The Passion Promise - Video Compilation

Please take 12 minutes and watch this video.

John 18:37 - Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

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Revival God's Way

The following is directly out of a book that I HIGHLY reccommed to any Christian who wants more of God than what they are truly experiencing. Any Christian who is tired of "status quo", tire of games, and tired of "playing church" while the world around us is walking straight off of the cliffs to eternal separation from God. The book is calld God Chasers and is by Tommy Tenney. Here is a link to it on Amazon.

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WE WANT LIFE BUT GOD IS LOOKING FOR DEATH

We need to repent for designing servises that men like, instead of yielding to what God likes. Like most men and women, we have wanted "life" in our services when God was after "death" through repentance and brokenness that ushers in the presence of God and causes you to draw near to the Lord and yet live

Some people get very uncomfortable at this point because its starting to smell a little smoky. THey can smell the odor of burning flesh in the air. It may not smell good to us, but God is drawn toward repentance. The bible says, "When a sinner repents, the angels rejoice" (see Luke 15:10). Death and repentance on Earth bring about joy in the Heavenlies.

Revival must begin in the local church before it can reach into your community. If you are ungry for revival, then I have a word from the Lord for you: Fire doesn't fall on empty altars. There has to be a sacrifice on the altar for fire to fall If you want the fire of God, you must become the fuel of God. Jesus sacrificed himself to win our our salvation, but He has called each and every person who wants to follow Him to do what? To lay down their lives and take up their cross and follow Him. According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word for "cross," stauros, means "figuratively , exposure to death, i.e. self-denial." Elijah didn't ask for God's fire to fall down on the altar until he had loaded it up with fuel and a worthy sacrifice. We've been praying for the fire to fall, but there's nothing on the altar!

If you are hungry for the fire to fall in your church, then you need to just crawl up on the altar and say, "God, whatever it takes, I lay myself on the altar and ask You to consume me with Your fire Lord." Then we can follow the lead of John Wesley who explained how he drew such large crowds during the First Great Awakening:

"I set myself on fire, and the people came to see me burn."

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If this does not stir you then I think you need to check your spiritual pulse. I am broken at my apathy and complacency for the Kingdom of God!

For more on the God Chaser's Ministry visit http://www.godchasers.net/

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WHOLLY DEPENDENT ON HIM

The following is an email from David Wilkerson’s ministry that really blessed me and I hope it does you as well. I also included a link at the very end in case you would like to start receiving these devotionals. They are very rich and I look forward to them every day.

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God has always wanted a people who would walk totally reliant on him before the eyes of the world. That’s why he took the insignificant little nation of Israel and isolated them in a wilderness. He was placing them in a school of testing, to produce a people who would trust in him no matter what their circumstance. He wanted Israel to testify, “I can go through any test, any difficulty, even those beyond my abilities. How? I know my God is with me in every trial. He will always bring me through.”

Consider Moses’ statement to Israel: “[God] suffered thee to hunger” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The Lord was telling them, “I orchestrated your trial. It wasn’t the devil. I possessed all the bread and meat you needed the whole time. And I was ready to drop it out of the sky at any minute. It was all stored up, waiting for you to receive it. But I withheld it for a while. And I did this for a season. I was waiting for you to come to the end of all your self-reliance. I wanted to bring you to a point of crisis, where only I could deliver you. I allowed you to experience your ‘wit’s end,’ a place of human helplessness. And it required a miracle of deliverance from me.”

Today, the Lord is still looking for a people who’ll rely totally on him. He wants a church that will testify both in words and actions that God is all-powerful on their behalf. He wants an unsaved world to see that he works mightily for those who love him.

Job declared, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Here is an incredible statement, especially considering the context in which Job spoke it.

Job suffered one of the worst trials any human could undergo. He lost all of his children in a tragic accident, and then he lost his wealth and possessions. Finally, he lost his physical health. And all these things happened in such a short time, they were utterly overwhelming.

Yet, God had put Job on this path. And the Lord alone knew where it eventually would lead. It was a plan so divinely orchestrated that God even allowed Satan to do the afflicting of Job. That’s why Job couldn’t see God in any of it: “I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take” (Job 23:8–10).

Job was saying, “I know that God knows everything I’m enduring. And he knows the way through it all. My Lord is trying me right now. And I’m confident he’ll bring me through with a stronger faith. I’ll come out purged and cleansed, with a faith more precious than gold.”

To get David Wilkerson’s Devotionals or to read previous ones, visit http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/

EXPAND WHILE the DEVIL SHRINKS!

-by Andrew Strom.

There is no question that we have covered the "Doom & Gloom"

side of the present crisis pretty well. But one thing I feel we have not discussed enough is the amazing OPPORTUNITY that God is setting before us through this crisis. In fact, it may be that what is happening now could be the answer to years of our most fervent prayers.

