She won't speak my love language!

The Question

What do you do when a spouse refuses to speak your love language even when they know it?

The Answer

"We both read The 5 Love Languages, took the profile, and discussed our primary love languages with each other. That was two months ago. My wife knows that my love language is Words of Affirmation. Yet, in two months, I have yet to hear her say anything positive. Her love language is Acts of Service. I have started doing several things she has asked me to do around the house. I think she appreciates what I am doing, but she never tells me."

Let me begin by saying that we cannot make our spouse speak our love language. Love is a choice. We can request love, but we cannot demand love. Having said that, let me suggest some reasons why your wife may not be speaking your love language. She may have grown up in a home where she received few positive words. Her parents were perhaps very critical of her. Thus, she did not have a positive role model of speaking Words of Affirmation. Such words may be very difficult for her to speak. It will require effort on her part and patience on your part as she learns to speak a language that is foreign to her.

More of Him

When Christ is great–our fears are not!  A big God translates into big courage.  A small view of God generates no courage.  A limp, puny, fireless Jesus has no power over cancer cells, corruption, identity theft, stock-market crashes, or global calamity.

A packageable, portable Jesus might fit well in a purse or on a shelf, but he does nothing for your fears.  In the book Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, the character Lucy sees Aslan, the lion, for the first time in many years.  He’s changed.

“Aslan,” she says, “you’re bigger.”

“That’s because you are older, little one,” he answers.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not.  But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

And so it is with Christ.  The longer we live in him, the greater he becomes in us.  It’s not that he changes, but that we do.  We see more of him!

Taken from: Fearless

Courage Through Community

Questions can make hermits out of us, driving us into hiding.  But Christ distributes courage through community; He dissipates doubts through fellowship.  He distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many.  When we mix, mingle, confess and pray–Christ speaks!

When we brush up against the church, we do just that.  Paul said, “The church is his body; it’s made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

The adhesiveness of the disciples instructs us.  They stuck together.  Even with ransacked hopes, they clustered in conversant community.  Isn’t this a picture of the church–sharing stories, exchanging ideas, mulling over possibilities, lifting spirits?  And as they did, it says in Matthew 18:20 that Jesus showed up to teach them, proving, “when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

Taken from: Fearless

Raising Children: Donna and Ray Reish

Goodness and Mercy

God treats you the way one mother treated her young son, Timmy.  She didn’t like the idea of his walking to school alone.  But he was too grown-up to be seen with his mother.  She did her best to stay calm, quoting the 23rd Psalm to him every morning:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

One day she asked a neighbor who walked with her daughter to follow Timmy to school, but to stay at a distance.  After several days Timmy’s little friend said, “Do you know that woman who follows us to school?  “Sure,” Timmy answered.  “That’s Shirley Goodnest and her daughter, Marcy.”  My mom reads about them every day in the 23rd Psalm  She says they will follow me all the days of my life.  So, I guess I better get used to them!

You will too.  God never sends you out alone!

Taken from: Fearless

Sexual Fulfillment Starts Here

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question
In your book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married, you discuss that sexual fulfillment is not automatic. What do you recommend for couples who are trying to figure out how to have a fulfilling sex life?

The Answer
First of all, that they need to be honest with each other about their past history sexually before they get married. I continue to run into couples that have been married two to three years and then they find out that the person they married had been sexually active with a number of other people before they came to them, but they never shared that or they shared part of their history but not all of their history. The person feels deceived, and it's difficult to deal with after you're married.

So, what I'm saying to singles: when you get serious about thinking about marriage, it's time for you to share your histories with each other. For example, if you were sexually abused as a child or teenager, that needs to be shared, because if you have not dealt with that sufficiently, when you bring that into marriage, it's going to distort everything else about your sexual relationship. And if you've been sexually active with others, that needs to be shared. Now, sometimes singles will say, "Well if I really tell the truth, then they're going to walk away and leave me, and I don't want to lose them." It's far better to tell them beforehand and let them walk away than to be married three years and they found out and then they walk away. Much better to deal with it before you get married.
 

