Category: Family

Hello Everyone,

Being able to console each other is one of the most wonderful things to experience in life…

The following is taken from a Joyce Meyer daily devotional for July 5th.  It’s a really good reminder that God is able to work all things together for our good when we trust and wait on Him.

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Good From Bad

As you for, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day.
Genesis 50:20

God wants to restore your soul.  The closer you get to Him, the more you experience His healing, strengthening, restoring power.  He’ll take you back to where your life got off track and make everything right from that moment forward.

Joseph is the classic biblical example of how God takes what was meant for evil against us and works it for our good.  In that dramatic scene where Joseph is speaking in Genesis 50:20, he tell his brothers that the evil they meant to do to him (and it was truly evil), God had used for good to save them and their families and hundreds of thousands of others in a time of famine.

In my own life, I cannot truthfully say I am glad I was abused.  But through the power of forgiveness and yielding my pain to God, He has healed me and made me a better, stronger, more spiritually powerful and sensitive person.  He has restored my soul and driven out the fear and insecurity.  I can trust, love, forgive, and live with simplicity in my approach to life because God has restored my soul, and He can do the same thing for you.

If bad things have happened in your life, remember this:  Only God can restore your situation.  He can bring good from bad.

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Honestly, the longer I (Mark) walk with Jesus, the more He’s showing me that He’s able to turn the sting of hurts I’ve experienced into consolation, compassion, peace, rest and joy.  It’s amazing how He’s able to do that in my heart and understanding.

By the way, I heard a more recent account of Joyce talking about the abuse she experienced in her life and she has even thanked God for it, and is glad it happened, because she can now truthfully see that God is using that experience to help bring His loving healing to so many.  She would not have had this opportunity (and her life’s work) to share God’s love with others if she’d not been abused and received God’s love, compassion and understanding for others.

God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. We just need to keep walking with Him and let Him take the time necessary to show us how He can, miraculously, work all things together for our good if we’ll stay in faith and trust Him.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5

What an all-powerful, loving God we have. ☺

God bless,

Mark

There’s so much that comes to mind about today’s topic.  Here’s some of what’s on my heart this morning.

Some people learn about how to stay away from trouble by reading, some by observing others’ mistakes, and some just have to learn by making their own mistakes regardless of being warned ahead of time.

Safe in the arms of Jesus…No place like it!

“Looks like there’s a few weeds growing in the back yard.”  “I know.  There aren’t too many yet so I’ll get to them next weekend.”  “I don’t mean to nag, but that’s what you said last weekend.”

For, “In just a very while little, He (Jesus) who is coming will come and will not delay.
Hebrews 10:37

Who/what are you bonding with, Mark?  Are you procrastinating, compromising, being complacent or nonchalant in an area of your life regarding your spiritual life?  Are you getting comfortable with something you shouldn’t be allowing?  Are you thinking, “It’s okay, I’ll deal with it.  And, anyway, it’s not that big a deal?”

I was at a computer training center taking a class in the new version of an application we used at my workplace.  I was with another person from our company.  We’d finished that day’s session and my peer asked me if I wanted to go grab a beer.  To my own surprise, I told him I couldn’t drink any more because that’s how I started to fall away from the Lord at one time in my life and that I knew I probably wouldn’t survive another falling away from God since it is so hard to come back to Him.  He was okay with my answer and even appeared to respect my position on the matter.

There was a time in my life when I wasn’t guarding my heart like I am today.  I thought my heart was safe, but I was being deceived.  I thought, “I got this.  I’ll be okay” with an unfamiliar arrogance (God’s protective humility was slipping away from my heart.  Humility is such a crucial spiritual barometer).  What I discovered is that this kind of thinking is super-dangerous.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:  I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.
Psalm 101:3

What had happened is that I began dating a really popular girl.  As a result,  I was becoming pretty popular with some classmates who weren’t close to God but who were recognized as the “in crowd” at my school.  And, I kind of liked it.  I thought I could handle more and more of the worldliness I was subjecting myself to and letting into my life.  I didn’t realize that I was really being pursued and seduced by darkness – Satan will do whatever it takes to destroy your walk with the Lord..

Without really realizing it (Deception’s trick), I was spending less and less time with the things of God.  Unperceptively, gradually, I slowly slid then fell away from Jesus, and my heart became “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

In His faithfulness, the Lord allowed a few hard lessons (a bad car wreck and being held up at gun point to name a few) to bring me back to Him, but the prodigal situation I’d been living in cost me all the fruit God had grown in my life up to the point before I fell.  It would take decades to grow that fruit again.

