Last Call will now be reposted daily on Newsvine as a "seed".
Last Call connects with NewsVine for End Times on News Vine
Last Call will now be reposted daily on Newsvine as a "seed".
Prisoner Release (1999) ~Dry Bones
| | Here are your Dry Bones blog updates |
|
- Prisoner Release (1999)
- More Recent Articles
size=2 width="100%" align=center>
Prisoner Release (1999)
Prisoner Release (1999)
Today's Golden Oldie is from September 1999.
Back in 1999, Israel's government was planning to release convicted terrorists in a "deal". Back then they told us that they were working "quietly" for the release of Jonathan Pollard.
Ten years have gone by. Now, in 2009, another Israeli government is planning to release convicted terrorists in a "deal". And Jonathan Pollard is still in prison.
-Dry Bones- Israel's Political Comic Strip Since 1973
"What does my LORD say to His servant?"~Bob Hoekstra
Joshua Leading the People in God's Victory
When Moses pointed Israel to the Lord for battle, he was teaching God's people to live by grace (which involves God at work on behalf of His people). "The LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Deuteronomy 20:4). Joshua demonstrated this same truth, when he led the people in God's victory.
Before the first battle at Jericho, God gave Joshua the opportunity to commit to the Lord as the Commander of the army of Israel. "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho…a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are You for us or for our adversaries'?" The Lord appeared in the form of an armed soldier. Joshua asked if the man was for Israel or against them. The Lord responded that it was not a matter of being for or against Israel, but that He was in charge of Israel. "'No, but asCommander of the army of the LORD I have now come.' And Joshuafell on his face to the earth and worshiped." At this point Joshua fullyyielded to the Lord as the leader of God's army. "What does my LORDsay to His servant?" Any victories would have to be provided by thisdivine Commander.
At Jericho, this divine Commander would cause the walls to fall down, as His people would humbly trust Him, obediently marching around the city. "And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat" (Joshua 6:20). At Ai, the Commander gave Joshua a two-pronged ambush strategy. "We will flee before them. Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God willdeliver it into your hand" (Joshua 8:6-7). Against the Amorite kings, large hailstones and an extended day were used by the Commander to bring a mighty victory. "The LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven…So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day" (Joshua 10:11, 13). Whether by perplexing marching orders, by understandable strategy, by "natural phenomenon," or by miraculously extended time, the Commanderbrought victory.
Leadership: How do you resist the temptation to always take circumstances at face value? (83-2)~Barry Werner
How do you resist the temptation to always take circumstances at face value? (83-2)
August 18th, 2009 in 1 Samuel, Decision Making, Discernment, Leadership Principles, Old Testament,Problem Solving | leave a response
Leaders put a lid on their potential for growth and eliminate expanded leadership opportunities if they continually jump to conclusions before they know all the facts. Read 1 Samuel 1:9-17.
Eli was the Chief Priest at Shiloh. He happened to be in the temple when Hannah came to cry out to the Lord about her childless condition. Hannah was broken hearted and her body language showed total focus on communication with her God. It seems logical that most priests in the temple viewing an emotional outpouring might assume a person with great need was crying out to God. Eli assumed Hannah had been drinking!
One of the most common communication errors among leaders is jumping to conclusions before knowing the facts. Eli observed Hannah and immediately concluded that she was muttering out of drunkenness. Since it never occurred to him that there might be another explanation for her behavior, Eli misjudged Hannah’s character and intentions. A good leader does not judge according to appearances, but according to facts.
How do you separate decisions that need instant answers and those that need thought time before a decision? How do you resist the temptation to always take circumstances at face value rather than getting the facts? Proverbs 18:17 (tlb) says “Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.” Proverbs 18:13 (tlb) says “What a shame – yes, how stupid! – to decide before knowing the facts.” Effective leaders know when the situation requires an instant decision (based solely on their experience and instincts) and when the response requires gathering more facts before making decisions.
Write a short prayer asking God to give you decision making discernment. Start your day each day with the prayer you have written.
Tags: Assumptions, Conclusions, Facts
If a person really has met the Lord, they will go forward spiritually.~Greg Laurie
My granddaughter Stella loves secrets.
Sometimes I will say, “Hey Stella,want to hear a secret?” Her little face will light up and she will lean in as I whisper something in her ear.
It does not have to be a profound secret. Just something special.
One question that I hear from time to time is, “Are all the people who come forward at Harvest Crusades events really converted?”
