Bible Helps

God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'

The true children of God are, according to the Scriptures, ETERNALLY SAFE because: 
 
1.They are born not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible.  1 Peter.1:23 "Being
    born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever".  
 
2.His sheep shall never perish.  John.10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand".  
 
3. There lives are hid with Christ in God.  Colossians.3:3 "For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God".  
 
4. They are chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.  Ephesians.1:4
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love".  
 
5. They are already seated in the heavenlies in Christ.  Ephesians.1:3, 2:6 "Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ".  "And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus".  
 
6. They are already sealed by the Spirit until the day of redemption. 
Ephesians.4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption".  
 
7. The Lord knows them that are His.  2 Timothy.2:19 "Nevertheless the foundation of
God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 
Num 16:5, 26".  
 
8. Having begun it, He will preform it.  Philippians.1:6 "Being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the
day of Jesus Christ".  
 
9. They are already living stones in the spiritual building of God of which Christ
himself is the Chief Cornerstone.  1 Peter.2:5, Ephesians.2:20, 22 "Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"..  "And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner
stone; 
Ps 118:22 Matt 21:42 Mark 12:10 Luke 20:17 Acts 4:11 1 Pet 2:7".  "In whom ye also
are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit"..  
 
10. They are numbers of the Body of Christ, each with a peculiar function - without
the least member, the Body would not be complete.  1 Corinthians..12:12-27 "For as
the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body: so also is Christ".  "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into
one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been
all made to drink into one Spirit".  "For the body is not one member, but many". 
"If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it
therefore not of the body?.  "And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I
am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  " 
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing,
where were the smelling?  "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the
body, as it hath pleased him".  "And if they were all one member, where were the
body?  "But now are they many members, yet but one body".  "And the eye cannot say
unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no
need of you".  "Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more
feeble, are necessary".  "And those members of the body, which we think to be less
honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have
more abundant comeliness".  "For our comely parts have no need: but God hath
tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which
lacked".  "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should
have the same care one for another".  "And whether one
 member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the
members rejoice with it".  "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in
particular".  
 
11. They are kept by the power of God.  1 Peter. 1:4 "To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you".  
 
12. The inheritance is reserved for them.  1 Peter.1:4 "To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you".  
 
13. God's people are a gift to Christ.  John.17:6-7 "I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them
me; and they have kept thy word".  "Now they have known that all things whatsoever
thou hast given me are of thee".  
 
14. Backsliding is a sin, but the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from
all sin.  1 John.1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin".  
 
15. He is able to save to the uttermost.  Hebrews.7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them".  
 
16. By one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. 
Hebrews.10:10-14 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all".  "And every priest standeth daily ministering
and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins".  "But
this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God".  "From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool".  "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified".  
 
17. Who He foreknew he also predestinates, calls, justifies and glorifies. 
Romans.8:28-32 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".  "For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren".  "Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified".  "
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  "
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things?  
 
18. He gives His sheep everlasting or eternal life.  John.10:28 "And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand".  
 
19. Christ dwells in them.  2 John.2 "For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us,
and shall be with us for ever".  
 
20. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Change of Purpose).. 
Romans.11:29 "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance"..

THE LAMININ CROSS THAT HOLDS US TOGETHER

This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that few of us know. It's brief, so please read. (FROM A DOCTOR)

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned.... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire.. . Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .... And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..... 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.' You see.... Laminins are what hold us together.... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE..

But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....
Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it.... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see....

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing.
The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross.
Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible
And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
All things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him
All things HOLD TOGETHER. '
Colossians 1:15-17
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool.
Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin,
Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything
Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin
'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

In the Old Testament there is so much war and violence sanctioned by Yahweh. Is this the same loving God portrayed in the New Testament?

Let's take this seriously by quoting a few verses that seem repugnant to us. For example, Deuteronomy 20 contains Yahweh's instructions about war. If a city does not accept Israel's offer of peace and open its gates, then "when the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it"(verse13). With regard to other cities, the command is (verse 16), "Do not leave anything that breathes."

You probably also recall that the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, and then the Israelites "destroyed with the sword every living thing in it - men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys"(Joshua 6:21). This certainly seems brutal and vindictive, doesn't it? Or consider Joshua 11:20, "For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses." From our twenty-first century point of view, we ask, "What good was accomplished by all this annihilation?"

