Activated November 2005

8/14/2019 Activated November 2005

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CHANGE YOUR LIFE | CHANGE YOUR WORLD

PRAISE POWER

Rise above lifes problems

THE THANKSGIVING

SPECIAL

A different kind of thanks

SEE THE GOOD

How wrongs can

work for the best


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For a wide range of books andaudio and video productions tofeed your soul, lift your spirit,strengthen your family, andprovide fun learning times for

your children, please contactone of our distributors below,or visit our Web site at www.activated.org

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[email protected]

November 2005Keith PhillipsGiselle LeFavreDoug CalderFrancisco Lopez

VOL6, ISSUE 11

EDITOR

DESIGN

ILLUSTRATIONS

PRODUCTION

ctiv te

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

2005 Aurora Production AG

All Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.

www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in Activated are from the New King

James Version of the Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. When other versions are quoted,

some typographical changes have been made for the sake of clarity and uniformity.

You may have heard the story aboutthe optimistic old woman who had onlytwo teeth, one upper and one lower.

Yes, its pretty hard, she admitted, butthank goodness they meet!

The same woman also had a knack for seeing the best in

people and pointing it out to others. I believe you would saysomething good even about the Devil, a friend once told her.

Well, the old woman said, you certainly have to admire hispersistence.

One of our contributors this month is a lot like that oldwoman, except that shes not old and has one of the mostbeautiful, genuine smiles I have ever seen. What the two womehave in common is that fantastic quality of positiveness. Thatmakes them about the happiest people around, as well asthe happiest people to be around. In See the Good (page11), Maria Fontaine shares her secret. And if you think thatits too late for you to become such a positive person, youllbe encouraged to know that she is also the Maria named inanother article in this issue, Praise Power (page 4). Shes now

living proof that optimists are made, not born. What madeher?She took the lesson Jesus had for her to heart, prayedfor Him to help her change, and practiced praise power untilit became second nature. Not only that, but she did it while

coping with a rare and supposedly incurable condition thatmade her eyes so sore that for nearly 20 years she was rarelyable to open them. I say supposedly incurable because Jesuseventually healed herno doubt because He was so pleasedwith her praisefulness, which is a sign of faith and trust.

Want to be one of the happiest people around, as well as onof the happiest people to be around? You can be!

Keith Phillips

FORTHE ACTIVATEDFAMILY

2 www.activated.org |

ACTIVATED VOL 6, ISSU


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i TSTH EEN DOF ALONGDAY OF CARINGFO RSICKCHILDREN. No, not myown. They belong to a couplewhose Christian volunteer workoften calls them away to tendto others needs at the sacrificeof some of their time togetheras a family. I am the childrensteacher and usually enjoy beinga substitute parent, but not thisweek.

Im feeling overtired, rundown, and stressed, I grumble.Im way behind on the dishesand laundry, and Im missinga beach trip with my friends toinstead take care of a bunch ofcoughing, snif fl ing, whiny kids.

A creak on the stairs tells mesomebodys awake. Its two-year-

old Susana. What do you need,Susy?

She pauses for half a second,then runs to me, throws herlittle arms around my neck, andwhispers, I love you! Then sheturns and runs back to bed.

I hear four-year-old Martinstirr ing, so I go to check on him.He opens one eye and mumblessleepily, Youre the bestest

{ }A HiddenBlessing

BY JESSICA ROBERTS

teacher ever! Something aboutthe way he smiles when he saysthat

I think about their pure-hearted love and how theyveadopted me. I remember all the

laughs, the hugs, the discoveriesweve shared.

Suddenly the mountain ofdishes is no longer impossible.Im not so tired anymore. I

remember what Jesus said aboutloving the little people, Inas-much as you did it to one of theleast of these My brethren, youdid it to Me (Matthew 25:40).

Tomorrow were going tohave our bestest day yet!Ill make pancakes for break-fast. Im sure there is a way

to build a three-ring circus inthe sick room. And when they

reach that tired, grumpy hourbefore dinner, Ill just shoot upa prayer for more of the Lordsunfailing love. And Ill thankGod for the blessing of havingthese kids to care for.

