Activated January 2003

8/14/2019 Activated January 2003

1/16

CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.

GODSCHESSPIECEHe is playing to win, but needs you

FORGETTING THE PASTHow to move on to better things

PASS IT ONWe all have something to give


2/16

personally

speaking

For a wide range of books and

audio and video productions

to feed your soul, lift your spirit,

strengthen your family, and provide

fun learning times for your children,

please contact one of our distribu-

tors below, or visit our Web site at

www.activated.org

Activated MinistriesP.O. Box 462805

Escondido, CA 920462805

USA

[email protected]

(1877) 8623228 (toll-free)

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Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr.

Enterprise Way

Luton, Beds. LU3 4BU

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Westville 3630

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Bangalore 560 001

India

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EDITOR

Keith Phillips

DESIGN

Giselle LeFavre

ILLUSTRATIONS

Doug Calder

PRODUCTION

Francisco Lopez

VOL 4, ISSUE 1

January 2003

2003 Aurora Production AG

All Rights Reserved

Printed in Thailand

www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all

Scripture quotations inActivated are

from the New King James Version of the

Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

2 activated VOL 4, I

To one degree or another, just about all of us are unsat

fied with ourselves and our circumstancesand thats not

necessarily a bad thing. A certain amount of dissatisfaction

is necessary if were ever going to make progress. To becom

all that we can be, we must dream of being more than we a

The problem is, too many of us stop there, in the dream sta

Why do you suppose that is?

More often than not, its because we dont think we

have what it takes to turn our dreams into reality. And wer

usually right about that. We can make some changes by sh

willpower or working harder, like reaching a new sales quo

or dropping a dress or pants size. But what about the bigge

changes, the changes inside that we know would make us s

much happier and enable us to truly make a difference in o

corner of the world? Its that kind of change that is usually

most elusive.

Were not good enough, we tell ourselves. We have toomany flaws and make too many mistakes. Its just not in us

thats the way you feel, this issue ofActivatedcontains som

very good news for you!

Jesus summed it up so simply when He said, With men

it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things ar

possible (Mark 10:27). The secret lies in putting ourselves i

Gods hands and letting Him do the impossible for us and

through us and sometimes in spite of us. Were small and

weak and incapable, but there is a very big and strong and

capable God just waiting to help us. Its a lot easier than yothink to make those impossible changes in yourself, with

Him in control. Just be His chesspiece.

Keith Phillips

For theActivatedFamily


3/16

I was in Singapore,with an hour to killbefore catching a busto the airport. Aroundthe corner, sitting onthe pavement, was a

young Westerner wholooked quite dis-tressed.

Is there anythingI can do for you? Iasked.

Yes, came thereply. You can listento me. My mind isgoing crazy! I dont

know how to findpeace!

So I sat there andlistened. He was an

American and hadcome from Indonesia,

where he had meta girl, he explained.Now he was afraid hehad gotten AIDS from

her. He didnt knowwhere to go nextback to the States,or on to Thailand totry to find a place tomeditate.

When he wasall talked out, I toldhim what had hap-pened to mehow Ihad also been des-perately looking for

peace, love, truth, andhappiness, and howI had found every-thing I needed inJesus. He prayed withme to receive Jesus,and then we prayedtogether for his com-plete healing of bodyand mind.

Was I ever gladI hadnt wasted thathour that the Lord

wanted me to use toreach this young man

with His love!

Emmanuel Peterson

WHOSE

HOUR?

What oneperson can do

If you stop tothink about it, thereno limit to how usefu

your life can be. Youcan show love to theunlovely, give sym-pathy, be friendlyand congenial, andlend a listening earor a helping hand tosomeone in need. Yocan ask the Lord tohelp you to always bcheerful, to see the

positive side of everysituation, and to helothers do the same.

You can give outtracts. You can talkabout the Lord andHis Word. You canreach out to othersin need, and showlove and understanding wherever you go

Anyone who wants tcan really make a difference in the worldand can motivateothers to do the sam

Maria Fontai

You may feel

incapable of

helping to change

someone elses

life, but remember,

you dont do the

work of changing

themGod does.

Just show them

how to make

contact with Him

through prayer,

and He does the

rest. Then you will

see lives changed,

because God will

answer prayer.He

will do it.