The answer is, no. Only God knows who is and who is not converted or saved.
My job, if you will, is to proclaim the gospel accurately and lovingly, and then give people an opportunity to make a decision about Jesus Christ.
Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. But if a person really has met the Lord, they will go forward spiritually.
This week, I will begin a series of messages that will reveal, at least for some, the “secrets” of spiritual growth. I will give these messages at our Thursday night study in Orange County and at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside.
how we approach problems?have been programmed by authority figures, church, friends, and even enemies~Charles Stanley
Reprogramming Our Thinking
We are the product of our thinking, so it is important that we choose carefully where to focus our mental energy. We can cling to our old flesh patterns and consequently find ourselves tripping over impulses and attitudes like bitterness, pride, and discontent. The wise alternative is to reprogram our thinking to match that of Jesus Christ.
Our current thought processes?such as the way we view ourselves and others, and how we approach problems?have been programmed by authority figures, church, friends, and even enemies. We can select some of our mind's influences (e.g., the media) but not all (e.g., our parents). Yet we can choose what input will shape our mind by believing and dwelling on that material.
Reprogramming the mind is a matter of choosing to believe and meditate upon God's truth. When you receive Jesus Christ as Savior, your mind is renewed with a capacity for godly thought. It might not seem different at first. But the longer you live the Christian life and apply biblical principles, the more you'll find old habits and modes of thinking will be choked out. However, anytime you yield to temptation, you allow old thought patterns an opportunity to rise up and dominate first your mind, and then your mouth and hands.
The way to strangle fleshly thoughts and attitudes is to pour Scripture into the mind regularly and frequently (Ps. 119:11). When we allow our thinking to be directed by the thoughts of God?which is what the Bible is made of?we will think, speak, and act according to His will.
What is your conversation, your lifestyle, your citizenship? It will be revealed in the heat of battle ...Jon Courson
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: | ||
Philippians 3:20 | ||
Newer versions translate the word ‘conversation’ as ‘lifestyle’ or ‘citizenship’. Why? Because a person’s citizenship — be he English, French, or Australian — can be readily identified through his conversation, through the way he speaks. The same is true spiritually, for Scripture declares that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). What is your conversation, your lifestyle, your citizenship? It will be revealed in the heat of battle ... After civil war had broken out between the men from Gilead and the men from Ephraim, Jephthah, leader of the Gileadites, ordered his men to seal the passes lest the Ephraimites get away. ‘But how will we identify them?’ asked his men. ‘They’re our brothers.’ ‘Tell them to say the word ‘river’, or ‘shibboleth’, said Jephthah. Why? Because the men from Ephraim could not pronounce the sound of ‘sh’. Thus, instead of ‘shibboleth’, they said ‘sibboleth’ — and were immediately betrayed by their speech (Judges 12). The same holds true for you and me. In the heat of battle, how do we talk? When the accountant says, ‘You’re bankrupt’; when the doctor says, ‘It’s cancer’; when your boyfriend says, ‘Goodbye’, what do we say? Our speech, our conversation will reveal whether we’re men and women who live for the material, the temporal, the earthly — or whether we are those who live for heaven singularly. |
Even if I were alone in this, I would still want to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, and so should you~David McGee
Acts 19:10
"And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks."
NKJV
We should reach out to the community with the Word of God.
"Reach and Teach." This is the vision the Lord has given me for Calvary Chapel of the Triad. Notice the vision is not "sit and wait", "grow then maintain" but "Reach and Teach." The Lord has given me a heart to reach and teach people the gospel message. The element to reach people is extremely important because without it, there would be fewer avenues to teach. I do not reach on my own. It is a team-effort.
The Lord has raised up faithful servants here who clean the building, park the cars, prepare the coffee, operate the soundboard, and many more things that I do not have room to list. These are the arm, hand, fingers and opposable thumb that work together so that I am able to teach more people verse-by-verse and chapter by chapter through the Word of God.
Even if I were alone in this, I would still want to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, and so should you. I understand that life can get very busy. Between our jobs, school, families, and other activities that fill our schedule, days and weeks fly by. Looking back, do you remember where it all went? Do you remember all the activities, or do they flow together with only certain activities that come to mind? We often look back and wonder where all the time went.
We wonder just how important those activities were, and what difference they really made. How many times did you share the gospel with someone? How many times did you invite someone to church? How much time did you spend serving in church? Was most of your time focused on serving yourself or was it focused on serving others? How much did God occupy your time?
