http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Tn94B3GHcjY
STOPPING THE LIP PRINTS
At a middle school in Oregon, some girls were putting on lipstick and then pressing their lips to the mirrors, leaving dozens of lip prints.
The principal called the girls to the bathroom and told them how the lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian, who had to clean the mirrors every day. To demonstrate how difficult it was, she asked the custodian to clean one of the mirrors. He took out a long-handled brush, dipped it into the toilet, and scrubbed the mirror.
Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirrors. When tempted to sin, if we could only see the real filth we’d be kissing, we wouldn’t be attracted to it.
─ Brett kays, Brownstown, Michigan © 1001 ILLUSTRATIONS THAT CONNECT
“If we could only see…” however tempting, seductive, the temptation may be, there is no pleasure in sin that will last. ” Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” -Hebrews 11:25
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:8
“Be Strong & Courageous”
Joshua 1:1
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 and “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
A. When one generation dies out God will rise up the next generation of those who are willing to be a carrier of His presence of His Word to be a light unto this World.
B. The message of Jesus Christ cannot stop, will not stop. Must be carried out
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
A. He has given us the destination, but to achieve me must fight the good fight of faith along the way.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
A. With Christ all things are possible, He is our strong tower our power rests in Him, though the enemy will attack,it’s not by might, nor by power but by My spirit saith the Lord, that you shall have victory over that battle.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
A. He was encouraging Joshua to be strong, courageous at a moment’s notice.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
A. Any obstacle that you may come across, do not back down, do not fall back, do not shut up, do not sit down, do not stop, do not quit. By all means do not look back.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.
A. Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
B. If you obey Me, I will bless you; if you keep my Word no weapon formed against you shall prosper.
~ OBEDIENCE IS KEY ~
So many want the blessing’s of God, but has a contrary walk with the Word of God. Only by applying it to the life, we can walk it out by faith.
~ Be Ready, Stay Focused, & Never Look Back ~
The Life Raft
Have you ever seen how the ship cuts through the billows, leaving a white furrow behind her, and causing the sea to boil around her. Such is life, says Job, “like the swift ships.” It has a destination, it has a purpose. So too in our lives, we each have a purpose, and a destination that we choose. We can choose to steer our own ship and encounter situations that we cannot handle ourselves until He leads you in the parts of the ocean, where your ship is scraping rock bottom, and right before the hull of this ship begins to give way, that you recognize a life raft floating in the water. Some choose to stay in the ship and drown, most would take the free offer of getting saved.
For one day our ship will reach its end on this journey that we are embarked on. Whether we choose to drown in the deep abyss of total darkness or float on the raft.
So who is your captain and where is your eternal destination? Will you take the life raft?
Undeniable Presence
Exodus 17
1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Even though the Children of Isreal was led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, they had seen His presence right in front of them. When they got to a place where there was no water! Instantly they began to complain and wonder if God had been with them. How easy is it for us to complain think that God is not providing when He think He should be, when He knows what we need at the right time.
The supply of the Spirit of Christ is enough for all. The water flowed from the rock in streams to refresh the wilderness, and attended them on their way towards Canaan; and this water flows from Christ, through the ordinances, in the barren wilderness of this world, to refresh our souls, until we come to glory.
~ Be Ready, Stay Focused & Never look back ~
Success After the Battle
Joshua 1:1
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 and “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. – When one generation dies out, (1)God will rise up the next generation of those who are willing to be a carrier of His presence of His Word to be a light unto this World. (2) The message of Jesus Christ cannot stop, will not stop.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. (1) He will give us the Nations
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. (1) any obstacle that you may come across, do not back down, do not fall back, do not shut up, do not sit down, do not stop, do not quit.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. (1) Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
We can learn a lot from just these verses. Joshua was given a command by God to be strong and courageous, battles would be fought in the near future for Joshua and his army that would later on destroy 33 kingdoms, 2 on the east side of Jordan and 31 on the west side. before they reached the Promised Land, or should we say only Joshua and Caleb. To have this done, Strength and courage had to be applied in able to defeat the enemy. Are you applying the strength and courage that God can give to you in your daily battle’s with your flesh?
By digesting the Word of God, it will be followed by obedience which is the outcome of having success!
The Cage
When an animal trainer walks into a cage of lions. He will carry a whip and pistol. But invariably ( in every case) they also carry a stool, which is the most important tool. Why the stool?
– The trainer thrusts the end of the stool which has four legs toward the face of the animal. The animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, thus it becomes weak, tame and disabled because its attention is fragmented.
The enemy has an arsenal of tools, devices, strategies, methods, and situations that he will set before us trying to take our attention of being in complete adoration of the King.
We, the children of God, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27
are free by the blood of Christ. We do not belong in a cage of doubt, fear, weakness, stress, panic, or heavy burden’s of everyday life’s activities. We cast them at His feet, in exchange He offer’s us victory over these circumstances that we may find ourselves in.
This one thing that he (Satan) knows of is this. DEFEATED AT CALVARY.
1. The enemy would love to kill us with his “pistol”, but he has no power to do so.
2. The enemy tries to whip, but it has no sting.
3. The enemy then pulls out his ultimate weapon, which is to do this one purpose. To make us lose focus of the cross, the race that is set before us.
When the enemy walks into whatever we are dealing with at that time. He will thrust his “stool” magnifying it, making it look like it is too big for our God to conquer.
The enemy is taking a chance, he knows that you are the child of God, he knows that he “might” get rebuked and will have to leave, once he decided to enter.
– But do we know the power that lyes in us?
Most Christian’s today, do not know how to have authority over the enemy. He belong’s under our feet, not face to face.
We don’t have to have an addiction to be in this cage, sadly enough it happen’s more than it should. That is why we must stay attentive at all time’s, awaiting His arrival to bring us home with Him. This is a spiritual battle field, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places). – Ephesians 6:12
– So what will you do next time when you find yourself in this situation?
– Our answer and remedy is to call upon the name of the Lord, to cast our burden’s on Him. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:30
~ Be Ready, Stay Focused & Never look back ~</
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