Chloe West

activated VOL 4, ISSUE 1


4/16

FORGETTINGT

HEPAST

As we stand before the por-tals of the New Year, we dont know

what its going to bring. Although wesometimes wish we could, God hasmade it so we cant pull aside thecurtains of the future and see what

is in store, and Im happy to leaveit at that because I know He knowsbest.

Theres one thing we do know,though, and this is that we can leavebehind the past with all of its caresand frets and its pains and heart-aches and mistakes and blunders.Isnt that wonderful!

All that the past year holds of

wrong or right, regret or sorrow isin Gods hand. If we truly trust Him,He can bring sweet waters out of thebitter desert of the past, no matter

what it was.In this new year, He can give you

beauty for ashes and the garment ofpraise for the spirit of heaviness, the

joy of the morning for the woe of thenight (Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 30:5). He

promises, All things work togetherfor good to those who love God, tothose who are the called accordingto His purpose (Romans 8:28). Soif youre His child and truly yieldedto His plan for youif you are oneof those who love God and are thecalled according to His purposeHecan make it allwork out for good!

How many people claim they aretrusting God, but still worry aboutthe blots and stains on the pages oftheir past! They never rejoice in thefullness of Gods forgiveness andmercy, in His promise that He has

blotted out their sins. I, even I, amHe who blots out your transgres-sions for My own sake; and I will notremember your sins (Isaiah 43:25).

It isnt Gods way to go back andretrace the past: You cant relive thatpast, and who would want to whenthe future is so bright with wonder-ful promises? When I think aboutthis new year ahead, I think about

all the promises of God that we canclaim and how bright the picturecan be. What wonderful things canhappenmiracles of faith becauseHis unchanging Word is there for us.

Jesus stands with outstretchedarms blocking the way to the past.

And because of the penalty He paidfor your sins, the Bible says weshould forget the things which are

behind and reach forward to thosethings which are before, as we presstoward the mark for the prize of thehigh calling of God in Christ Jesus(Philippians 3:1314 KJV).

There is no redemptive pricefor that past, but there is redemp-tion for you! Jesus redeemed youand youre clean from all the past.

By Virginia Brandt Be



5/16

What a pity if we carry the burdenof the past when the Lord paid sucha price to lift that burden and set usfree!

I wonder if there is anythingmore wonderful than the miracleof forgivenessthe assurance ofhaving your sins forgiven. Its for allof us! He died for all of us! All you

have to do is reach out and takeitreceive Him as your Savior andaccept His forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, He isfaithful and just to forgive us oursins and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Hehas promised this and He cannotbreak His Word.

godnever

stopslovingyou!

What is God like? Some peoplepicture Him as an angry God, some kind

of monster with an all-seeing eye, carry-

ing around a big stick, ready to clobber

thema cruel tyrant who is trying to

frighten them into Hell. But actually,

God is love (1 John 4:8). He is a loving

God who is trying to love everyone into

Heaven. Hes so close, so intimate, so

personal, so loving, so kind, so tender, so

gentle, so concernedand Hes waiting

with open arms. The only reason He fol-

lows us around is that Hes hoping well

turn around and meet Him with open

arms.

God never rejects us or withdraws

His love. He always has hope for us no

matter how far weve strayed. So if you

feel far from God, maybe its because yo

havent opened your heart to receive

His love and forgiveness. You need not

continue to feel condemned for yourmistakes and sins; only be sorry, ask for

Gods forgiveness, and be forgiven (Isai

1:18; 1 John 1:9).

If you will even start going Gods

wayif youll just turn toward Him and

start trying to find your way Hometh

Father will come running toward you a

receive you with open arms of love (Lu

15:1824).

David Brandt Berg (DB

If you havent yet experienced God

love and forgiveness, you can right now

by sincerely praying a simple prayer like

the following:

Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price

for my mistakes and wrongs, so I can be

forgiven and put my past behind me. Tha

You that You cleanse me from all sinpa

sin, sin now, and sin hereafterby faith. I

ask You now, dear Jesus, to come into my

heart, forgive me, and give me Your gift o

eternal life. Amen.



6/16

I sat back in my seat andwaited for takeoff. My back achedand my limbs were stiff from thefive-hour drive to the airport andthe two-hour first leg of my flighthome. I wasnt looking forwardto another five hours in crampedeconomy-class seating.