Sunday Sermon - 27-May-2012 - Ps. Malcolm Dennis

Speaker: Pastor Malcolm Dennis
Full Gospel Assembly KL

http://www.mediafire.com/?3bbdhmwe414nzwt

Men: What Not to Say to Your Wife

Samuel Rainey

I grew up with 4 sisters and prided myself on my ability to speak respectfully to women. I wasn’t a “player,” but knew how to observe and understand women better than most of my peers. I had a lot of friends of the opposite sex and always felt like I related better with them than I did guys. So it was with great pride that I entered my marriage and knew that I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes I’d heard horror stories about my other friends making. But, I’m still a guy, and I’m still from a different planet than my wife. To my surprise these words came out of my mouth:

That’s not how my mom makes it.”

I had just come home from work and sat down for dinner. After taking a bite of corn bread, I was confused. I hadn’t had cornbread like this before, and this was a meal that my mom used to make for my family all the time. Why was this cornbread different? Surely my wife had my mom’s recipe, or did she? The confusion was too much to hold inside, and thus I stuck my foot in my mouth.

Oops.

It was a harmless comment, or so I thought. We can joke about it now but at the time I remember it hurting Stephanie’s feelings quite deeply as she was trying her hardest to be “the best wife” by cooking this meal. In our early days of marriage we struggled with our roles as husband and wife, and this comment only helped to cement that I really didn’t understand how hard it was for her as a wife. I’m sure I tried to justify my comment, or blame it on stupidity, but in the end the damage was done.

The Four Signs of Marriage Apocalypse

from HERE

There is a lot of talk these days about December 21, 2012—the date the Mayan calendar ends and what that might mean for those of us on planet Earth. Some are speculating that the world will end. Some feel life will go on. The whole “scare” brings to mind the paranoia that surrounded Y2K. Many were stocking supplies: gas, generators, log cabins, canned goods, tents, guns, hunting materials, and the like. I personally jumped on board and bought an extra gallon of water which began and ended my disaster prep. Guess I’m not one to fear the worst. Regardless, watching how people react to news of doom and gloom intrigues (and entertains) me to no end.
 

How would you react if you learned of news that, with some high degree of accuracy, predicted the end of your marriage? Would you take precautions? Would you go on as usual? Would you care? The answer to these questions might give you a confirming or perhaps an uneasy glimpse into how much you value your commitment to your spouse. Most of us aren’t going to look to the Mayans to find out if our marriage will end, but there are a few indicators that D-Day might eventually come to our shores.

Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Fruit and the Evidence of True Pentecost

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Pentecost’s power is more than wind, fire and supernatural hoopla. Without love it is just noise.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Pentecostal”?

A. · · A woman with a beehive hairdo, support hose, Granny shoes and no makeup?

B. · · Someone rolling on the floor while speaking in tongues uncontrollably?

C. · · A slick-haired televangelist in a white suit who begs for donations?

D. · · A sour-faced Christian who looks like he just sucked all the juice out of a lemon?

E.  · · A sincere Christian who passionately loves God and people and believes in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit? 

I wish we all could answer E., but we Pentecostals have an image problem. I’m not ashamed of the word itself, but I don’t use it as a label because the bad stereotypes (A., B., C. and D.) have just about ruined it for the rest of us. Many people associate Pentecostals with dry legalism, fanaticism, charlatanism and downright hatefulness.

“Unselfish love, generosity, brotherly affection and sincere kindness is just as much a manifestation of the Spirit as healing or miracles. In fact, powerful signs and wonders are more likely to happen in an atmosphere that is bathed in Holy Ghost love.”

One friend of mine says it this way: “Some of the meanest people I know speak in tongues.”

Learning to Love: Ron and Judy Kessinger

Sunday Sermon - 20-May-2012 - Dr. Sandra Nair

Speaker: Dr. Sandra Nair
Eagles Height Network

http://www.mediafire.com/?xv99ubwhu6ic1uo

Lord, Send the Wind of a Fresh Pentecost!

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

In the days leading up to the Global Day of Prayer, let’s bombard heaven on behalf of the United States.