Jessica Roberts is a volunteer with theFamily International in Mexico.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of

virtues, but the parent of all the oth

CICERO

Gratitude is the memory of the hear

MASSIEU

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today, and creates

vision for tomorrow. MELODYBEATT

{ } THE GRATITUDEATTITUDE

JessicaRo

berts

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POWERpr

aise

MY WIFE, MARIA, WASFEELING VERY TIRED ANDHAD SUCH A HEADACHETHAT SHE HAD BECOMEDISCOURAGED ABOUT HERHEALTH.

As I prayed for her, I wasreminded of the verse that tells

us not to be weary and faintin our minds (Hebrews 12:3

KJV). I think the Lord wantedto inspire her to have a littlemore fight.

Our spiritual enemy, theDevil, really f ights us, but aslong as we keep fighting back,he cant win. It reminds me ofa song my mother used to singwhen the going got tough:

BY DAVID BRANDT BE

Keep on believing; God answers prayer.Keep on believing; Hes still up there.Sorrows and troubles will soon disappear:Nothing can harm you when Jesus is near.

Keep on believing; the storm will pass,Look for the rainbow; twill come at last.Trust in His promise: twas written for you.Keep on believing and praise your way through!




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The original lyr ics say, Keepon believing andprayyour waythrough, but my mother was agreat one for praise so she sangit, Praise your way through.

Thats how you get the victory!If you believe in prayer, youregoing to start praising the Lordfor answering your prayers evenbefore you see those answers.

So I said to Maria, You needto fight, and you need to praisethe Lord more instead of talkingabout your weakness and head-aches. As long as youre think-ing about the Word and the Lordand youve got a song of praiseon your lips, you cant complainand moan and groan about howbad you feel.

You need to attack the Devil!

When you feel down, quoteScripture or sing a praise song!You need to refuse to talk aboutyour problems. Praise the L ordand thank God for the health

you do have!God will keep in perfect

peace, those whose minds arefixed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Ifyou keep your mind on the Lord,that keeps you from thinkingabout your troubles. Whateveryou do, dont go around moaningand groaning and complaining

and spreading the Devils doubtsand lies! The minute you feel

like doing that, go on the attackby praising the Lord. Sing!Quote Scripture! Do somethingpositive!

Maria asked, Isnt it beingdishonest to act like Im not sickwhen I am?And immediatelythe story in the Bible about theprophet Elisha and the Shunam-

mite woman came to mind (2Kings 4:837).

One day the womans young

son died of sunstroke out in thefield. Immediately, his mothertook him into the house and puthim in the room she had builtfor Elisha to stay in whenever hepassed that way. She laid the boyon the prophets bed and ran offto Mount Carmel, some milesaway, where she found Elisha. Hegreeted her and asked, Is it wellwith you? and she answered, Itis well. Then Elisha asked, Is itwell with the boy? and she said,It is well. Was she lying?No.She had faith that even thoughthe boy was dead, he was in

Gods hands and it was well withhim. Then she told Elisha whathad happened and asked theprophet to come and pray for herson, who was then miraculously

raised from the dead.Its not that the Lord wants

you to hide the fact that youresick. You should humble your-self and admit that youre sickso others can pray for you tobe healed, but you shouldnt goaround complaining about it.Admit it and ask for prayer, but

then try to be cheerful, encour-aging, and show you have faith.

Be positive and praise the Lord.You need to take a positive

stand against the Devil and hisattacks. Resist the Enemy, GodsWord tells us, and he will fleefrom you (James 4:7). If you justresign yourself to feeling ill,thats badand if you com-plain about it, thats even worse

because then youre testifyingthe Devils handiwork.

Many are the aff lictionsof the righteous, but mostof them are minor, thank the

Lord. They are just enough tokeep us close to the Lord andpraying and trusting and praising the Lord and asking theLord for help. King David alsosaid, Before I was aff lictedI went astray, but now I keepYour Word, and, Unless Your[Word] had been my delight, Iwould then have perished in maffliction (Psalm 119:67,92).That s probably why the Lordallows His children to have maaff lictionsbecause thats whkeeps them righteous.