My mind drifted to my daugh-ter, not yet 18 years old, who I hadjust taken to live with her olderbrother for a while. I was going tomiss her! It was her first time awayfrom home, and my heart ached atthe thought of not having her nearme. I knew this feeling well. She wasthe fifth of our six children to leavehome. I should be getting used toit, I thought. But the same emptyfeeling started to overtake me. Tearsburned in my eyes, but I determinednot to give in to my emotions.

As the plane taxied down therunway, I closed my eyes and liftedmy heart to Jesus, asking Him togrant me a safe flight and to keepmy dear daughter and the rest of my

children safe in His care. I thankeHim that He always had. His stillsmall voice whispered to my hearthat all would be well with mydaughter, just as it had been withher four older brothers who had lehome before her.

The plane took off, climbed, a

then leveled off.Peace came over me as I drankin His assurances and rememberehow He had never failed to answemy prayers for our children. Tearslonging turned to tears of gratitudas I thanked Him for His faithfulnand comfort.

When I opened my eyes, I sawthat a woman and a little girl abouthree years old had moved into thseats next to mine, which had beeempty at takeoff. Although I hadhoped for empty seats beside meso I could stretch out, I understoohow the stewardess probably feltthey needed the space.

I watched the mother strugglewith her daughter, who was tired

pass it on

God does not comfort us

to make us comfortable,

but to make us comforters.

By Lilia Pott



7/16

and whiny and wanted to sleep. Ioffered the woman my pillow andan extra blanket to cushion thechilds head. With a grateful look,she explained theyd already flownfor eight hours. Soon the little girlfell asleep, half in her own seat and

half in her mothers lap.A meal was served, we made

a little small talk, the stewardesscollected the trays, and the womantried to get some rest. A few minuteslater, I noticed a tear run down hercheek, then another. She tried tobrush them away before I could see,but quickly realized I already hadand gave me a sheepish smile.

Are you all right? I asked.Yes, yes, she said. But the tearskept coming.

I gently touched her arm. Isthere anything I can do for you?

After a valiant effort to composeherself, she explained that shed

just taken her 16-year-old son tothe United States, to study. She had

seven other children, but he wasthe oldest and the first one to leavehome. She missed him already.

I looked at her in amazement.Here I was, sitting next to a woman

who was experiencing the exact samemotions I had only minutes earlier

thinking about my own dear daughter.

I took her hand in mine and I toher that I understood. I explainedabout my daughter and shared thecomforting thoughts God had whispered to my heart just a short whilebefore. She listened intently andsmiled through her tears when I tolher we could pray for our children

and then trust God to care for themI soon learned that we were ofdifferent faiths, but we both acknowedged that the God we loved alsoloved our children and would lookout for them. We talked more durinthe rest of the flight, exchangedphone numbers, and promised to gin touch in the future.

After parting, I thanked Jesus for

a safe flight and for the way He soperfectly engineers things. I believeHe worked out those seating arrangments on the plane so I could passon His words and His reassurances someone else. He wanted to comforus both.

The Father of compassion and th

God of all comfort comforts us inall our troubles, so that we can com-

fort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received fromGod (2 Corinthians 1:3,4 NIV).

Lilia Potters is a volunte

with The Family in the Midea

You can always

drop a little love into the hearts

of those you pass by, even if only with

a word, a smile, or a look of sympathy, and

they will know that God has loved them that

day! His Spirit will tell them so. A little bit of

love goes such a long way!

DBB



8/16

God doesnt wantyou totry or pretend to be something

youre not and couldnt possibly be.However, He teaches in His Wordthat almost anybody can be almostanything if they have faith and itsaccording to His will. Anybody can

be somebody or somebody can beanybody, because with God nothingis impossible and all things arepossible to those who believe (Luke1:37; Mark 9:23).

A lot of Christians make idols ofthe great men and women of Godof the past. They idolize the heroesof the Bible, the patriarchs andthe prophets, the Christian saints

and martyrs, and they exalt themto such heights that they make italmost impossible for others tobelieve they could ever do the samethings. And sad to say, it seemsthat all too often people do that toexcuse themselves.

They say, Its impossible to belike that today. That sort of thing isreserved for Bible times, or saints

or patriarchs or prophets. OrdinaryChristians arent supposed to try tobe like that. Its impossible. Donteven try! People today cant expectto do miracles or have other gifts ofthe Spirit like the apostles and greatChristians of the past had. The dayof miracles is past!

gods

CHESSPIECE

You Cant, but He Can



9/16

And one of the biggest lies theDevil tells people is, You cant bethat way because youre sinful andmake mistakes, and you cannot beboth good and bad. Well, Gods

Word says, There is none righteous,no, not one. For all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God(Romans 3:10,23). And that includes

whom?Not only you and me, butthe saints and the prophets andthe apostles and the patriarchs,and everyone else except the LordHimself.