Twelve years ago a South African businessman, Graham Power, felt God nudge him to organize a prayer gathering in the city of Cape Town. About 45,000 Christians responded to the call by jamming into a rugby stadium in March 2001 to intercede for their nation.

That was the beginning of the Global Day of Prayer, an event that will likely involve millions of Christians in 220 nations on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. This year organizers are encouraging people to extend their prayers for 10 days prior to the event, beginning on May 17. They are also urging pastors to fuel the prayer with sermons about the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s power.

“One breath of the Holy Spirit can bring life to dry bones! Lord, send the refreshing wind of Your presence into lifeless congregations.”

It’s obvious the Holy Spirit is orchestrating this grass roots movement, and I hope you will join it, either by attending local gatherings during the next 10 days or by focusing your personal prayers on the need for a fresh Pentecost. I believe we are on the verge of a new season of spiritual awakening, and the concentration of prayer this month is a key to unlock it.

During these next 10 days I will be meditating on the first chapters of the book of Acts and praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the United States. If you’d like to join me, you can use the following prayer points as a guide:

It's not really over.

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question

Today, divorce is a highly accepted and common solution to marital difficulty. Why should someone go through the hard work of fixing a broken or unsatisfying marriage, when divorce is so easy - even encouraged - in our culture?

The Answer

The difficulty is that divorce is not a solution. Divorce creates a lot of other problems. People feel like, "I'm so miserable in this marriage. I'm going to divorce. I'm going to find a new life. Things are going to be better for me." Well, that just simply doesn't happen for most people. Divorce may get you out of the pressure-cooker of a difficult marriage, and it may allow you to breathe deeply for a bit, and you may feel more relaxed when you get out from under that pressure, but divorce creates another whole set of problems.

The reality is that when you divorce someone, that person doesn't cease to exist. They are ex-spouses now. They're still spouses, and they're still in your life, especially if you have children. That means you're going to encounter them from time to time. It means all the special events of life, such as marriage, graduation from high school and college, and all those kinds of things, you are going to be face-to-face with your ex-spouse. And yes, some people learn to navigate that fairly decently. For others, it's just a pain in the neck the rest of their life.

Second Chances: Tom and Kim Higgs

Published on 18 May 2012 by drgarychapman
For more information about The 5 Love Languages or the work of Dr. Gary Chapman, visit www.5lovelanguages.com.

Our Daily Bread: A Woman of Influence

READ: Proverbs 31:10-31

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. —Proverbs 31:27

During the early years of the Protestant Reformation in Europe, Katharina Von Bora, a former nun, married Martin Luther (1525). By all accounts, the two had a joyous married life. Luther said, “There is no bond on earth so sweet, nor any separation so bitter, as that which occurs in a good marriage.

Because Katharina rose at 4 a.m. to care for her responsibilities, Luther referred to her as the “morning star of Wittenberg.” She was industrious in tending the vegetable garden and orchard. Also, she administered the family business and managed the Luthers’ home and property. In time, the couple had six children for whom Katharina felt the home was a school of character development. Her energetic industry and care for the family made her a woman of influence.

Katharina seems to have been a woman like the one described in Proverbs 31. She was indeed a virtuous wife who awoke “while it [was] yet night” and provided “food for her household” (v.15). She also watched “over the ways of her household, and [did] not eat the bread of idleness” (v.27).

From role models like Katharina, we can learn about the love, diligence, and fear of the Lord that’s needed to be a woman of influence. —Dennis Fisher

Lord, thank You for the influence our mothers and wives have had on us. We too want to touch the lives of others, to point them to You. We know we need Your Spirit’s power to do that. Fill us and use us, we pray.

Good mothers not only tell us how to live— they show us.

Sunday Sermon - 13-May-2012 - Sis. Gigi Lim

Speaker: Sis. Gigi Lim

http://www.mediafire.com/?v131cowvujdfsr1

Mother's Day - Pastor Mark Gungor

Pastor Mark Gungor preaches a message to our Sunday morning services.
 Download MP3 of Mother's Day: http://media.celebrationchurch.tv/audio/2011/sun/5_8_11.mp3

What About Me?

by Dr. Gary Chapman

The Question

Human nature is very self-oriented, especially in today's culture. How do couples combat that selfish tendency in their marriage in order to meet the needs of their spouse?