When you seem to be exces

sively tired or have frequentheadaches or other troubles, itnatural to wonder why yourefeeling bad. Well, now you knoIts so you can go on the attack

and resist the Devil, becauseits him fighting you. Also, theLord may be trying to teachyou something else throughyour suffering. That passage iHebrews chapter 12 that talksabout not fainting in your mindalso says a lot about chasteninor training. I think dear Maria

is learning her lesson, becauseI havent heard her complain

again about her health.The Bible tells us that God

dwells, He is enthroned, in thepraises of His children (Psalm22:3), and that we are to comeinto His presence with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:In everythinggive thanks (1Thessalonians 5:18).

against the Deviltake a posit ive stand

and his attacks.

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6/16

It was a perfect time to chatabout the day. Each of the menwould relate his latest triumphs

or woes, or talk about currentevents. It all went over my head,of course, but I could see theyenjoyed it.

All of that disappeared withthe advent of TV in the 50s. Aseach family bought a TV set,people spent less and lesstime playing such games ashorseshoes. Instead they spenttheir evenings in front of the newmarvel with its flickering black-and-white images.

Did we suddenly become hap-

pier once we each owned a TV?I dont think so. You probablyhave read the researchhowAmericans now spend an aver-

age of 11 years of their liveswatching TV. It seems that with

the advent of TV we gained eentertainment, but lost the aof conversation and having liv

fun with our loved ones.We entered the 20th cent

riding horses; we left it in caspeeding down superhighwayand jets soaring through theskies. But has all this speedand technology made us happier? We live in perhaps themost traumatic era that manhas ever experienced.

We race from birth to dea

with hardly time to stop and

smell the roses. Do it more

do it better, do it yesterday,

get rich quickor in debt

quick. Fast food, fast comp

ers, fast money, fast cars in

fast lanes, fast talk in soun

bites. Live fast seems to our slogan.

IVIVIDLYRECALLTH EME NIN OU RNEIGHBORHOOD GATHERING EVERYEVENINGafter work in avacant lot next to our housefor a game of horseshoes. Thepace of life was more relaxedwhen I was a child. Work wasfrom nine to five, and then itwas time to knock off and playa game of horseshoes.

You may not know the gameof horseshoes. A U-shapedmetal horseshoe is throwntoward a metal stake placed ina sawdust or dirt square about

12 yards away. The player toland his horseshoes closest tothe stake is the winner. When ahorseshoe encircles the stake,

it is called a ringer.

Death>>

o f h o r s e s h o e s




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Sometimes we pile so muchstress on ourselves in thisspeedy lifestyle that we find

it hard to cope. Sometimeswe get under stress and donteven know it. On a recent tripto the dentist, I found that I haddeveloped cracks in some of myteeth. My dentist explained thatstress had apparently causedme to bite and grind my teeth inmy sleep. I was unaware that Iwas doing this.

So what is the cure forstress? We cant turn back theclock, nor do we necessarilywant to. We live in a different

world and must adapt. Majorstudies have been done on thesubject of stress alleviation, asinefficiency, lost production,

and absenteeismall of whichhave been linked to stressin the workplacesap theeconomy of billions each year.Some of the practical solutionsthese studies have come upwith seem easy enough to do:

Take up gardening. De-clutter your home or yourwork environment.

Give more love and affection,and allow yourself to receivethem in return. Get a massage. Work on having lovingrelationships. Make healthy changes inyour diet and exercise, such as

BY C. PETER VAN GORDER

drinking less alcohol, cuttingdown on caffeine, or stoppingsmoking. Take a walk, in nature ifpossible. Give three sincerecompliments at work each day. Have a good laugh. Listen to soft music. Take a mini-vacation.

Pet a pet. Get a good rest.

All of these practicalsuggestions are helpful, butfinding that peace thatpasses all understanding(Philippians 4:7) takes more. Ittakes listening for a momentto that still small voice in ourhearts, reassuring us that Godstill loves us in spite of our

shortcomings.Take a moment today to be

refreshed in prayer so thatyou may find rest for your soul.The problems you face willmelt away as you experiencethe awesome love of God. Aprophecy about Jesus givenshortly before His birth said

that He would guide our feetinto the way of peace (Luke1:79). May you follow the wayHe shows you.

C. Peter Van Gorder is a full-time volunteer with the FamilyInternational in the Mideast.

PASS ON THE PRAISE

Youre a great wife, andI dont know what I woulddo without you. And ashe spoke, he put his armsaround her and kissed her,and she forgot all her caresin that moment.