Now that changes the picture!That brings the apostles, prophets,and heroes of the Bible down to our

level, and that means its possiblefor us to become more like them.Regardless of our sins and mistakesand faults or whatever, we too canbe used of the Lord. So if the Deviltells you that youll never amount toanything for the Lord because youreso bad, dont listen to him. That isntso!

God created man and put him

on earth in part to demonstrate Hispower in giving him salvationtoshow that in spite of all our faultsand shortcomings He can save usand make us useful. He can evenuse you. The fact that God can use

you, bad as you are, gives the gloryto Jesus when you do anything goodor right. As the old hymn says,

Ill give all the glory to Jesus,

And tell of His love, His wonderful love.

Ill give all the glory to Jesus,

And tell of His wonderful love!

Even the great apostle Paullamented, Who shall deliver me

from the body of this death? He asgood as said, I stink! Im a horriblemess! But then the Lord encour-aged him with the answer to hisdilemma: Thanks be to God, whogives us the victory through ourLord Jesus Christ (Romans 7:2425;1 Corinthians 15:57).

Now, doesnt that give you somehope? When the Devil reminds you

of your mistakes and faults andshortcomings, it helps to remind

yourself that, yes, youre no good;yes, youre a sinner; yes, except forthe love and mercy and grace andgoodness of God, youd never makeit!

It takes a miracle of the grace ofGod! It all has to be a miracle! Yourthoughts, your love for the Lord and

others, your work for the Lordallof it is a miracle of Gods grace,faith working through love (Gala-tians 5:6). Its Godswork. You justhave to have the faith that God isgoing to do it through you.

For many years I was convincedthat I was nothing and nobodyand could never do anything! I was



10/16

too sinful, too carnal, I didnt readthe Bible enough and didnt prayenough. How could I ever hope to doanything for God?

Be honest. Isnt that the wayyou feel sometimes? Im sure theDevil lies to you like that too. Whenhe does, slap him in the face withScriptures, like Jesus did when theDevil tempted Him in the wilderness(Matthew 4:111). It is no longerI who live, but Christ lives in me;and the life which I now live in theflesh I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself forme (Galatians 2:20). Where sin andhuman faults and failings abound,

Gods grace does more abound(Romans 5:20). Thats what its allabout!

Why do you think the Lord letsyou make mistakes? Why do youthink God let Adam and Eve fallprey to temptation in the Garden ofEden?To prove that they neededGod, and to prove thatyou needGod! You cant do it on your own!

And what does that do?It glorifiesthe Lord!

Of course you cant do it! Ofcourse you cant save yourself! Ofcourse you cant live a perfect Chris-tian life! Of course you cant be goodor do anything good of yourself!Jesus Himself said, Without Me youcan do nothing (John 15:5). A lot ofpeople have been taught the false

doctrine that theyre supposed to domost of it with just a little help fromGod, but I want to tell you right now,God does it all! Isnt that a comfort-ing thought?

You dont have to have faith todo things that the Lord isnt askingor expecting of you. You just have to

have faith to be what Hes made youto be and to do the job He has for

you, whatever that may be. Dont tryto be somebody youre not, but dontlet the Devil lie to you that you cantbe who God can make you, or do

what God wants to do through you.God wont ask you to do anythingmore than He knows you can do,

with His help.Too many Christians have been

taught two conflicting doctrines:first, that they cant be saintly andperfect, and second that they cantbe saved unless they are. Both arethe Devils own doctrines! Its no

wonder that a lot of Christians give

up trying to be or do anything forthe Lord!

But the wonderful truth of thematter is that you can do anything

with Jesus help. I can do all thingsthrough Christ who strengthens me(Philippians 4:13). With His help youcan do anything, go anywhere, andbe anybody God wants you to be.

God has given us a free will, but

to be successful for the Lord or evenas happy as He would like to makeus, we have to continually yieldthat will to Him. We have to findout from Him what His will for usiswhat He knows is best for othersand usand then choose that.

