your rightful place in the heavenly realms where there is no gravity.

In His Love and Service,

Jonathan

God bless,

Mark

And he (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:39

Peace, be still…Wow, such loving words for someone like me whose life was so filled with storms that I often found it difficult to breathe.

When I have thoughts that are contrary to my usual, fleshly thoughts, that’s the precious Holy Spirit working in my life taking control of my thought-life, setting me more free. I love it.

For instance, I’m finding that I’m not really waiting on God any more. Waiting seemed like a race horse waiting at the gate. Now, it’s like the Holy Spirit is relaxing me even more and wants me to sink down more in His love and simply do whatever He wants me to do with my life each day. This posture He’s showing me is healing me even more deeply. I think this must have been what the Apostle Paul must have experienced when he wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” in Philippians 4:11. God knows that from where I’ve come from, I need contentment deep in my heart whatever may come.

For my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

It’s easy, especially today, to think of His riches as money or things. But, for me, His riches include the precious gift of feeling content in my soul that was “troubled” and without His peace for so long. His riches heal our lives and bring us closer to the Eden life we had with the Father.

Oh, the riches of His glory…And there was a great calm.

God bless,

Mark

Happy Monday, Everyone!

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7  King James Version (KJV)

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Version (AMP)

God bless,

Mark

Praise The Lord
Written by Elliot Bannister and Michael Vincent Hudson

When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams
And your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in seem to disappear

Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him

Now Satan is a liar and he wants to make us think
That we are paupers when he knows himself we’re children of the King
So lift up the mighty shield of faith for the battle must be won
We know that Jesus Christ has risen so the work’s already done

Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him

Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him

Praise Him, praise Him
When you praise Him
When you praise Him
When you praise
The Lord

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6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke 2:6-20

Ann likes to look at a local web cam on top of a mountain across the valley. We went to the web cam link this morning, and while it was dark with some city lights shining, the moon was shining a bright moon beam on the land (you can make out the moon beam in this picture. It’s on the right and was much brighter when we first viewed the web cam earlier this morning). It reminded me of the Luke passage above. The angel came at night in the darkness. Wow, that’s how Jesus comes into our lives. He says to each of us, “Fear not. I bring you good tidings of great joy. I’ve come to set you free.” He comes into our darkness – our past hurts, shame, tendencies to worry, fret, fear, etc. – and shines His bright light of freeing truth into our lives.

Ann and I were talking during our coffee time this morning about how much Jesus is helping us, setting us free, bringing us out of darkness, shining His liberating light into our lives. It reminded me of how faithful Jesus is. I thought of how there was a time when I was so bound up and how Jesus had us begin to memorize verses that began the process of Him setting us on a path to know Him, to find out how free He can make us, to experience Him cutting us loose from the chains that bound us. Wow, to be getting set free from all the things that bound us. Darkness like the fear of man, uncertainty about the future, confusion, hopelessness, bitterness, worry, fear, care, anger, frustration, shame, and on and on. Truly, Jesus’ truth is good will toward men, good tidings of great joy. What great joy Jesus is to those of us who’ve been bound by darkness. Such good news.

And the chains that bind you serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him.

We love you all.

God bless,

Mark and Ann

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deuteronomy 30:19

the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
Ephesians 1:18-19

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:6-7

When I pray for someone, I take them to the cross immediately. I never carry them because I can’t. Only Jesus can. He designed it that way. Thank You, God.

Please don’t let the devil convince you that you do not have to take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Don’t let Satan make you think you can be lazy about this. He wants us to choose death each day. Remember, he a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

I know it’s a real battle to learn to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. With panic disorder, anxiety disease and other issues, it’s been hard for me to take every thought captive. But with the help of Holy Spirit, we can obey God’s Word in this arena. Please never discount taking thoughts captive, precious people. It’s one of the most important ways that God sets “life” before us each day. If we choose life, we choose to take defeating and care-filled thoughts captive to Jesus. All care, worry, insecurity, inferiority, anger, bitterness, fear, you name it, begins with a thought. We were never designed to carry these heavy things. Take your cares to Jesus and His cross and leave them there. That’s where they belong. Jesus desires for us to live free from the weight of care and all the rest of the above listed items. Take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a liberating command from the lover of our souls, Jesus.

Come to me (Jesus, and one of the major ways we “come to Him” is by taking thoughts captive), all who 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 lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

I love you all.

God bless,

Mark