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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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Two Choices There are Two Kinds, Two ways, Two paths, thus two choices, so do not be -Double-Minded Jas 1:8 a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (NAS unless specified)Therefore choose Deut 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live…It started with Two Trees Gen 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Therefore Two Sorrows 2Cor 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.And Two wisdoms Jas 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.Jas 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.Wrong choices led to Two Covenants Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, He says, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers On the day when I took them by the hand To lead them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care for them, says the Lord. 10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.Therefore Two laws Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.Two Attributes - The Negligent or The Diligent Proverbs 10:4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.For some there will be Two Deaths Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power…And thus Two Resurrections Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. … and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. … 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.Will you experience both the Old and New Heaven and Earth Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.In which All things will be new - for the old passes away Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, 4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."There are many more examples in Scripture of the two ways often likened unto two choices, two kinds, or a contrast between two types or classes such as:
Rev 2:11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'**** YHVH grant us the wisdom needed to choose Your path of life. |
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Choose the path of wisdom not the path of the unwise Proverbs 4:10 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not proceed in the way of evil men.15 Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.Proverbs 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.**** Eternal One our life is a continual decision making process - grant us the wisdom to choose wisely. |
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"Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be alone than in bad company." George Washington Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.**** Almighty Elohim, we are affected by those we associate with, therefore we need a relationship with You. |
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In our pursuit of humility: (Lessons from humility and happiness) "The grace for humility is also greater and nearer than we think. The humility of Jesus is our salvation: Jesus Himself is our humility. His grace is sufficient for us to meet the temptations of pride. His strength will be perfected in our weakness. Let us choose to be weak, to be low, to be nothing. Let humility be to us joy and gladness. Let us gladly glory and take pleasure in weakness, in all that will humble us and keep us low; the power of Christ will rest upon us. … We shall find that the deepest humility is the secret of the truest happiness, of a joy that nothing can destroy" Andrew Murray **** A Choice: Matt 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."**** Father, help us to be quick to admit we are nothing - to admit our need for Your power in our lives. |
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Understanding the precepts of prayer. Ps 102:1 A Prayer of the Afflicted, when he is faint, and pours out his complaint before the Lord . Hear my prayer, O LORD! And let my cry for help come to Thee. 2 Do not hide Thy face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Thine ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.Why? Ps 102:3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth. 4 My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread. 5 Because of the loudness of my groaning My bones cling to my flesh. 6 I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.Ps 102:8 My enemies have reproached me all day long; Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.Ps 102:9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, 10 Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath; For Thou hast lifted me up and cast me away.Ps 102:11 My days are like a lengthened shadow; And I wither away like grass.That is why I call upon my Creator. **** YHVH, when we acknowledge our needs and humbly seek You, You will hear - Blessed be Your name. |
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How does God feel about issues we face today? Redeem Time What do you think is the primary distinctive between one person and another? Isn't it in the choices you make about how to spend your time? A journey is a series of steps leading to a destination. The cumulative effect of every course correction determines where you end up. In like manner your life is the cumulative effect of your choices about what to do. Good choices lead to more good alternatives and bad ones lead to fewer and worse. Don't despair if you have made bad choices, for Yeshua came to offer redemption and make all things new. Still God wants you to use every opportunity to redeem time for righteousness. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap) Therefore be very careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)Material in this section is based on various prayer diaries. |
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A History of the Banknote:
Governments print it, misers hoard it under their mattresses, rich people light their cigars with it, but where does the idea of paper money come from, anyway? China, actually. The banknote apparently originated during the tang Dynasty (7th century), to replace bulky copper coins carried by merchants. The coins were minted with rectangular holes in their center so they could be strung together on cords, but wealthy merchants found that lugging their coins around was difficult. A system was born in which merchants left their coins with a trusted agent in exchange for a note stating exactly how much money was being held. The merchant could return the note at any time to redeem his or her coins, and in time paper money called "jiaozi" evolved.
In Europe, banknotes first came into use in the 14th century. The term "banknote" derives from nota di banco. The holder of a note could redeem it for an amount of silver or gold held on deposit with a bank.
In the new World, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was the first of the American colonies to circulate its own banknotes in the early 1690s, but all 13 colonies were issuing their own notes by the early 1700s.