Everybody has their place andjob for the Lord, like the pieces ona chessboard. Chesspieces have

no will of their own. When a playerpicks up a chesspiece and moves itto another square, the chesspiecedoesnt protest; it yields and goes

where its sent, right? Well, youre inGods hands! Think of that wheneverthe Devil tempts you to worry aboutthis or that. Youre in the hands of



11/16

the Master Player and Hes going toput you wherever He wants you, so

just trust the Lord.You dont have to make all the

decisions; you only have to beyielded. But youre a free moralagent and you can choose notto be

yielded. When it comes right downto it, the only decision you have tomake is to choose to do Gods will,

whatever it might be. Simply yield toHis moves and let Him do the think-ing and the choosing. He can seethe whole game, the whole chess-board, and all the pieces. Youve gotvery limited vision and very limitedpower, but He sees and has it all.

Simply be what God wants youto be. Dont worry about what youcan be or cant be or will be or wontbe, like I did for nearly 50 years! Ispent over half my life worryingabout what I would be, when all thetime I was being exactly what God

wanted me to be and learning all thethings God wanted me to learn.

There have also been times

when Ivechosen to do this and dothat, and Gods had to change mymind or do something else in spiteof meand I always found out inthe end that He knew best.

Its wonderful to let God decide,because He always has our bestinterests at heart and He knows

whats best. He never fails. Even ifHe should let us get His instructions

wrong or do something wrong, Hesable to use even that to teach ussome lesson and bring about somegood if our hearts are right with Him(Romans 8:28).

So quit worrying about whatGods going to do. Youre in Godshands. Rest in the Lord, and do

good (Psalm 37:3 KJV). Trust in tLord with all your heart, and leannot on your own understanding; inall your ways acknowledge Him, anHe shall direct your paths (Prover3:56). Your ears shall hear a wordbehind you, saying, This is the wa

walk in it, whenever you turn to thright hand or whenever you turn tthe left (Isaiah 30:21).

When a guide leads you downa path thats new to you, he doesntell you what youre going to needto do before you get to the turn orthe fork in the way. He waits till yoget to the point where you need toknow before he tells you what to

do or where to go nextand thatsthe way it is with the Lord. In mostcases, you dont need to know all thdetails of what youre going to dotomorrow. Jesus said not to worryabout tomorrow. You often have toplan ahead, but youre not to worrabout tomorrow. Just do what Godknows you can do and what Godasks you to do today, and be pre-

pared to do the same tomorrow.God made you a particular

kind of chesspiece, and Hes givenyou powers accordingly. God is theplayer; youre just the chesspiece.

Youre His piece, and all you haveto do is what God tells you to do.He doesnt even expect you to do i

yourself. Hell reach down and takahold of you and move you where

He wants you to go. You cant do itanywaybut you can with His hel

You cant, but He can!

(Excerpted from More Than Conqu

ors, a collection of 10 articles by David

Brandt Berg, available from any of the

addresses on page 2 of this magazine.

Its wonderful

to let God

decide,

because He

always has our

best interests

at heart and

He knows

whats best.



12/16

As the world scene continues to growdarker, its more important than ever to keepour minds on the happy ending. Yes, things

aregoing to get worse before they get better,but what matters most is that they are goingto get bettermuch better! The darkest nightthis world has ever known will be followed bythe most glorious sunrise. Then at last Godskingdom will reign supreme, eternally.

During the three-and-a-half-year periodknown as the Great Tribulation, the soon-coming world dictator, the Antichrist, willpersecute believers of all faiths. But at the end

of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return onthe clouds of heaven with power and greatglory and rescue His people and gather themto be with Him (Matthew 24:2931).

All of Gods saved children who have diedthrough the ages will be miraculously resur-rected and ascend to meet Jesus in the air.Then the saved that are still alive on earth will

also be instantly transformed and join themJesus will rescue His people from their anti-Christ persecutors and whisk them away to

the grandest victory celebration that has evbeen held, the marriage supper of the LambHeaven (Revelation 14:1416; 19:69).

Meanwhile, the horrific wrath of God wibe poured out upon the Antichrist and hisfollowers (Revelation 14:811,1720; 15:1,716:111).

The superhuman hosts of Heaven, led bJesus, will then return to completely defeatand destroy the Antichrist and his forces in

the cataclysmic battle known as ArmageddoThis will mark the end of mans cruel rule, aJesus Christ and His forces take over the woand rule in righteousness.