Yet there is clearly another side to Yahweh as well. While the prophet Ezekiel does not spare the wicked in his denunciations, he also records Yahweh's words of grace: "If a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die…Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:21, 23). And he goes on in verse 32, "For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!" And there is this compelling verse recorded in 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

All these descriptions of God depict him as unwavering in retribution on evil, though he takes no delight in it, and also unwavering in love and encouragement toward those hearts are turned toward him. God's obvious desire is that sinners should repent and live. But there comes a point where evil is finally intolerable and wiped from off the earth.

We must see these terrible retributions in their historical setting. The spread of wickedness was so pervasive that immorality, degradation, and barbarity invaded every facet of life. Children were sacrificed to pagan gods. Male and female prostitution took place right in the temple as part of the religious rites. Idol worship was rife and the society wholly contaminated. This evil was contagious and God's people were in danger of being infected as well. God's awesome judgement was finally unleashed.

Today we have lost that black and white distinction between good and evil. Tolerance is presented as the great religious value. Indeed, tolerance of diversity is a high Christian value, but often today tolerance is taken to mean the virtue of accepting nearly every behavior under the sun. Anything goes - in the name of tolerance! A sweeping moral relativism is the result, and children grow up with fewer and fewer moral absolutes to guide them. We seldom hear the term sin anymore, but instead a dozen much milder words are employed. Surely the Lord will not tolerate this abomination to his holiness forever.

Nor do we like to accept the fact that when evil spreads, the innocent as well as the guilty are hurt. When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the city died, both the innocent and the guilty. A few days later, as a direct result, the war came to an end. It was a terrible end, but it was the end, and greater carnage was avoided. Let's be clear about this stricter and more communal view of justice in the Bible. The Canaanite pagan communities would surely intermarry with the Israelites, and God's people were in danger of succumbing to their sexual perversions and religious degradation. Finally, the danger became just too much

The entire Bible from beginning to end never deviates from this standard of justice as well as grace. Jesus is crystal clear about the punishment of evildoers, for on the day of judgement God will say to the evildoers, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Our society does not much care to hear about pain and punishment, and prefers the meek and mild Jesus of some contemporary writers. But the God of the New Testament is the changeless God of the ages.

And in that affirmation lies our only hope. Clearly we have all missed the mark. Each of us stumbles, and wounds, and sins. Even the most godly affirm that over and over. In God's enduring justice, he never simply blinks casually at sin. But that is not the end of the story, nor even the overriding theme of the Bible. For as humanity spirals deeper into self-gratification, God intervenes. Indeed, the Old Testament is a record of God's intervening in the human situation with a new promise of hope. The New Testament is the record of grace applied to people lost in sin and rebellion. There was no compulsion placed on God to undertake this rescue operation. But the plan was and is indescribably marvelous. God did not forget about guilt and justice. Rather, Jesus Christ, the God-man, took on himself the punishment and so satisfied the grisly sentence. This is what Christians call grace. The Bible is mainly a record of grace, set against a backdrop of horror and misery.

This is an ageless and eternal story, persisting into this new millennium. The evil surrounding us seems to be growing and moral apathy seeps in everywhere. But still God's grace shines through. His love persists. He calls and calls until the very last moment. Have you discovered his grace? It's there - available for you to live in every day.

　THE LORD'S PRAYER

Dear John,

This message that you sent me is beautifully presented and has some excellent thoughts in it. However, the "Lord's Prayer" was never meant to be prayed in a religious, repetitious way like millions have done and still do today. The "Lord's Prayer" was meant to be, according to The Lord Jesus, a format of prayer, setting out the principal/s of correct prayer and praying. "After this manner therefore pray ye----" He taught, in V9. (see below.)

We see this in Mathew Chapter 6, verses 5- 15,( see below) where The Lord Jesus speaking in His sermon on the Mount said :

V5	And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
V6	But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
V7	But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
V8	Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
V9	After "this manner" therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
V10	Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
V11	Give us this day our daily bread.
V12	And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
V13	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
V14	For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
V15	But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Yet regardless of what He ( The Lord Jesus ) taught, millions of people have gone on praying this format prayer, without even stopping to reflect on what He really said and taught, almost as if it were a lucky charm, or a special memorized prayer to be prayed when one is going through some form of trauma or difficulty. This was never the intention of The Lord Jesus as is clearly seen in what He taught in Mathew Chapter 6, verses 5-15, that I have quoted above.

LETTER FROM CHARISMATIC LADY REGARDING HEALING.