I can’t even tell you how important it is to guard your heart with ALL diligence.  I discovered that no one else can do it for you.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, you must monitor and protect your heart from every tentacle of darkness that tries to deceive you and lure you away from the precious, safe dwelling place of the Most High.

The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near.  So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:12

But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:9

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Galatians 6:7

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  (I remember the devil telling me the same thing.)
Genesis 3:4

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Psalm 91:9

In Psalm 91, the writer implies that the protection mentioned in this passage is only for those who have made the Lord their habitation, their dwelling place, the place they live, where they spend most, if not all of, their time.

Above all else, guard thy heart; for out of it flows the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Please make sure you’re guarding your heart with all diligence.  Ask God to show you how you can guard your heart and if there’s anything in your heart, in your life, that may be deceiving you, that may cause you to eventually lose your relationship with God.

Blessed (safe, at peace, joyful, resting, not fearful) is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Psalm 40:4

Because he hath set his love upon me (God), therefore will I deliver him:  I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:  I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation (God rescued me from the destruction pride, arrogance, fear, jealousy, lust, drinking, swearing, anger, frustration and other attributes that darkness had brought into my life by my falling away from Jesus).
Psalm 91:14-16

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

The following was taken from Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s June 2017 newsletter.  I thought it was excellent and a blessing for us to remember once again that Jesus loves us and strongly desires for us to remove all darkness from our lives so we can live free in His will.

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Spring is the time of Passover, the season in which the children of Israel left Egypt for the Promised Land.  Note that they didn’t just inherit the Promised Land. They didn’t just one day decide to enter in and set up houses.  Others had occupied before them.  Therefore, for the Israelites to inherit the land, they had to fight.  They had to drive out those who were there before.

This gives a key to our spiritual lives.  You, too, have been called to inherit the Kingdom.  But the Kingdom of God isn’t just inherited – it’s battled for.  The enemy has strongholds.  Sin has strongholds.  So in order to take ground in the Lord, it is not enough to believe for it – you have to fight for it.  If you want to grow in the Lord, you have to fight a spiritual fight.  You have to dispossess the strongholds that sin has maintained.

One of the powers that Messiah gave to His disciples is that which is called in Greek, “ek-ballo.”  Ek-ballo means the power to cast out.  It’s a crucial power.   It’s not only the power of casting out demons from the possessed – but also the power to cast out any darkness that has occupied or gained a foothold in your own life.

You have the power now in Messiah to cast out fear, to cast out bitterness, to cast out lust, unforgiveness, depression, and any other dark thing that has replaced the Kingdom.  Many believers make the mistake of accepting these things in their lives.  They make truces with them and they live the rest of their lives compromised.  That’s the same mistake many of the Israelites made when they didn’t drive out all the inhabitants from the land.  They ended up living a compromised, hindered, and paralyzed life in God, without seeing the victory.  Don’t make that same mistake.

God has called you to inherit the land, but you have to fight for it.  And the way you fight is you drive it out.  Light will always drive out darkness.  Good will drive out evil.  And the Presence of God will always drive out sin.  So exercise your power of “ek-ballo,” the power to cast out – starting with your own life – for God has given you the power to cast out so you can enter into the land and life of blessing.

May God equip you and strengthen you as you cast out and enter into the life of blessing that He has for you.

Your brother and fellow minister in the Great Commission,

Jonathan

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God bless,

Mark

I want to start off by telling you that, almost more than anything, I wanted to be a “man.”  I wanted to command respect, to take on responsibility and to get things done.  I wanted the respect of others and to be filled with the pride and satisfaction of a job well done and a disciplined, beautiful family.  This desire drove me to the point of spiritual, emotional and physical exhaustion.  Believe me, I know what I’m talking about in the areas of fear, worry, pride, strife, and care.  It caused me to want to take my life, many times over…I now know that was satan’s intention.

As I’ve stated many times before, I was raised in a religious environment.  My father was the president of a well-known Christian ministry and many of my relatives were pastors or employed in Christian work.  My father ended up having an emotional breakdown because he worried a lot and never learned how to cast his cares on the Lord even though many tried to help him get free in Jesus.

While growing up in a very large and proud Baptist church in the Southern California area, I was told not to drink alcohol, not to use cuss words, not to smoke, not to hang out with the wrong crowd, etc.  Now those things (except  pride) were all good for me, but what I didn’t realize until later in my life is that, by their actions, most Christian leaders taught us to worry, to take on care, to strive, and to stress out until others felt sorry for us.  I often heard the words, “He’s such a hard worker” about those who were so heavily burdened with care.