For the next one thousand yearsa periknown as the Millenniumthere will bepeace, plenty, and paradise on earth (Revelation 19:1121; 20:16).

the

heavenlycityand

the

newearthCompiled from

the writings of David Brandt Berg

by Joseph Candel



13/16

Then, at the end of the Millennium, Satanwill be released from prison in the heart ofthe earth, where he has been held for thosethousand years. He will be given his freedom

just long enough to deceive the nationsagain, and the unconverted will join Satanand rebel against Gods kingdom on earth.

God will once again defeat the Devil and hisfollowersthis time at a battle even morecataclysmic than Armageddon, the Battle ofGog and Magogand will completely purgeand purify the surface of the earth with a floodof fire (2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:79; 21:1).

After the Battle of Gog and Magog, Godwill rebuild a new world on the ashes of theolda new heavens and a new earth, in

which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). It

will be the same planet, but with a beautifullyrenewed surface. God is going to re-create theentire surface of the earth like a beautiful newGarden of Eden.

Then His great heavenly city will comedown out of space to land on that beautifulnew earth, and God is going to come downand live with us, and we with Him (Revelation21:23).

It will be such a literal down-to-earth

Heaven that Revelation chapters 21 and 22describe it in detailright down to the citysexact measurements, colors, materials, andmore! It will be the grandest city ever builtfar beyond the wildest dreams of mancover-ing an area of about 2.25 million square miles(about 5.83 million square kilometers), orlarge enough to cover most of Australia, overhalf of Europe or the United States, or one-fourth of Africa (Revelation 21:16).

The city had no need of the sun or ofthe moon to shine in it, for the glory of Godilluminated it. The Lamb [Jesus] is its light(Revelation 21:23). The sun and moon willcontinue to shine for the benefit of those out-side the city, but those inside wont need thembecause the city will have its own lightthelight of God, His Son, Jesus.

The entire city will be made of pure goldlike clear glass (Revelation 21:18). Imagine!

There will be a beautiful river of the wateof life, flowing out of the throne of God andthrough the center of the city. Both sides ofthe river will be lined with trees of life thatbear twelve kinds of fruit continuously, and

the leaves are for the healing of the nations(Revelation 22:2). The resurrected saints intheir supernatural bodies arent going to neehealing, so its obvious that this healing is forthe people and nations outside the city.

Another major difference in the new eartis that there will be no more sea (Revelatio21:1). Today most of the earth is covered by

water, so when God remakes the earths sur-face and the seas are gone, there will be four

or five times as much land for all the peopleoutside the heavenly city to live on and enjo

It will be a whole new earth, a whole newcreation, with peaceful, friendly animals andbirds and all the beautiful creations of Godthat are with us now. But there will be noneof the harmful insects and pests and thornsand thistles we have now (Isaiah 11:69; 55:13). The whole creation will be just like Godhad planned for it to be in the beginning, lik

it was in the Garden of Eden. What a wonderful world it will be, with no more sin, war,destruction, death, sickness, tears, or pain!

And thats not all! In My Fathers House,Jesus said, are many mansions. I go to prpare a place for you ... that where I am, there

you may be also (John 14:23). If you havereceived Jesus as your Savior, one of thesedays youre going to own a mansion that isngoing to cost you anything, because Jesus ha

already paid for it.Are you ready for Heaven? Are you going

to be able to walk the streets of that heavenlycity? Only the saved shall walk therein (Rev-elation 21:24). You dont want to miss out onthat, do you? All you have to do is receive Jesas your Savior, if you havent already!



14/16

A: The Lord gives us goals to help us grow aspeople, so well be happier, and so our lives will be momeaningful and better in every way. He doesnt do it

because He wants or expects us to be perfectin fact,He knows we never will be. It is we who sometimes setunrealistic goals for ourselves and thereby set ourselveup for feelings of failure. The Devils favorite weaponagainst Christians is discouragement, and condemna-tion follows close behind.

When you feel condemned, its because you thinkGod wont forgive you for something you did wrong.Often the problem is in the thinking, because the mo

you dwell on it, the worse it gets. When you give in tocondemnation, this effectively cancels out your faithto ask the Lord to help you overcome these negativefeelings, because you feel you dont deserve His help oother blessings. When you give in to discouragement acondemnation, you relinquish your power to fight bacOnce youre in the pits of condemnation its very hard climb out, because the Devil tries to convince you thatright where you belong.