29^thNovember, 2006

“My Dear Man of God,

I know that we both are standing in Prayers of Agreement for our dear brother John J... Please rest assured that Pastor Jala- and his Prayer team, Pastor Ayo, Pastor Ephraim are rolling their Prayer Wheels up to Heaven, standing in prayers of agreement with us for John’s health tomorrow when he gets to his doctor for the big examination. Let us just thank Jesus for his healing miracle.

Yours sister in Christ,

Esther”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

MY RESPONSE:

Dear Sister Esther,

Thankyou for your little note and your concern for John's health.

Yes I think it would be wonderful, if our Lord would choose to heal John's body of all disability and pain. Unfortunately God's way for us down here on earth involves a degree of pain and suffering,( In some cases a great deal) whereby we learn to trust God MORE and to depend on Him MORE, which without the pain and suffering it seems, that we in our old human fleshly nature just don't trust Him, like we should, but tend to go on our OWN ability and strength.

See what Paul,one of the greatest Christians that ever lived said in 2 Corinthians, Chapt. 12:7-10 about his bodily disability and pain, that God did NOT remove, even though he prayed 3 times concerning it:

V7	And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
V8	For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
V9	And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
V10	Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Even though none of us like to go through pain and suffering, God uses it in our lives to bring us into a closer walk with Him and dependence on Him, but us, being human of course and living in fleshly bodies, want to ALWAYS take the most comfortable path.

See what the Apostle Peter had to say about trials, temptations and/or testings in

1Peter 1: 3-7

3	Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4	To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5	Who are kept by the power of God through FAITH unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6	Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (or trials)
7	That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Then in James Chapter 1: 2- 4 the Apostle James said:

2	My brethren, count it all JOY when ye fall into divers temptations;
3	Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4	But let patience have her perfect (or complete or maturing) work, that ye may be perfect (complete or mature) and entire, wanting nothing.

However, on the other hand, the Apostle James did say in James Chapter 5:13-16 :

13	Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14	Is any sick among you? ( Remember, they did not have the Hospitals and Doctors, that we have, in those days) let him call for the elders ( Pastors and or Leaders ) of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil ( Oil was a SYMBOL of the healing power of the Holy Spirit to these people) in the name of the Lord:
15	And the prayer of FAITH shall save the sick, ( It doesn’t say EVERYONE) and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16	Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed (SPIRITUALLY). The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

So it is clear that God does and will heal on occasion, when we come to him in praying FAITH.( That's why we should pray for one another.) What will save the sick, that ARE saved from their sickness, is the "Prayer of Faith" according to the Apostle James.

If EVERY Christian was healed physically, EVERY time we got sick and suffered physical pain, our earthly bodies would NEVER die, would they?

So Sister Esther, I believe there is a Godly BALANCE to all of this and that is t

Some may be healed by God, when we pray in FAITH and at the same time do all we can medically as well. ( for God may use the Doctors to accomplish the healing process on our behalf.)

Whereas on the other hand, it may be God's will for us to go through a period of suffering and pain as a result of the sickness we may be experiencing, so that we have to trust Him MORE for His enabling, to cope or it may be God's will for us to go through a period of earthly suffering as a result of the sickness, that we are being afflicted by and then go to be with Him, earlier than we would have, if we had not had such sickness.

In that case, we will just need to accept the situation and glorify God in it and through it.

What did God tell Paul in 2Corinthians 12:9 ?

--------"My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

In the love of Christ,

Pastor Palmer

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YOU SAY	GOD SAYS	BIBLE VERSES
You say: 'It's impossible'	God says: All things are possible	(Luke 18:27)
You say: 'I'm too tired'	God says: I will give you rest	(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: 'Nobody really loves me'	God says: I love you	(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: 'I can't go on'	God says: My grace is sufficient	(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: 'I can't figure things out'	God says: I will direct your steps	(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: 'I can't do it'	God says: You can do all things	(Philippians 4:13)
You say: 'I'm not able'	God says: I am able	(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: 'It's not worth it'	God says: It will be worth it	(Roman 8:28 )
You say: 'I can't forgive myself'	God says: I Forgive you	(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: 'I can't manage'	God says: I will supply all your needs	(Philippians 4:19)
You say: 'I'm afraid'	God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear	(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'	God says: Cast all your cares on ME	(I Peter 5:7)
You say: 'I'm not smart enough'	God says: I give you wisdom	(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: 'I feel all alone'	God says: I will never leave you or forsake you	(Hebrews 13:5)