The Answer 

It doesn't come naturally because by nature we are self-centered. We are egocentric. That's not all bad. Because we are egocentric we feed ourselves, we get rest, and we get exercise. We take care of ourselves. That's good. But when that self-centeredness becomes selfishness, so that we view everything through the lens of what am I getting out of this? then we start thinking, "They're not treating me fairly. They're not doing what they should be doing for me. I'm not getting out of this marriage what I should be getting out of this marriage." Everything is focused around us and what we're getting. When you have two people who are focusing like that on self, and then they start not only requesting things, they start demanding things of each other, they're on a downward spiral from that point on.

So, I think this whole thing of selfishness is a malady that all of us have, and we have to learn to love. Love is the opposite of selfishness. Love has the attitude, "I'm married to you, how can I help you? How can I make your life easier? How can I be a better husband to you?" Love is reaching out to benefit the other person. And when you get two people loving, you have what marriage was designed to be: a supportive, encouraging relationship.

From my perspective there is a spiritual element to this. The Scriptures say, "We love God because God first loved us." Well, somebody's got to start the process of loving rather than being selfish. Another biblical perspective is that the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit; that we allow God, as it were, to love through us. "It doesn't have to be my feelings and how I am feeling about them, but I know God loves them, so I give myself to God to be an agent of loving them, expressing His love." To me, that spiritual dimension helps people break free from selfishness.

Continue the conversation: Share your questions, thoughts insights, or comments by joining the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/5lovelanguages

No Child Ever Leaves God’s Sight

by Max Lucado

We taught our kids the Bible, but they have left God. What happened? We thought if we trained them in God’s Word, they would not depart from him. Isn’t that what the Bible says?

Train up a child in the way he should go, -And when he is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6 NKJV)

Be careful with this verse. Don’t interpret it to mean “If I put my kids on the right path, they’ll never leave it. If I fill them full of Scripture and Bible lessons and sermons, they may rebel, but they’ll eventually return.”

The proverb makes no such promise. Salvation is a work of God. Godly parents can prepare the soil and sow the seed, but God gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). Moms and dads soften hearts but can’t control them.

Show them the path? Yes.

Force them to take it? No. 

At moments in my own life I stood at the crossroads of the path and even took a few steps down the wrong one. One thing always brought me back—that inner compass shown to me by my Christ-loving parents.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 6

I said to him, "Do you mean an angel can be held in captivity by demonic forces?" This man did not even know the scriptures by the time he was saying all this. He did not know very many scriptures. He was just sharing his experiences. And he said, they wouldn't hold the angel too long because as other Christians prayed elsewhere, reinforcement would come, and the angels would go free. If the Christian responsible did not pray through, he remains a captive. Then the enemy sends his own angel as an angel of light to this person, and that is where the deceptions come in. False visions and false prophecies. False leadership, I mean leading, guidance in the spirit, making wrong decisions of all types. And many times this person is open to all kinds of attack and bondages.

And I asked the Lord. I left that dinner so troubled, so troubled. I said, "Lord, I don't want even to try and believe this." It removes all my confidence, my security. When I went to seek the Lord, it was ten days, the Lord did two things. He did not only confirm the things I had heard, he opened my mind to see a lot more that this man could not tell us of what happens in the spiritual realm. And two, he led me to see what we are supposed to do as the things are happening so that we are not overcome but that we can overcome. And we need to know three things and really come to terms with these three things.

It’s NOT Just a Bunny

by Mark Gungor

Most people don’t understand the power of sex. Our culture has poisoned their thinking and they’ve bought the lie that sex is just something you do because it’s exciting and feels good. Most people are totally unaware of the consequences of being sexually involved with another person.

In previous blog posts, I wrote about the power of “sexual imprinting” and how “sex can make you stupid”. But as I keep hearing more and more stories of couples who are having troubles when it comes to their sex lives, I’m convinced that we are clueless about the ramifications of sex done the wrong way instead of the right way—God’s way. We have to start connecting the dots, folks. How you behave sexually outside of marriage has an impact on sex inside your marriage. It’s an important message that we must get out to our Christian young people.