We weren’t encouraged to cast all our cares on the Lord even though we were taught the verses that clearly stated to do so.  We were taught to memorize the Word, but applying it was another thing altogether – I wonder if this is why so many leave the church after a while.  We’re not transferring our cares to Jesus.  Even our pastors often looked weighed down with care and responsibility.  At times, it could make me wonder if Christians were really any better off than the unsaved.

I worked with a lady in an accounting department while living in the Tulsa, OK area.  Whenever she sensed I was taking on too much work and becoming too stressed out about it, from behind her cubicle wall, Amy would say, “Hey Mark, how much does it weigh?”  She meant, how much does the world weigh today?  Her comment was always followed by a contagious laugh.

This was Amy’s way (God was enabling her to help me) of getting me to lighten up and to let go of the weight of work – I learned that letting go actually made my work more pleasant and easy to manage.  Amy was a real God send and often said things to remind me that God wanted me to always be casting all my cares on Him.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me (Jesus), because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.  He (God) has sent Me (Jesus) to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19

Folks, it took me a really l—o—n—g time to discover that the gospel is good news, that it’s not some heavy, religious thing.  As the above scripture proclaims, Jesus came to set an example for us.  He came to set us free, to show us how to get back to the joyous life Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before the fall.  I believe this is why the Holy Spirit keeps speaking to my heart about Heaven and to keep looking up.  To me, it’s as if He’s saying, “Don’t let yourself get bogged down with earthly circumstances.  Cast all your cares on Me.  I want you to be a joy-filled man who will reflect my love and redemption to those who are captive to anxiety, depression, strife, the cares of this world, etc.”

I (Mark) love each of you and just want to help us all to keep our eyes on the prize that is set before us.

The Bible says it’s going to be difficult to be a Christian during the end times.  I can think of two reasons for this.  First, lawlessness will abound making men’s hearts grow cold (Matthew 24:12), to grow more selfish and arrogant, and to, thereby, lose love for our fellow man\lady.

But, I also think that we can become so bound (so horizontally focused instead of vertically focused by keeping our minds on Heaven’s joy) by what’s happening on earth that we’ll lose our joy, our focus, our purpose which is to live for Jesus and to help others with the joy of the Lord He’s shown us we can have if we’ll simply keep looking up by remembering that He’s working all things for our good, by praising Him in all things, by taking care-filled thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ and by letting the peace that passes understanding fill our souls, hearts and minds.

Cast all your cares on Him, and teach others to do the same.  You’ll save yourself and others much misery.

Casting all your care upon him (Jesus); for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7

to proclaim deliverance to the captives – those (Like I was captive for too long) captive to care, worry, anxiety, depression, other lies of the enemy of our souls, you name it.

Come unto me (Jesus), all ye that labour and are heavy laden (anyone labouring under and laden with fear, worry, anxiety, depressive thoughts, strife, circumstances, trying to always understand…), and I will give you rest (Jesus can and will remove all those things from us).  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

Be freed from all care, precious ones…Leave all your cares at the foot of Jesus’ cross, and help others to do the same.

After all, that’s the Gospel (Jesus), and it really is GOOD NEWS!

God bless,

Mark

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 KJV

The Promise
By The Martins

“I (Jesus) never said that I would give you silver or gold
Or that you would never feel the fire or shiver in the cold
But I did say you’d never walk through this world alone
And I did say, don’t make this world your home

I never said that fear wouldn’t find you in the night
Or that loneliness was something you’d never have to fight
But I did say I’d be right there by your side
And I did say I’ll always help you fight

‘Cause you know I made a promise that I intend to keep
My grace will be sufficient in every time of need
My love will be the anchor that you can hold onto
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you

I never said that friends would never turn their backs on you
Or that the world around you wouldn’t see you as a fool
But I did say like Me, you’ll surely be despised
And I did say My ways confound the wise

I didn’t say you’d never taste the bitter kiss of death
Or have to walk through chilly Jordan to enter into rest
But I did say I’d be waiting right on the other side (yeah, yeah, yeah)
And I did say I’ll dry every tear you cry

‘Cause you know I made a promise that I’ve prepared a place
And some day sooner than you think you’ll see Me face to face
And you’ll sing with the angels and a countless multitude
This is the promise, this is the promise I’ve made to you

So just keep on walkin, don’t turn to the left or right
And in the midst of darkness, let this be your light
That hell can’t separate us and you’re gonna make it through
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you, oh
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you”

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 AMP

God bless,

Mark

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.  Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 18:9-12

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:  because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:33

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

We visited a garage sale in our area on Saturday.  Huge home overlooking our lake.  The man who owns it is in the oil business.  He has homes all over the world.  Anyway, the renters of his home were the ones having the garage sale.  The house is for sale so they have to move.  The renters had a lot of neat wind chimes all over the yard and around the outside of the home.  The man renting the home was selling a number of Bibles and other Christian books in the garage sale.  I wondered if he ever really knew Jesus and if he was merely backslidden.