And, forgetting it all, shesang as she washed thedishes, and she sang as she

made the beds.

And the song was heard bythe woman next door, andshe caught the refrain and

sang also.

And as the neighbor sang,a delivery boy who came toher door heard it and wentaway whistling the tune.

And the world heard thewhistle.

And it was all because he

had told her he loved her.

Author unknown


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8/16

SANDRAFELTASLOW

ASTHEHEELS OF HER

BIRKENSTOCKSASSHE

PUSHED AGAINSTA

NOVEMBERGUSTANDTHEFLO-

RISTSHOPDOOR . Her life had beeneasy, like a spring breeze. Then inthe fourth month of her secondpregnancy, an automobile acci-dent had stolen her ease. Duringthis Thanksgiving week she would

have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. Asif that werent enough, her husbands companythreatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holivisit she coveted, called saying she could not comeWhats worse, Sandras friend infuriated her by sugesting her grief was a God-given path to maturit

that would allow her to empathize with others whsuffer.

Has she lost a child?No. She has no idea what Ifeeling. Sandra shuddered. Thanksgiving? Thankfufor what?she wondered. For a careless driver whtruck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her?an airbag that saved her life but took that of her chil

Good afternoon. Can I help you? The flowershop clerks approach startled her. Sorry, said tclerk, whose name was Jenny. I just didnt wantyou to think I was ignoring you.

I need an arrangement.For Thanksgiving?Sandra nodded.

Author unknown

the thanksgivingspecial

Reflect upon your present

blessings, of which every

man has plenty; not on

your past misfortunes, of

which all men have some.

Charles Dickens

THANKSGIV ING, THE HOLIDAYCELEBRATED IN THE U.S. TOWARDS THEEND OF NOVEMBER, IS TRADIT IONALLYTHE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTMASSEASON THERE. WE OFFER YOU THISSTORY OF ONE WHOSE HEART WAS

HEAVY AS THE TIME FOR GIV INGTHANKS BEGAN.




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Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would youlike to challenge the day with a customer favorite Icall the Thanksgiving Special? Jenny saw Sandrascuriosity and continued. Im convinced that flowerstell stories, that each arrangement suggests aparticular feeling. Are you looking for something

that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?Not exactly! Sandra blurted. Sorry, but in the

last five months, everything that could have gonewrong has.

Sandra regretted her outburst but was surprisedwhen Jenny said, I have the perfect arrangementfor you. The doors small bell suddenly rang.

Barbara! Hi, Jenny said. I have your order ready.Just a moment. She politely excused herself fromSandra and walked toward a small workroom. Shequickly reappeared carrying a massive arrangementof greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses.Only, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped,no flowers. Want this in a box? Jenny asked.

Sandra watched for Barbaras response. Was thisa joke? Who would want rose stems and no flowers!She waited for laughter, for someone to notice theabsence of flowers atop the thorny stems, but nei-ther woman did.

Yes, please. Its exquisite, said Barbara. Youdthink after three years of getting the Special, Id

not be so moved by its significance, but its happen-ing again. My family w ill love this one. Thanks.

Sandra stared. Why so normal a conversation about sostrange an arrangement? she wondered. Sandra pointedand blurted out, That lady just left with, uh

Yes?Well, she had no flowers!Right, I cut off the flowers.Off?Off. Yep. Thats the special. I call it the Thanks-

giving Thorns Bouquet.

But, why do people pay for that? In spite ofherself, Sandra chuckled.

Do you really want to know?I couldnt leave this shop without knowing. Id

think about nothing else!Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling

very much like you feel today, Jenny explained. Shethought she had very little to be thankful for. Shehad lost her father to cancer, the family business was

failing, her son was taking drugs,and she faced major surgery.

Ouch! said Sandra.That same year, Jenny

explained, I had lost my husband.I assumed complete responsibility

for the shop and for the first time,spent the holidays alone. I had nochildren, no husband, no familynearby, and too great a debt to

allow any travel.What did you do?I learned to be thankful for

thorns.Sandras eyebrows lifted.