You may say, "I shared the gospel once and they laughed at me." You may even say, "I invited a few friends to church but they never came back." You may also say, "I served in church for a while, but nobody showed their appreciation for my hard work."
Friend, do not serve God looking for the affirmation of people. If the work is unto the Lord, the results belong to the Lord. Let us share the vision and reach the world to teach it about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Dear Father,
Thank You for saving me. Thank You for the opportunities that You provide for me to share with others about Jesus Christ. Please give me opportunities for faithful service and please forgive me for the times when I have not done so. Help me to do these things as unto You and not out of a desire for results. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
We have an idea in our minds of how things ought to be~Mark Balmer
Based on “Under His Influence – Emptied and Filled”
by Pastor Mark Balmer; 8/29-30/09,
Message #MB387;
Daily Devotional #1 - “In Times of Waiting”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” (Acts 1:6)
I think we can all relate to the disciples in this small passage of Scripture. They wanted so much for Jesus to bring Israel back to her former state. They wanted Rome overthrown and for Jesus to reign. They still didn’t quite understand the “big picture.”
I often wonder how they felt as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. They knew they were to wait for the Holy Spirit, but what did that mean?
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): We often miss the big picture, too. We have an idea in our minds of how things ought to be, but most of the time our plans are much different than God’s plans. We can only see our current circumstances around us and not the “big picture.” The disciples were left on this earth, but they would not be alone and knew that they would receive the Holy Spirit. But they did not understand how receiving Him would change their lives and impact the world for Christ.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)
Upon returning, the disciples and the other followers had to wait for the promise that Jesus made. During that time they had to prepare their hearts. Times of waiting can be difficult. But the Lord wants to change us during those times.
We have a choice during those quiet times.
We can become impatient and do things in our own wisdom, or we can wait on God.
If we make the right choice to wait on God and empty ourselves of our independence and self-sufficiency, then God can fill us with His Spirit to be effective for Him. Which would you rather choose? I started thinking about the state of our country and was grieved over what has become of our nation. We are in this condition because many made the choice that man’s way is better than God’s. Is it? Our way led to greed and selfishness and as a result, things crumbled.
Even as Christians, many of us got caught up in the ways of the world.
I think we have all felt the sting of the economy. Many have lost things that were precious to us. But in some way these difficult times can be healing, because they require us to return to God and to strip ourselves of self-sufficiency.
These troubling times can turn to times of blessing, but we must surrender ourselves to Christ and His leading.
Once we do that, God can then use us. He wants to do His work through us and wants to do more than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20). His desire is to bring the lost to Jesus. Be encouraged! If you are in a time of waiting and things seem to be crumbling around you—do not fear! Surrender to God and let His Spirit fill you!
He wants to use you to impact the world for Christ!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Acts 1; Acts 4; Luke 11:13
we all have some personality quirks that can turn people off, so praying for favor is a wise thing to do~Joyce Meyer
—Genesis 39:21
There are many people spoken of in the Bible who received favor. Since God is no respecter of persons (See Acts 10:34), we can believe for and receive favor in our daily lives.
Favor is available to us but like many other good things in life, just because something is available to us does not mean that we will ever partake of it. The Lord makes many things available to us that we never receive and enjoy because we never activate our faith in that area. I am a very bold, straightforward, tell-it-like-I-see-it woman. Many people don't handle that type of personality very well, so I knew I needed favor. I needed God to show people my heart and help them believe that I wanted to help them. I think we all have some personality quirks that can turn people off, so praying for favor is a wise thing to do.
When God gives us favor, people favor us—and often for no reason they can even explain. If three people applied for the same position and were all equally qualified, the one living under the favor of God would get it.
Favor is actually a part of grace. In the English New Testamentthe word grace and the word favor are both translated from the same Greek word charis. So the grace of God is the favor of God. And the favor of God is the grace of God—that which causes things to happen in our lives that need to happen, through the channel of our faith—the power of God doing something for us that we can neither earn nor deserve.
I know you have had times of receiving favor, and I am sure you enjoyed it very much. I am encouraging you to release your faith in this area in a greater way than ever before. Don't be afraid to ask God to give you favor.