The First Bank of the United States, chartered by Congress in 1789 shortly after the signing of the Constitution, was authorized to issue banknotes, but the U.S. federal government didn’t start printing its own paper money until 1862. |
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A mighty host, a praying king, __________ trusts in God; The morrow finds the Assyrian band, Dead there upon the sod. (If needed see end of MEM for answer) |
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Faster than you think: Two friends were sitting on a park bench when they saw a man out for a walk with a turtle on a leash. Intrigued, one of the friends said, "That’s a nice pet you’ve got there." "Yeah," the old man sighed. "I used to have another like this one, but he ran away." A Perspective: A woman hired a bricklayer to build a retaining wall outside her upscale home. Talking with him while he worked, she was amazed to discover he was the brother of a brilliant concert violinist whom she’d recently seen perform. "Oh, you’re so lucky to have such a talented brother," she said. Then, fearing the man might be sensitive about his manual labor job, she added: "Of course, we can’t all be equally talented." "You said it, lady," the man responded earnestly. "Take my brother. When it comes to doing something important like building a house, he’s useless." |
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Scribbles Michael Boldea Jr. (length edited) Choosing to do our own thing What was the longest you’ve been angry at someone? How long did the argument last? Two minutes, Two hours, perhaps even two days? What would you say about over two hundred years? What could so anger God, that He would tell a nation that not only would He bring charges against them, but against their children’s children as well? I was reading through the book of Jeremiah, making some notes for myself, when I happened upon a chilling verse, and as I began to ponder the question ‘what would so anger God?’ I realized that it is some of the selfsame things today’s church is guilty of. Jer 2:9 (NKJV) " Therefore I will yet bring charges against you," says the LORD, "And against your children's children I will bring charges.The first thing that angers God is formalism. Jer 2:5 (NKJV) Thus says the LORD: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? 6 Neither did they say, 'Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt? 7 I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.We must realize that during the time of Jeremiah, at least when God spoke this message to the people through His servant, the temple was there, sacrifices were taking place, the priests were going through the motions, and the ceremony, and the formality of it all, but never once did any of them ask, ‘where is the Lord?’ He wasn’t there! God was not in the temple even though it smelled of incense, and the sacrifices were plentiful, and priests were decked out in their priestly attire, because formalism is a stench in God’s nostrils, pretend saints make Him angry, and try as they might to follow the program every day, God saw beyond the facade of their false worship to their hearts which were given over to idols and idolatry. When God sent Jeremiah with this message, He did not say "go and whisper in the hearing of Jerusalem, make sure you don’t disturb them, make sure you don’t make them feel uncomfortable or ill at ease’, God said: Jer 2:2 "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. 3 Israel was holiness to the LORD, The first fruits of His increase…"Go and cry, tell them I am angry, because I remember how they once were, I remember how they went after Me in the wilderness, how they were holiness to the Lord, how they loved Me, and now all that remains is ceremony and formalism and clanging cymbals that make me all the more angry. Cry in the hearing of my people, that I will judge them, and I am justified in judging them, righteousness demands that I judge them, for they were given much, and they loved Me once, and now they have gone astray, and followed idols and walked after things that do not profit. That is why I am angry’, says God; ‘that is why I will bring charges against you, and your children, and your children’s children!’