Thorns?Im a Christian. Ive always

thanked God for good things inlife and I never thought to askHim why good things happenedto me. But when bad stuff hit, didI ever ask! It took time to learnthat dark times are important. Ihad always enjoyed the flowersof life but it took thorns to show

me the beauty of Gods comfort.You know, the Bible says that God

comforts us when were afflictedand from His consolation welearn to comfort others.

Sandra gasped. A friend readthat passage to me and I wasfurious! I guess the truth is I dontwant comfort. Ive lost a baby andIm angry with God. She started toask Jenny to go on when the doorsbell diverted their attention.

Hey, Phil! shouted Jenny as a

balding, rotund man entered theshop. She softly touched Sandrasarm and moved to welcome him.He pulled her to his side for awarm hug. Im here for twelvethorny long-stemmed stems!Phil laughed, heart ily.

I figured as much, said Jenny.Ive got them ready. She lifted a


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Remember, Jesus wore a crownof thorns so that we might knoHis love. Do not resent thorns

Tears rolled down Sandrascheeks. For the first time since

the accident she loosened her gon resentment. Ill take twelvelong-stemmed thorns, please.

I was hoping you would,

Jenny said. Ill have them reain a minute. Then, every time see them, remember to apprecboth good and hard times. Wegrow through both.

Thank you. What do I oweyou?

Nothing. Nothing but apledge to work toward heal-ing your heart. The first yearsarrangement is always on me.Jenny handed a card to SandraIll attach a card like this to yarrangement, but maybe youdlike to read it first. Its a praye

that was written by a man whowas blind. Go ahead, read it.

My God, I have never thankedThee for my thorn! I have thankedThee a thousand times for my rosbut never once for my thorn. Teacme the glory of the cross I bear.Teach me the value of my thorns.Show me that I have climbed to Tby the path of pain. Show me thatmy tears have made my rainbow.George Matheson (18421906

Jenny said, Happy Thanksgiving, Sandra, handing her tSpecial. I look forward to ourknowing each other better.

Sandra smiled. She turned,opened the door and walkedtoward hope.

tissue-wrapped arrangement fromthe refrigerated cabinet.

Beautiful, said Phil. My wifewill love them.

Sandra could not resist asking.

These are for your wife? Philsaw that Sandras curiositymatched his when he first heardof a thorn bouquet. If you dont

mind my asking, why thorns?I dont mind. In fact, Im

glad you asked, he said. Fouryears ago my wife and I nearlydivorced. After forty years,we were in a real mess, but weslogged through, problem byrotten problem. We rescued ourmarriageour love, really. LastThanksgiving I stopped in herefor flowers. I must have men-tioned surviving a tough processbecause Jenny told me that fora long time she had kept a vaseof rose stemsstems! as a

reminder of what she had learnedfrom thorny times. That was

good enough for me. I took homestems. My wife and I decidedto label each one for a specificthorny situation and give thank sfor what the problem taught us.Im pretty sure this stem reviewis becoming a tradition.

Phil paid Jenny, thanked heragain, and as he left, said toSandra, I highly recommend theSpecial!

I dont know if I can be thank-ful for the thorns in my life,Sandra said to Jenny.

Well, my experience saysthat the thorns make the rosesmore precious. We treasure Godsprovidential care more duringtrouble than at any other time.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

I love You, Jesus, for whoYou aremy Savior, andthe Bright and MorningStar. I love You for whatYou arethe light of theworld and the hope of mylife. I love You for whereYou arewith me always,inside my heart.

I love the way You speakso soothingly, so lovingly,so freely. I love the way

You listenso eagerly, soattentively, hearing andattending to my everyprayer. I love the way Youcare for meproviding myneeds and even my wantswhen You know theyregood for me.

I love the way You canlook into my heart andsee my innermost desires,my secret longings, myhidden wishes, and makethem come true. You

see the longings of myspiritsome of whichnever even reach my heart

or mind before You fulfillthem, because You knowbetter than I do what Ineed and what is good forme. And when my heart isoverwhelmed within me, inthe midst of sorrows, Yourcomforts delight my soul.




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EVERYONEHASTIMESIN

THEIRPASTTHATTHEYLOOK

UPONAS DARKNIGHTS

tragedies or difficulties that were largely beyondtheir control and sometimes the direct result of

other peoples wrong choices or unloving actions.How people react to those wrongs determineswhether they become bitter or better for them.