Have you been praying for God to act and bring massive change to the church and to our culture? Have you been praying for the return of spiritual hunger and reality? Have you been praying for God to open closed doors, to soften hearts, and to allow the real Truth of the gospel to march forth in the land once again? What if this is His answer to all of that - the only way He could bring about the kind of shaking and hunger that is so desperately required? What if He has spent years setting this up? What if it is the golden opportunity of a lifetime? Are we willing? Are we ready?

There is no question that some of our main enemies are on the run right now in the West. In fact, many of them are in rampant disorderly retreat. The great god Mammon is a good example.

I don't think the "deceitfulness of riches" will be doing too well in the West for awhile, do you? And Mammon's allies - Comfort, Apathy, Materialism and Humanism are starting to look a little shaky also.

There is a "window of opportunity" starting to open - where a gospel that was once unwelcome will be welcomed again - where change that was once thought impossible comes in like a rush. We are living in a rare moment of history.

In times of Depression - froth, bubble and hype go the way of the dinosaur. People start looking for reality and grounded truth.

They want to find a Rock to stand on instead of shifting sand. This happened in the last Depression, and it will happen in this one too.

Are you one who has spent years in the wilderness, waiting for God's moment? Are you a David in the caves, a Joseph in the dungeons? Couldn't it be that this is the very moment that God has been preparing you for, all this time?

You see, the "big boys" with their shallow gospel are in increasing trouble through all of this. They rely on big money, big media, big hype and big budgets to get their message out. And the budget is looking rather sick. Could it be that God is leveling the playing field?

Are many that were "last" about to become first? Are the little guys with their message of repentance and heart-holiness about to break through the glass ceiling that has kept them down for so long?

Has God actually been planning this for ages?

Living for the Will of God

- by AW Tozer

The temptation to gear our lives to social consequences is frightfully strong in a world like ours, but it must be overcome all the way down the line. The Christian businessman when faced with a moral choice must never ask, How much will this cost me? The moment he regards consequences, he dethrones Christ as Lord of his life. His only concern should be with the will of God and the moral quality of the proposed act. To consult anything else is to sin against his own soul.

Again, the pastor when facing his congregation on Sunday morning, dare not think of the effect his sermon may have on his job, his salary or his future relation to the church. Let him but worry about tomorrow and he becomes a hireling and no true shepherd of the sheep. No man is a good preacher who is not willing to lay his future on the line every time he expounds the Word. He must let his job and his reputation ride on each and every sermon or he has no right to think that he stands in the prophetic tradition.

And the same principle is binding upon the religious writer and editor. The scribe who will trim his copy to hold his job is unworthy of public confidence. The editor who will reject an article or a paragraph of an article because he is afraid to accept it is standing in the shadow of the fear of consequences. The publisher who allows desire for profit or the fear of losing sales to decide what books he shall print is on a moral level not too far above the money-changers Christ drove out of the Temple. All these examples point up to a grave modern evil, permitting temporal consequences to decide eternal issues.

Prayer
"I choose Thee, blessed will of God! In Thee alone my heart can rest." Those words of May Stephens are my prayer, Father.

Scripture
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.—First Peter 4:1-2

Thought
God's will extends into every area of life--public and private, secular and sacred, temporal and eternal. There can be no compromise when it comes to the clear will of God. We obey it or we disobey it.

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THE LOST...THE LOST...

This was in my email today and it touched me deeply

THE LOST.. The LOST...
-Cynthia Nichols.

I thought you might be interested in the following. It was a dream that I feel is an admonition to todays' church.

Going With The Flow

I saw a wide stream flowing past where people stood on either side.
As the murky black water neared a precipice it flowed faster and ran deeper. A strong undertow drew it to the point where it roared headlong over the edge.

In the gathering darkness, which made the stream appear even blacker, a girl came drifting past. Those watching saw her, and from where they stood, could quite easily have grabbed her before she reached the rapids above the falls. But they didn't.

They murmured and pointed, even referring to her by her name, but not one ventured to help pull her out of the currents' ever increasing strength.

They were still pointing and murmuring when she tumbled over the falls and was gone.

One piercing scream drifted back to their ears and for a brief moment, they looked a bit distressed. But, it was a very brief moment indeed and then they simply picked up where they left off - murmuring and pointing as yet another person drifted into view.....

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WHICH JESUS DO YOU SERVE?

There seems to be more than one Jesus to choose from these days.
Which one is the true Jesus and who am I following?