Dr. Kenneth Ryan has written a great book titled, Finding Your Prince in a Sea of Toads. I highly recommend it for all single women and for parents of teenage girls. The book explains how to date the right way in order to “find a quality guy without getting your heart shredded”. A large portion of it is dedicated to telling young women how handle themselves when it comes to sex and the importance of doing it right prior to marriage.

Discipleship Is Not a Dirty Word

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

Reclaiming the process of discipleship will require a total overhaul of how we do church.

I get funny looks from some charismatic Christians when I tell them I believe God is calling us back to radical discipleship. Those in the over-50 crowd—people who lived through the charismatic movement of the 1970s—are likely to have a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to the dreaded “D word.”

That’s because the so-called Discipleship Movement (also known as the Shepherding Movement) turned a vital biblical principle into a weapon and abused people with it. Churches that embraced the warped doctrines of shepherding required believers to get permission from their pastors before they bought cars, got pregnant or moved to a new city. Immature leaders became dictators, church members became their loyal minions, and the Holy Spirit’s fire was snuffed out because of a pervasive spirit of control.

"Reclaiming this process of discipleship is going to require a total overhaul of how we do church. Do we really want to produce mature disciples who have the character of Jesus and are able to do His works? Or are we content with shallow believers and shallow faith?”

I don’t ever want to live through that again. I know countless people who are still licking their wounds from the spiritual abuse they suffered while attending hyper-controlling churches in the 1970s and ‘80s. Some of them still cannot trust a pastor today; others walked away from God because leaders misused their authority—all in the name of “discipleship.”

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 5

Beloved, I don't know whether to go deeper because I do not want to start something I cannot finish. Let me just try to take one step forward. And this man said that when prayer breaks through like that, the answer will always come. He said he does not know a case where prayer broke through and the answer did not come. He said the answer always came, but in most cases, it would never get to the person who asked. Why? Battle in the heavenlies. He says as long as they succeed in cutting off the open heavens and the rock is restored, they watch this person, they are waiting because they know the answer is definitely coming.

And then this man spoke something that really shook my faith. It is because of the next part he shared that I went into fasting ten days to say, Lord, is this true? Can you prove it to me? This man said that every Christian has got an angel serving that Christian. Now we know the Bible says angels are ministering spirits to us. He said that when people pray, the answer comes in the hands of the angel. The angel brings the answer like we can read it in the book of Daniel. Then he said something really tough; if the one who prays knows the spiritual armors and is clothed with them, the answer comes by an angel who is also clothed in full armor.

If the one who prays doesn't care about spiritual armory, their angels come without spiritual armor. Christians who don't care about what kind of thoughts come into their minds. They don't fight the battle of their minds. Their angels come without the helmet. Whatever spiritual weapon you ignore on earth, the angel doesn't have it as he serves you. In other words, our spiritual armor is not protecting our physical bodies; it's protecting our spiritual exploits.

I Said I Was Sorry

by Mark Gungor

In my Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage seminar I explain in detail how a man’s brain tends to compartmentalize things. It’s like men have separate boxes in their heads for everything: money, sex, kids, wife, in-laws, etc. And for a guy these boxes don’t touch. He thinks about one thing at a time and then moves on to the next thing since one box isn’t connected to another.

Then I go on to explain how a woman’s brain is like a big ball of wire where everything is connected to everything and there is no compartmentalizing at all. Money can be connected to the in-laws and sex can be connected to the kids. Things can run together very easily in a woman’s brain.

These two very opposite ways of thinking and processing cause men and women to communicate in very different ways. There is one area this is particularly evident and often problematic–the apology. Because men have this unique ability to compartmentalize, a guy can go to his “apology box”, say he’s sorry for something he did, close that box and then move on to the next task or thing to think about. In his mind he took care of it, he said he was sorry, it’s done and life goes on.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 4

You can imagine we were all seated looking at this man. He was telling us the things he used to do and what he used to see. Then he told us what they would do to people who have broken through in prayer. He said they marked such people; they studied such people. They dug up everything they could find about such people. So they knew their weaknesses, and when someone overcomes them in prayer and breaks through, they communicate with other spirits and say, "Target him with this and with this and with this. These are his weaknesses."