Ann and I walked around to the back deck looking at the wind chimes.  We found a wooden one we liked and bought it.  While we were on the very large deck, the friendly man renting the home came out back.  We chatted about the home for a few moments.  Then, the man told us why they have all the wind chimes around the house.  Without pausing, he said they’re supposed to keep evil spirits away.  Ann and I just looked at each other.  The man looked like he had fear issues and I wondered what he did for a living to be able to rent such a large, beautiful home.

Anyway, we left and when I got home I couldn’t believe I didn’t share Jesus with the man.  I dug out some Christian books for him and plan to take them by there today.

Wow, as the world becomes more and more secularized, fear and the other works of the devil are going to spread.  Once people turn their backs on God, in the great falling away the Bible talks about, the vacuum created will be filled with everything else.  As the world becomes more hostile, the enemy will have a field day stealing, killing and destroying all those who have lost their discernment and aren’t protected by having a relationship with Jesus, our present day ark, with perfect love.

It’s everything to know Jesus today, saints.  It’s everything to trust Him, to thank Him in all things, and to know that He’ll never leave you nor forsake you.  It’s everything to know that He’s with you working all things for your good and that you can cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you…

God bless,

Mark

Hello Precious Ones in Jesus,

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].
Philippians 1:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“Question:  “Why did Jesus have to die?”

Answer:  When we ask a question like this, we must be careful that we are not calling God into question.  To wonder why God couldn’t find “another way” to do something is to imply that the way He has chosen is not the best course of action and that some other method would be better.  Usually what we perceive as a “better” method is one that seems right to us.  Before we can come to grips with anything God does, we have to first acknowledge that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts—they are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8).  In addition, Deuteronomy 32:4 reminds us that “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”  Therefore, the plan of salvation He has designed is perfect, just, and upright, and no one could have come up with anything better.”
Taken from Gotquestions.org

God’s plan for my life is perfect and no one, especially me, could have come up with anything better.  I’ve surrendered my life to God.  As long as I remember that, I feel safe.  I can be still and know that He is God.  And, I’m reminded to let the peace of God rule in my heart whenever I’m tempted to think that I’m on my own…

The above, gotquestions.org, material reminded me again that God is in control of my life and working all things for my good.  If He worked all things for good for His Son, Jesus, He’s got things in my life working for my good.  I just need to be still, and let His peace take over.  That really comforts me.

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Romans 8:28 (AMP)

Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,  4 who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (AMP)

God bless,

Mark

We live in a world where forgiveness is practiced less and less.  So it’s no wonder we have more and more anger, wars and devastation occurring.

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:15

Wow, this is such a liberating verse.  It keeps the sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, and a whole bunch of other really bad things, from digging into and polluting our hearts, minds and souls with the enemy’s suffocating traps and mind games.  It’s just so neat how God protects us by commanding us to forgive each other.  Reminds me to always forgive anyone, even those on the roads, so that my Heavenly Father will keep forgiving me.

What a kind and incredible world it would be if we simply, and instantly,  forgave one another…  =)

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32

God bless,

Mark

Here’s an inspiring way to begin the week…About ten minutes long.  I hope you’ll view it for a spiritual boost.

God bless,

Mark

For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 AMP

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Romans 8:28 AMP

After all (all includes whatever is going on around us or in our lives that may be attempting to steal our peace and trust in Jesus’ care of us)…

…we serve a sovereign God who is never surprised by anything that comes our way, including world events.  He’s never caught off guard.  He knows the beginning from the end.

Yep…He Who is The Lord of Lords and King of Kings, knows…

Boy, the Lord has really been ministering to my wife and I the last several days while she’s been home sick.  I even had another bad migraine last night where I lost my memory for a little while.  But, God just keeps speaking to our hearts that “Everything’s ok.”

We love it when Jesus shares these simple and powerful words with us.

Everything’s ok, precious people.  Really…

God bless,

Mark