Those who have a hard time seeing any goodin the difficult times theyve been through usu-ally become resentful and make themselves evenmore unhappy. Perhaps they were wronged, but ifthey love Jesus and know that He loves them, Hecould have and would have used those situationsfor their good in some way if they had let Him.We know that all things work together for good to

those who love God, to those who are the calledaccording to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The Lord was probably trying to use thosecircumstances to help them in some way, buttheyve missed the point or havent benefitedas He intended. Its very possible that in manyof these cases that people look back on asmistakes, the circumstances were used or evenengineered by the Lord in order to bring out the

SEE THE GOOD

B

M

F

best in them, or to draw them closer to Him, or teach them something valuable, or even just as test. Its not that the Lord wanted these things thappen; He wants only the best for His childrenBut since they did happen, He wanted to turn

them togood. Thats the way the Lord isHe caand will turn anything to good, if well let Him.

Finding the good in a bad situation isnt justa glad game exercise or a good idea; its vita

to our spiritual health. If we cant accept thatthere could be a silver lining to some of the raclouds of our past, then well probably never fuforgive and forget those things, and that canlead to bitterness, which is severely debilitatinto your spirit.

For this reason its vital that we not allowourselves to look back at any situation, no mattehow terrible it was, remembering only the bad. Itmay not be our favorite memory, it may even bepainful, but if well reject the Devils negative spi

and ask the Lord specifically how He would liketo use that situation for good, then He can set ufree from that bitterness or other ill feelings andbring about beautiful victories.

What greater triumph is there than to bringgood out of bad? Thats the ultimate way toconquer our past hurtsnot by bitterness andthoughts of revenge, but by allowing the Lord tomake us better on account of it.


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T H E L O R D L E T S U S G OTH R O UG H TE S TS S O M E TIMES, as its through suchdifficulties that we grow andmature; they make us strongerand can teach us invaluable les-sons. It might even appear asthough He is being a little toohard on us, and sometimes weretempted to think, How couldGod let us suffer like this? Howcan He let that sort of thing

happen? The Devil is alwaysaround to try to make you doubt

and even criticize the Lord, likehe did with Job.

God said about Job, Thereis none like him on the earth,a blameless and upright man,one who fears God and shunsevil (Job 1:8). But the Devilchallenged God, Well, You justlet me work him over and wellsee! So God allowed the Devil toput Job through many tests andafflictions. Job lost his family,his wealth, and his healthandthats when his sin came to thefore. The Devil had been rightabout that. Jobs sin was self-righteousness, self-perfection.

His sin was that he didnt thinkthat he had any sin, and he

couldnt understand why God wasdoing all this to him.

It wasnt until he hit rockbottom, sitting in a heap of ashscraping boils from his body wia piece of broken pottery, thathe finally confessed he wasnt arighteous as he had thought he

wasand then God deliveredhim! Job learned his lesson,the Devil gave up, and God gavJob a new family, restored his

health, and made him even moprosperous than before.

Satan almost triumphed, butthe Lord won a great victory outof what had looked like a terribldefeat in the making. When thicouldnt have been going worsefor Job and his future couldnthave looked darker, he declaredThough [God] slay me, yet will trust Him (Job 13:15). Thats oof the most glorious testimoniethe Bible of sustaining faith in tface of great suffering, defeat, adiscouragement.

One thing is certain: Godknows what Hes doing. So

whenever we dont understandwhy He allows something to

ANYHOW

TRUST

BY DAVID BRANDT BERG

If you havent yet received

Jesus, you can right now by

praying the following prayer.

Dear Jesus, thank You for

giving Your life for me. Please

forgive me for the wrong

things Ive done, come into my

heart, give me Your free gift

of eternal life, and teach me

more about Your love. Amen.

GodGod




13/16

happen, we just have to wrap ourquestions in a little bundle offaith and tuck it away till someday He reveals why. Ive hadsome things happen to me that Icouldnt understand, except that

they kept me humble, taught melessons, and eventually furtheredthe Lords plan for my life.

We dont always know right

away why God did or allowedcertain things to happen, and insome cases we may not know tillwe get to Heaven. I have a wholelot of questions that Im going toask when I get there. Weve justgot to trust Him anyhow!