So when this person walks out of the prayer closet, the spirit of prayer is upon him, the presence is upon him, his spirits are high, the joy of the Lord is his strength. As he moves the enemy tries to bring those things that can distract him from focusing on the Lord.

If his weakness is in the area of temper, then the enemy is going to cause people to do things which can make him really angry. And if he is not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he allows himself to go into the temper, he takes his eyes off the Lord. He gets angry, he feels so furious, and after a few minutes later, he wants to put that behind him and move along in the joy of the Lord, but he doesn't feel it anymore. He tries to feel good again; he doesn't feel any good again. Why? As he yielded to the temptation, they worked hard to close the door upstairs. And once they restore the rock, the presence is cut off. The person does not cease being a child of God. But that extra anointing that goes on his life, that presence that could do things without his manipulating anything, it's just cut off. They seek out where the weaknesses are.

Sunday Sermon - 6-May-2012 - Bro. Philip Yeoh

Speaker: Bro. Philip Yeoh
Evangelist, Full Gospel Assembly USJ

http://www.mediafire.com/?hgdm1jb8b8dhvxp

Dealing Effectively With Anger

by Dr. Gary Chapman

Communicate
Let's begin by admitting that all of us experience anger. Your spouse treats you unfairly, or they fail to do something that you expected them to do, so you feel angry. In a healthy marriage, the couple has an agreement: that when you feel angry, I want you to tell me. I can't help you with your anger until I know what you are angry about.

And yet, this is a new idea for many people. One wife said, "You mean I'm supposed to tell my husband that I am angry that he washed his car and did not wash mine." That's right I said, unless you want to have a dirty car the rest of your life. Sharing your anger is the only way to process your anger in a positive way.

Take a Break
When you are angry with someone it means that, in your mind, they have wronged you. When someone has wronged you, the emotion of anger pushes you to fight back. But fighting back almost always makes the situation worse. One fundamental principle in anger management is to make a covenant with yourself, that you will not attack another person when you are angry.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 3

Other kinds of distractions come your way, even if it means touching your body and bringing some pain somewhere. Even if it means making you hungry and you want to go to the kitchen and fix something to eat. As long as they can get you out of that place, they have defeated you. And he will say to the pastors, "Teach people. Set aside some time. Not for just some casual kind of praying. They can do that the rest of the day. Once in a day, they should have a time when they are focusing wholeheartedly on God, nothing distracting them.

And if people persist in this kind of prayer and allow themselves to be inspired in the spirit and keep going and keep going, something happens in the spirit. The fire touches that rock, and it melts. And this man said, when the melting begins, it is so hot, no demon spirit can stand it. No human spirit can stand it. They all flee. They all run away.

There comes an opening in the spiritual realm. And as soon as this comes, all this trouble in prayer stops. The person who is praying on the ground just feels like prayer is suddenly so smooth, so enjoyable, so powerful and intense. And I've discovered at that moment, we normally lose conscience of time and other things. Not that we become disorderly. God takes care of our time. But it is like you lay down everything, and you hook up with God. And this man said that when the prayers go through, from that moment there can be no resistance at all, and the person praying will continue as long as he wants. There is no resistance that can stop him.

Let's Major in God

by Max Lucado

David just showed up this morning. He clocked out of sheep watching to deliver bread and cheese to his brothers on the battle-front. That’s where David hears Goliath defying God,. . . .

Read the first words he spoke, not just in the battle, but in the Bible: “David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’” (1 Sam. 17:26 niv).

David shows up discussing God. The soldiers mentioned nothing about him, the brothers never spoke his name, but David takes one step onto the stage and raises the subject of the living God. . . .

No one else discusses God. David discusses no one else but God. . . .

David sees what others don’t and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David’s, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk. . . . The people know his taunts, demands, size, and strut. They have majored in Goliath.