• There’s a ‘seeker friendly’ Jesus, he’s the one who will not
  offend anyone in anyway. He loves everyone no mater what they do.
• There’s a ‘sow and reap’ Jesus, he made a covenant with man so that man could sow his seed and reap wealth and happiness on earth and then go to heaven when he dies.
• There’s a ‘blend in with the world’ Jesus, he wants us to look like, act like, and be like the world in order to reach the lost.
• There’s a ‘neverending grace’ Jesus, his ‘grace’ covers us no matter what we do or how we live.
• There’s a ‘just believe’ Jesus. As long as you truly believe
  in your heart, you’re saved.
• There’s a ‘name it claim it’ Jesus. You name it; anything and it’s yours! If you don’t get it, it’s because you lack faith. It’s your fault.
• There’s a ‘carnal’ Jesus. He doesn’t expect you to overcome sin, he understands you’re just carnal.
• There’s a ‘heart dwelling’ Jesus. All you have to do is ask him into your heart and voilà, he’s there. You’re going to heaven!
  
  Truth:
• There’s the Jesus who said “Repent and believe the gospel, the kingdom of God is at hand.” -Mark 1:15
• He said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.” -Lk 9:23-25
• He said without Him you are already condemned. -John 3:18
• He said He came to save the world -John 3:16
• He said unless you forsake all you have, you cannot be His disciple. -Luke 14:33
• He said if we love anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him.-Matt 10:37-39
  He said if you love this life you’ll lose it. -John 12:25-26
• He said you cannot serve God and money. -Matt 6:24 He said fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. -Mt 10:28
• He said be extreme in your war against sin. -Matt 18:8-9
• He said love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbour as yourself. -Matt 22:37-39
• He said He is the light of the world. –John 8:12 He said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult and few find it.-Matt 7:13-14
• He said those who believe in Him but work iniquity will be cast out. -Matt 7:21-23
• He said you’ll be hated for His name’s sake, but if you endure to the end, you’ll be saved. -Matt 10:22
• He said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. –John 14:6
  
  Which Jesus do you serve?

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Holiness...striving in frustration or joyful intimacy?

Have you ever felt like your pursuit of God is missing something? Do you ever feel like that you are never "doing enough"...that you will never measure up to the expectations of God? What about feeling like your walk has become about nothing but sacrifice and difficulty, which you are "supposed" to subject yourself to in order to measure up to the standard set by those that have gone before you or even those who are currently in your life? Do feel like you are striving for acceptance from God and other believers?

I am convinced that as Christians begin to get dissatisfied with the status quo religion they have been involved in (possibly their entire walk), they begin to desire the "real thing". They begin to seek out holiness which is very pure at first. Somehow along the way, they begin to compare themselves with other Christians and the measures that they see these other Christians taking. They feel as though they will never live up to "that kind" of devotion.

After going through a very difficult season of this in my own walk, the Lord began to, and continues to, teach me and grow me in truth in this area. I finally realized, once I discovered the secret of entering into the secret place of communion with Him, that the simple answer to what I was desiring was right there all along. He taught me that seeking Him in lieu of seeking holiness would produce the holiness that I desired. At first, I had a hard time accepting the notion that it was this simple.

Before I go any further, I would like to state for the record that I DO believe it is very important to our growth to starve our flesh from the things that distract us from the presence of God. There is a fine line here though. Fasting, extended times of prayer, removing things like:TV, Internet, etc., are things that will produce incredible fruit IF they are done with the right motives. Have you ever noticed that you get a completely different result in your heart and spirit when you do something for a loved one out of a desire to bless them rather than doing it out of a guilty conscience? God is more concerned with our heart than He is the sacrifice. If you fast, do it with the purpose of drawing near to Him. If you shut off the TV, do it once you have truly come to the place that you see the harm it is causing and don't want to pollute your mind. Do it because you actually believe that what God has to say to you is more exhilarating than any tv show or spriting event could ever be. You see if you do some thing like stop watching TV because others tell you to, your heart is in the wrong place...the motive is wrong...and what you will get as a result is a resentful heart towards God. It will also leave you feeling like you must be a masochist in order to be a "real" Christian.

Here is the wonderful truth that I pray will set you free if you are struggling with a performance mentality in your walk.

SEEKING HIM WILL PRODUCE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR!

Think about this with me. If you spend all of your energy in your pursuit of God in the area of intimacy, you will begin to see things change without feeling like you are striving. I know this from personal experience. The more time you spend in the presence of God...the more time you spend listening to Him speak to you...the more time you spend in His Word allowing him to speak to you...the more you will see the character flaws effortlessly melt away! As you begin to know Him...to know His voice...to know His heart, you will begin to take on His character. You start removing the impurities in your life with a joyful heart because it is the Spirit of revelation that has revealed to you the availability of a deeper relationship with Him. When we have His heart, the things that grieve Him will grieve us. The things that break His heart will break ours. The things that bring joy to Him will bring joy to us. As long as our desire remains on Him, the pursuit of holiness will be the area of our life that brings us great Joy instead of feeling like a never-ending maze of frustration.

John 15:4 - Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

WOW - Jesus said so himself. If you desire holiness, then abide in Him.

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