But Jesus knows you perfectlythe good and thebadand still He offers you His unconditional love. Hisnt out there with a clipboard, recording your everyslip or fall. Rather, He rejoices each time you make evea small step to follow Him. In His eyes, the only failureis the one who falls and fails to get up to try again. Hedoesnt even expect you to pick yourself up. Hell reachdown and pick you up Himself, and then give you thefaith and gumption to keep on going till you get it righHe only asks that you are willing to try, and that youbelieve He loves you and is there to help. So if you feelcondemned, follow these simple steps to victory:

1. Admit that you alone cant attain your goals, and

that only Jesus in you can make it.2. Refuse to believe the Devil when he comes aroun

with condemnation and guilt.3. Remind yourself that in Gods eyes, failure is not

the falling but in not getting up to try again.4. Thank God that even seeming defeats are victori

if you learn from them.5. When you stumble, refuse to quit. Lean on Jesus

Ask for His perspective. Then get up and try again.

ANSWERS

TO YOURQUESTIONS

You dont

have to be

perfect

Q: Sometimes I feel that

Im never going to be good

enough to please God.

For example, the Bible saysthat we should pray without

ceasing and give our lives

in service to Jesus and

others, but those goals seem

impossibly high. Whats the use

of even trying?



15/16

COMINGNEXT

LOVE IS

Love is believing, trusting, helping,encouraging, confiding, sharing, under-

standing, feeling, touching, caring, praying,giving. Love is communication. Love is anemotion. Love is passionate, alive, vibrant,and warm. Love is something that getsbetter all the time!

Love is the greatest need of mankind,so love is the greatest service to mankind.Love is spiritual, but is manifested inthe physical. Love is seen as it is put intoaction. Love is thoughtfulness. Love is

always. Love knows no hours or days. Loveis always finding a way. Love is giving all.Love is rarethe unselfish kind. Love ispriceless. Love is its own reward.

Love is sacrificial. Love is preferringthe happiness of others to our own. Loveis patient. Love is kind. Love is merciful.Love can overcome any obstacle and healany wound. Love is quick to forgive. Love ishumble.

Love is never lost.It always has itseffect sooner or later. Love is forever.

Love is the name of God. Love is thepower of God. Love isGod, for God is love!Gods ultimate love is Jesus (1 John 4:89).

To find out how you can put more ofthis kind of love into your life, dont missthe next issue ofActivated.

Its not possible for you to change yourself,

but its possible for God to change you by

the miracle-working power of His Spirit! He will

do things you cant do!

David Brandt Berg

FEEDINGREADING

CHANGING FOR THE BETTER

God wants only the best for us.

Psalm 84:11bJeremiah 29:11

Matthew 7:911

Luke 12:32

God can and will help us change for

the better, if we let Him.

2 Timothy 1:12b

Philippians 1:6

Philippians 2:13

But the natural man resists change.

Psalm 49:11

Mark 7:9

Luke 5:39

Yieldedness to the Lords will is the

key to beneficial change.

1 Samuel 3:18b

Psalm 40:8

Isaiah 64:8

Jeremiah 42:6a

Matthew 6:10b

Romans 8:28

During the changing process, we

must do two things: not worry about

the past and keep our eyes on the

goal ahead.

Philippians 3:1314

2 Corinthians 4:18

Colossians 3:2

Hebrews 12:2a



16/16

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

Wheels of progressThere are cycles in lifetimes in which

everything seems to go well, and times when

things seem to go badly. I want you to learn tohold on to Me through each phase of the cycle.

When you are faced with a new obstacle

or problem, dont let it discourage you and

dont worry that you and I together wont be

able to overcome it. We will, but you must pass

through this low phase of the cycle in the pro-

cess. Problems cause you to exercise your faith

as you rise up to meet them, and that brings

the next phase of the cycle: You call on Me forhelp, and you fight and you win and you make

progress. Its like a wheel as it turns: As the top

goes down, the bottom comes around to the

top and the wheel carries you forward.

Each time you face a new test, you must

fight once again. You take up the challenge, call

on Me for help, and once again overcome and

make more progress. More tests bring more

victories. But if at any time you dont seek Mefor the solution, if you dont take up the chal-

lenge or dont fight through to victory, you

stop the cycle. You remain at the low point and

there is no forward motion; you go nowhere.

So dont look at the low points in your life

as defeats, but as opportunities to make for-

ward progress. I know its often difficult to go

through these cycles, but you must in order to

keep moving forward, so keep at it!

Documents

Activated January 2003