David majors in God. He sees the giant, mind you; he just sees God more so. Look carefully at David’s battle cry: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Sam. 17:45)

— originally printed in Facing Your Giants

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 2

One night, I (John Mulinde) went to a dinner. The sole reason I went is that someone told me about this young man, and I was so curious to see him, and see if his story was true. So I sat at that dinner and in the evening, this man was given the chance to give his testimony. He talked about so many things. Sometimes he cried because of the things he did. As he finished, he made an appeal.

There were many pastors in that room. And he said, "I appeal to you, pastors. Please teach the people how to pray." The people who don't pray, can be taken in anything, in anything by the devil, and there are ways that the enemy exploits their lives and their prayers. The enemy knows even how to exploit their prayers of those people who don't know how to pray. "Teach the people how to use the spiritual armor that God provides."

Then he shared how he lead expositions into the air. He would go with other satanic agents and lots of demon spirits into the air. It was like a shift, you've got to go and work your shift. So regularly he had a time he had to go and wage war in the heavenlies. And he said that in the heavenlies, in the spiritual realm, if the land is covered under the blanket of darkness, that blanket is so thick, it is like a rock. And it covers the whole area. And these spirits are able to go on top of this as well as below this blanket. And from that level, they influence the events on earth.

When the evil spirits and human satanic agents leave their shifts, they go down on earth at the points of covenant, even waters or on the land at the points of covenant for refreshing of their spirit. And how do they refresh their spirit? By the sacrifices that people give at these altars.

New Wine, Old Wineskins and the Fear of Change

J. Lee Grady Newsletters - Fire In My Bones

The Lord wants to unleash a gushing river of new wine into the church today, but we must leave some things behind.

A woman from Orlando, Fla., was in the news last month because she decided to retire from driving her 1964 Mercury Comet. Rachel Veitch, who is 93, bought the car new for $3,300 when gasoline cost 29 cents a gallon. Today the light yellow car, which Veitch calls “Chariot,” has 567,000 miles on it.

That’s great news for Veitch—who will probably get $44,000 for the antique car because she took such good care of it. But whoever buys it will either store it in a fancy garage or display it at an auto show. There are not too many miles left on this relic of the past.

“We cannot rely on church growth gurus, popular books or rock-star preachers to lead us into genuine innovation. Copying spiritual trends is just a form of carnality.”

Cars have a life expectancy. Most 1964 Mercury Comets have long been doomed to the junkyard. Engines die, carburetors rust and models go out of style, so we trade them in for newer vehicles. In our fast-paced world, Apple debuts a new iPhone every few years and the most popular apps have almost monthly updates. We’ve come to expect frequent upgrades.

Yet for those of us involved in ministry, we tend to think the church needs no remodeling or renovation. We expect congregations to hum along perpetually for years and years, thinking the world will want to pile into our 1964 yellow Mercury Comet and enjoy the retro ride. But that is a faulty assumption.

Article: How Satan Stops Our Prayers - 1

Author Unknown

I want to share with you from a testimony of someone who was saved, someone who had been serving the devil. And when that man gave his testimony, it so challenged me, I did not want to believe it. I had to go ten days before the Lord in fasting, asking Him, "Lord, is this true?" And it was at that time the Lord began to teach me what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray.

This man was born after his parents dedicated themselves to lucifer. When he was still in the womb, they made so many rituals dedicating him to serve lucifer. When he was four years old, he began to exercise his spiritual power. And his parents began fearing him. When he was six years, his father surrendered him to the witches to go and be trained. And by ten years, he was doing great things in the kingdom of the devil. He was feared by the normal witches.

He was still a young boy, but he was so terrible in the things he did. He grew up to be a young man in his twenties with so much bloodshed on his hands. Killed at will. He had the ability to go out of his body through transcendental meditation. And he could levitate. Sometimes his body would lift off the ground and stay in the air. And sometimes he could go into a trance, and come out of his body; his body would remain behind, and he would go out into the world, this is called astro-travelling. And this guy was used by satan to destroy so many churches, to break down so many churches and to destroy so many pastors.