Jesus is reaching out to you, offering to take you aside and minister to your needs.~Mike MacIntosh
And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
Mark 7:33-35
Look at the first words here: "He took him aside from the multitude." Here was a deaf man who must have felt a little bit awkward; he was surrounded by hundreds of staring people and had trouble speaking. But Jesus shows us once again how sensitive and compassionate He is towards people. Jesus knew how uncomfortable this man was in this crowded place, so Jesus brought him aside to take care of his needs. If there were any walls or barriers in this man's life, Jesus wiped them all away by showing this kind of tenderness and compassion.
Maybe you are a new believer, or someone who hasn't yet given your life to the Lord Jesus, and you feel awkward; you don't know what to do. Maybe the crowds of the church scare you or you feel inadequate to attend, so you don't bother showing up. Or maybe the world scares you and you're not living as a light for Him. Jesus wants to abolish those feelings that you have, and He wants to take you aside and minister to you. I learned a simple lesson years ago: crowds of people are just a bunch of individuals. Each individual has problems, concerns, and issues, and none of us are exempt from that. When Jesus looked at a crowd, He saw individuals…who needed His touch. And today, Jesus is looking at the world--full of individuals like you and me--and He wants to do the same thing for you. Be encouraged today; Jesus is reaching out to you, offering to take you aside and minister to your needs.
Twitter Proverbs from Rick Warren
- Continue praying 4 Kathy Keller's recovery (Tim's wife).She's home since Fri.In good spirit.Pray 4 no infection. &strength 4Tim.Col1:11about 1 hour ago from web
- In 35 yrs of leading Ive been afraid at every major step but I DID IT ANYWAY since I REFUSE let fear run my life.2 Tim1:7about 1 hour ago from web
- In over ur head: Remember that great theological truth from FINDING NEMO:"Just keep swimming!Just keep swimming!" Rom12;11about 12 hours ago from web
- It's a fine line between persistence&stubborness.There's a time 2 hold on &time 2 let go.Eccl.3:5 We usually quit too soonabout 13 hours ago from web
- Life is too short 2 make all the mistakes urself."Ask the former generations & findout what their fathers learned"Job8:8about 13 hours ago from web
- Last word:It's no accident that the more blessed ur ministry is,the more the Accuser(Rev12:10)hates it.Rejoice! Mt5:11-12about 18 hours ago from web
- I know God allows vicious attacks in my ministry so I can encourage the rest of u when u face it. 2 Cor1:4 It's a honor.about 18 hours ago from web
- The reason I tweet often about criticism is our 2yr survey of pastors showed it's ur #1 frustration.#2conflict #3lonelinessabout 18 hours ago from web
- RT @tonyliston "A bulldog can whip a skunk any day,but it's just not worth it!" GreatTony!Thanks 4 all u do 4 www.pastors.comchatsabout 18 hours ago from web
- B.Graham's counsel on false attacks:"Rick,if u wrestle w a pig,both of u will get dirty,but only 1of u will like it."Pr26:4about 18 hours ago from web
- "Man’s response 2 the invitation to repent&come 2Christ is not simply a wise human decision.It is itself a work of grace."-Andrew Fullerabout 23 hours ago from web
- Thanks Dean. Ive been planting churches since 5yr old @deanktshttp://twitpic.com/fyajo - inspiring photo of young Warrenabout 23 hours ago from web
- "God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain" Job36:15 (NCV)about 23 hours ago from web
- DONT QUIT! ‘81=my yr of depression.Barely held on!But it shaped me 2pastor SB & train1000s of planters globally.Gal6:9about 23 hours ago from web
- B4 God'sPeople could enter-Promised Land,an entire Gen had to die in the desert.U'll lose the faithless before ur best days8:28 AM Aug 31st from web
- When a plane goes thru violent turbulence at 35,000 ft, you don’t bail out. You remain calm and trust the Pilot! Ps56:37:39 AM Aug 31st from web
- @lancewitt So sorry to hear about your grandmother Lance. I prayed for you just now. Psalm116;152:05 AM Aug 31st from web in reply to lancewitt
- "Why do we hold the bonds of others while we enjoy our own remission?He who forgave all requires us to forgive"St Ambrose1:12 AM Aug 31st from web
- http://twitpic.com/fyajo - My dad was a ChurchPlanter who built 100+ churches around world in a 50yr ministry.I'm helping here-Portland, ...12:29 AM Aug 31st from TwitPic
- Trivial Pursuit,Payday, Candy Land & Sorry depict many lives. But LIFE is no game.It's preparation for eternity.Rom14:124:41 PM Aug 30th from web