One of the great questionsof this life is why God allowsseemingly bad things to happento people, and specifically tobelievers. We probably wontknow the complete answer tothat till we get to Heaven. Ithink thats going to be part of

our continuing education in the

afterlifelearning why. LikePaul wrote: Now I know in part;then I shall know fully, even as Iam fully known (1 Corinthians13:12 NIV).

We dont know all the whys

and wherefores, but we do knowthat the Lord loves us, that Heknows best, and that if we dontunderstand something now,

we will later. In the meantime,weve got to trust God no matterwhat. Though I have had a toughtime and I dont know why, I willstill trust Him! Though He letthis or that happen, I will stilltrust Him! Thats the greatestvictory of all, when you seem tobe defeated and you still trustthe Lord because you know Hesultimately in control of thesituation and will work it foryour good in some way, as theScripture promises: All thingswork together for good to them

that love God (Romans 8:28).

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problems are to be expected;

theyre part of life.

Psalm 34:19

1 Corinthians 10:13

1 Peter 4:12

When we understand that the Lord

often allows problems for our goodthis helps us to rise to the chal-

lenge.

Romans 8:28

James 1:24

1 Peter 1:7

Problem situations drive us closer

to the Lord and make us more

dependent on Him.

Matthew 11:2830

Psalm 107:13

2 Cor inthians 12:710

Problems and troubles are also

often tools by which God fashions

us for better things; they make us

stronger.

Job 23:10

Psalm 139:2324

Romans 5:34

2 Corinthians 4:1617

1 Peter 5:10

No matter how great the problemsthe Lord promises us power to

overcome them.

Deuteronomy 33:25b

2 Chronicles 32:8a

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 41:10

It is faith that overcomes problems

Matthew 17:20b

Mark 9:23

Mark 11:23

1 John 5:4

With Gods help, no problem is

insurmountable.

Job 42:2a

Mark 10:27

Luke 1:37

Luke 18:27

1 Corinthians 15:57

2 Corinthians 2:14a

Philippians 4:13

FEEDING READING


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TODAYSNEWSHEADLINESOUGH

TO READ JESUS IS COMING!BECAUSETHATSTH EREALSTORY

BEHINDWHAT SHAPPENING. Wars

famines, pestilences, earthquakdistress of nationsanddramatic increases in technologand scientific knowledge areall among the signs that OldTestament prophets and JesusHimself said would herald Hisreturn (Matthew 24:312; Danie12:4; Luke 21:25).

One of the next world-changinevents that we can expect is aneconomic crash far worse than Great Depression of the 1930sYou can hear the first rumblings

the news all the time.The total federal U.S. debt is

quickly approaching $8 trillion. I1981, when the federal debt firs

topped $1 trillion, then PresidenRonald Reagan declared that suincomprehensible and likenedit to a stack of $1,000 bills 67miles high. Today the stack woube over 500 miles high. To finanits current account deficit with trest of the world, the U.S. has toimport or borrow about $2.6 billevery working day.

More and more economists a

saying that an economic crash iinevitable. Stephen Roach, chieeconomist at the internationalinvestment firm Morgan Stanleyhas long warned that Americasincreasing reliance on foreignlending puts it at risk of a majoreconomic crisis. A sudden dropin the value of the dollar could

ENDTIME INSIGHTS

More on the Coming Economic Crash

MOREANDMORE

ECONOMISTSARESAYING

THATANECONOMICCRASH

ISINEVITABLE.

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trigger, among other things, a

stock market crash, a plunge inthe real estate market, a deeprecession, or all of the above.

The funding of America is anaccident waiting to happen,Roach wrote in a report. TheInternational Monetary Fundwarned that the colossalU.S. trade deficit was like anoose around the neck of theeconomy, emphasizing that theonce-mighty dollar could collapseat any moment. Alan Greenspan,head of the U.S. Federal ReserveBoard, has warned that thedeficit in U.S. trade with the restof the world cant be sustained

indefinitely.The U.S. cant go on living on

borrowed money forever, saying,I sit a queen, and shall see no

sorrow (Revelation 18:7). Aseconomist Paul Krugman put it,Things that cant go on forever,dont. Americas financialpreeminence is based on thedollars role as reserve currency,a role threatened by the dollarslong downward slide in value asthe result of trade and budgetdeficits. The dollars 30 percenttumble over the past few years

has stirred concern about apotential dollar rout that coulddestabilize the global economy.