Isa 1:13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.‘But Lord were you not the One who commanded us to bring sacrifices? Were you not the One who commanded us to keep the Sabbaths? Were you not the One who commanded that we call sacred assemblies?’ Yes, it was the Lord who commanded these things, but He was sick of them, He could not bear them, they were an abomination to Him, for He could not endure iniquity in the sacred meeting. Form without substance is useless. If all we had is the form, if all we have is the ceremony and the keeping of days, and the saying of a prayer, without true righteousness and holiness, without brokenness and humility before God, they are not only useless, but they stir the anger of God. The second thing that angers God is when we think Him our puppet. Jer 2:27 Saying to a tree, 'You are my father,' And to a stone, 'You gave birth to me.' For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, 'Arise and save us.'It angers God when we think we can put Him in a corner, go about our own business, become idolaters in our deeds and actions, but still call upon Him in our time of trouble and say, ‘arise and save us.’ God is either your God for all seasons, in your time of joy and your time of heartache, in your time of peace and your time of turmoil, in your time of plenty and in your time of need, or He is not your God at all. We can’t pick and choose the days on which we have fellowship with God, or communion with God, or obedience toward God, He is not the sunshine maker on rainy days and nothing more. He will not accept it, and it angers Him when men attempt to use Him as such. We are not disciples, we are not worshippers, we are not servants of the most High God, we are profiteers, sycophants who stick around hoping He throws us a few bucks, and the minute He doesn’t we’ll just go on to the next one that promises us something for nothing, denying Him as though He’d never done a thing for us. Preach the truth? Not financially feasible, too little profit in it, so we become life coaches, and soothsayers and self-help gurus teaching you how to live your best life now. This is American Christianity in a nutshell! And you don’t think God is justified in His anger? And you don’t think God is justified in His judgment? You still think Him unfair, and heartless? Think again! It is we who have provoked the wrath of God, it is we who have fueled His anger, and we deserve to drink the cup of His fury, and the cup of trembling to the last drop. The third thing that angers God is that we don’t own up to doing the first two things that angered Him. God sends His messengers and they cry aloud, ‘repent, turn away from your wickedness, turn away from your sin, turn away from your formalism, turn away from your idolatry’. And we turn around and answer ‘who me? You must be talking to somebody else, because I’ve never done any of those things.’ Jer 2:33 "Why do you beautify your way to seek love? Therefore you have also taught The wicked women your ways. 34 Also on your skirts is found The blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, But plainly on all these things. 35 Yet you say, 'Because I am innocent, Surely His anger shall turn from me.' Behold, I will plead My case against you, Because you say, 'I have not sinned.'This is the attitude of the masses when confronted with the truth of God’s Word. ‘Must be for somebody else, because I haven’t sinned, I’m innocent!’ But you forget dear soul that God has you on tape, He’s got you on instant replay from the moment you were born to the moment you will breathe your last, and you cannot say you have not sinned. Jer 2:23 "How can you say, 'I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals'? …God sees, God knows, and God remembers, and it angers Him when we stand before Him and rather than fall on our knees in repentance, we lie to His face and say ‘it wasn’t me! Looks like me, talks like me, walks like me, but no, it wasn’t me, I’m innocent, I have not sinned.’ Therefore, this is why God will bring charges against us, and against our children’s children. Because we have a form of godliness, with exuberant ceremonies and lots of fanfare, but no Jesus in our midst, because we treat the King of kings as some puppet whose strings we can pull with a prayer, and because we will not admit to having done any of these things. Judgment is upon us dear friends, and though we might not want to admit it, it is righteous and just. Know that it was difficult for me to write this message out; it tore at my heart, brought tears to my eyes, and drained every bit of energy from my fingers, but try as I might I could not get away from it, the verse kept returning to me insisting that it be fleshed out. Sometimes we must say hard things, because only the hard things will suffice. This was one of those times, but the season for playing games with God is far gone, and we either worship Him as King and Lord, we either serve Him as Master and Savior, we either submit to His authority and will, or we will suffer His judgment long before the world does. With love in Christ Michael Boldea Jr. - www handofhelp.com |
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There is no legacy as rich as integrity Consider that you’re really too blessed to be stressed Turn a stumbling block in your path into a steppingstone to success Those who would choose friends over fortune know true wealth Be exact in business, generous in friendship |
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Don't Let Go* And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:24-28; ESV)
By Alan Gilman *(This document may be edited for length) |
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Psalm 148:4-5 One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. When we meditate on all that YHVH has done we cannot help but declare His mighty works for surely all creation reveals His handy work. **** Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |
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Deuteronomy 30:15-16 "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. |
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1. The living and the dead - Acts 10:42 2. 1 Samuel - 1 Samuel 8:1-5 3. Jerusalem - 2 Kings 21:1 4. His disciples - Luke 18:15 5. By the ravens - 1 Kings 17:5-6 6. Abraham - Genesis 13:8-9 7. Isaiah - Isaiah 6:8 Simple Quiz answer - "Hezekiah" |