This is much more seriousthan a simple decline in thevalue of the dollar. Any decisionby Asian central banks to movesignificant parts of their foreignexchange reserves out of the

dollar and into the euro or other

currencies in order to protectthemselves from dollar deprecia-tion will likely produce a melt-

down of the American economy.Already reports indicate that two-thirds of the worlds 65 centralbanks have begun to move fromdollars to euros. A falling dollaralso causes global investors toget nervous. After all, who wantsto be stuck with investments ina currency worth less and less?If major global investors startpulling out of dollars, there couldbe a run on the dollar. Accord-ingly, most economists agreethat a severe economic downturn

in the United States would dragthe rest of the world down with it.Economist Josh Bivens says, Ifa country as big as the U.S. gets

sick, everybodys gonna get sick.Another problem is that if

the major oil producers convertfrom the dollar to the euro asthe currency of payment, theAmerican economy will sinkalmost overnight. If oil is tradedin euros, then central banksaround the world would becompelled to follow and Americawill be required to pay off its

enormous $8 trillion debt. That,of course, would be doomsdayfor the American economy, andthe economies of other nationswould fall like dominos.

When the crash happens, itcould be the ideal opportunityfor the coming Antichrist worldgovernment to take power.

The world will be in such dire

financial straits that they willwelcome the Antichrist rule anhail him as a hero, since he wi

cunningly persuade the nationto cooperate with his plan forsolving the economic situation(Daniel 11:21,24).

Eventually the worlds prese

cash-based economic system

will be replaced by the mark o

the Beast economic system,

under which no one will be able

to buy or sell unless they recei

the enigmatic mark of the Beas

in their forehead or right hand

(Revelation 13:1617). This wi

be made mandatory halfway

through the Antichrists seven-

year reign (Daniel 9:27; 11:31

Matthew 24:15,21). Then, afte

the next three and a half years

under the Antichrists oppressrulea period known as the

Great TribulationJesus will

come on the clouds of heaven

with power and great glory to

rescue His own out of this wor

(Matthew 24:2931; Revelatio

1:7), and return a short while

later with His army of saints to

destroy the Antichrist and his

evil forces in the great Battle o

Armageddon (Revelation 16:12

16; 19:1121). Jesus will then

set up His kingdom on Earth,

and there will be truth, love, joy

peace, and plenty for all in a

world without money and witho

marks (Daniel 7:18; Revelation

20:6; Isaiah 2:4; 11:69; 14:7

Habakkuk 2:14).

BY JOSEPH CANDE


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PRAISEWHY

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

PRAISEWHY

Positiveness lifts your spirit. Its a law of both the natural and spiritual

realms that when you dwell on the good, then good surrounds you. Whenyou think positive thoughts, speak positive things, and take positiveaction, you feel better and things generally work out better. Praising Meaccelerates that positive cycle because it not only helps you to think on thegood, but it moves you out of the physical realm with all of its limitationsinto the spiritual realm, where all things are possible.

Praise brings you closer to Me. When you praise Me, it opens andstrengthens our connection. That enables Me to speak to you more clearlyso I can help put things in perspective. Praise puts you on My wavelength,receiving My vibes. It opens a channel in the spirit through which I canpour out My blessings upon you.

Praising Me reminds you that only I am capable of solving yourproblems. It also tells Me that youre trusting Me and My power to bringvictory. Your praises prove to Me that youre depending on Me, thatyoure letting go of your own works and depending on My power to workthe needed miracle.

Praise activates your faith. It pleases Me and moves Me to answer your

prayers, but it also encourages you and causes you to see beyond yourrequest and present circumstances, to focus instead on the fulfillment.

Praise brings so much of My Spirit and so many of the fruits of My

Spirit into your life, particularly the gifts of faith and positiveness, andthose put you in line for healing, good health, and miracles of all sorts.

Focus on the good, no matter how bad the situation seems to be. PraiseMe for all the wonderful things I have done for you in the past. Praise Mefor the good that you can imagine Me accomplishing through this. Onceyou start praising Me more, youll realize how much there is to praise Mefor. Praise will turn your times of trouble into times of triumph.

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Activated November 2005