"And you are My friends if you obey Me. I no longer call you slaves, for a master doesn't confide in slaves; now you are My friends, proved by the fact that I have told you everything the Father told Me" (John 15:14,15).

How many really close friends do you have? Not many, I think you will agree, for a close friend is one in whom you confide regularly. who knows you just as you are and loves you just the same.

So it is with our heavenly Friend, the one who "sticks closer than a brother." And how do we earn the right to become that kind of intimate friend? Simply by obeying His commands, "which are not grievous," but really are necessary to keep us in the straight and narrow path and to give us a happy, blessed life.

In a sense, of course, we are still His bondslaves, His servants, but He deigns to call us His friends if we love Him enough to obey His commands. And He proves His friendship by sharing with us all that the Father has shared with Him. What greater friend could we have?

Jesus not only called His disciples friends, but He also treated them as friends. He opened His mind to them, made known His plans and acquainted them with the plan of His coming. His death, His resurrection and ascension. He followed this proof of His friendship with the actual title of friend.

Oh, that you and I might see Him today truly as our friend - one who sticks closer than a brother or sister or mother or father.

As I take inventory of my real friends today, I will especially include the one Friend above all friends, the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of the supernatural life which God has commanded me to live.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 11:30 AM CDT

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"He...comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us" (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).

For two years, Annette had suffered through the agony of her beloved husband's terminal cancer. Meanwhile, their only son had been drawn into drug addiction through the influence of an undesirable group of students in the local high school. She was devastated. Her whole life was filled with heartache and sorrow. She had nothing to live for. Then a neighbor told her of Jesus - how He could give her peace of heart and peace of mind and could provide the purpose she needed in her life. He could even change her son.

So Annette received the wonderful gift of God's love, the Lord Jesus Christ, and began to pray for her son. At first he was antagonistic, but gradually he became aware of the dramatic transformation in his mother, and in answer to her prayers, along with those of her new-found friends in the local church, he too came to worship the Savior and make Him Lord of his life.

In the meantime, Annette was suffering great financial difficulty because of the huge doctor and hospital bills and her lack of ability to work during her husband's illness. But God wonderfully comforted and strengthened her so that now she can witness joyfully of His gracious mercy and faithfulness in her behalf. She and her son are ministering effectively to others who are experiencing heartache and tragedy similar to those which once plagued them.

Are you experiencing difficulties, sorrows, heartaches, disappointments? Ask the Lord to show you how to translate them into victories so that He can use you to be a blessing to those around you who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Knowing that God is faithful in His love and wisdom, I will trust the indwelling Holy Spirit for the power to accept the trial or adversity I face today, and will expect God to use it to comfort and help someone else through me.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:12 AM CDT

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"And don't you realize that you also will perish unless you leave your evil ways and turn to God?" (Luke 13:3).

Today I sought to share the love and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ with a taxi driver who reacted impatiently when I handed him a book which I had written, entitled "Jesus and the Intellectual." He flung it aside in contempt. I have seldom met anyone who appeared to be more angry and resentful of God than he was. I felt impressed to say to him what Jesus said to the Galileans, "It is a matter of life and death what you do with Jesus Christ. There is a heaven and there is a hell. God loves you and cares for you. He wants you to come to Him and receive the gift of His only begotten Son through whom you can have forgiveness, life abundant, and life eternal." From all appearances he could not have cared less.

That warning to the Galileans many years ago applies equally to the nations and individuals today. If one truth in the Word of God is made abundantly clear, it is this: REPENT or PERISH.

"It is because of this solemn fear of the Lord, which is ever present in our minds, that we work so hard to win others. God knows our hearts, that they are pure in this matter, and I hope that, deep within, you really know it too" (2 Corinthians 5:11).

As Christians we have the same awesome responsibility and great privilege to tell everyone who will listen about Christ. Most of us would take great risk to save the life of a drowning child or to snatch up a toddler from the path of an automobile. Yet, most everyone who is living today will be dead in 100 years or less, but all men will live in heaven or hell for eternity. How much more important it is to tell men and women who are perishing without Christ of the loving Savior who cares and who is waiting to forgive if only they will surrender their lives to Him!

We must warn them and if we do not know how, it behooves us to learn how to share our faith. One method of witnessing is the use of the Four Spiritual Laws booklet. Anyone is capable of sharing this booklet with others - if not vocally, at least by handing it to someone.

If you are hesitant to witness vocally why not begin distributing literature like the Four Spiritual Laws booklet?

I resolve with God's help, to begin to distribute Christian literature, especially the Word of God and materials that will help individuals to make definite commitments of their lives to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 11:50 AM CDT

Updated: Sunday, 30 September 2007 11:52 AM CDT

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"For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Many years ago, God clearly led me in the preparation, planning and production of a little booklet called the Four Spiritual Laws. Still widely used today, its volume of copies to date might well be second only to the Bible itself. More than a billion copies have been distributed and one can reasonably conclude that many millions have received Christ as a result of reading its message.

In something so succinct, it of course was impossible to include all of the appropriate Scriptures under each of the four laws. This verse for today, Romans 10:9, is one of those that might have been used with the Law Four, for it fits in well with the wording:

"We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives."

The three passages used (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8,9; Revelation 3:20) clearly direct the seeker after God. And of course this verse in Romans clearly confirms all that the other passages affirm.

Two conditions precede salvation, the apostle Paul is saying to the church in Rome: (1) "Tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord," and (2) "Believe in your own heart that God has raised Him from the dead." Simple, yet significant and meaningful, are these two preparatory steps.

As you share your faith with others today and in the days to come, recall with joy these two simple conditions that must be met.

"Dear Lord, I thank You with all of my heart for the simplicity of the gospel and, with the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will share this good news with all who will listen."

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:21 AM CDT

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"You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and then you will rejoice; and no one can rob you of that joy" (John 16:22).

Once you and I truly experience the joy of the Lord, no one can rob us of that joy!

That does not mean that we will never experience disappointment, sorrow or grief; but it does mean that deep down underneath it all is the joy that comes as a gift from God, the fruit of the Spirit. And that is the kind of joy that no one can take away.

Underneath the tears, the heartache, lies the calm, sweet peace that God gives to those who walk in faith and obedience. And that is a part of the joy that He promises.

Jesus' promise to see His disciples again, of course, refers to after the resurrection. "You will be so firmly persuaded that I have risen," He says to them, "and that I am the Messiah, that neither the threats nor the persecutions of men will ever be able to shake your faith, or produce doubt or unbelief and thus take away your joy."

Jesus' prediction, as we know, was remarkably fulfilled, for after He revealed Himself to them following the resurrection, not one of the apostles ever doubted for a moment that He has risen from the dead. No trial or persecution was able to shake their faith - so that their joy remained.

You and I have certainties of faith that are unshakable, and thus they produce joy - joy that will remain forever and ever.

I will remember to praise and thank God for the unshakable joy that He alone gives.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 8:30 AM CDT

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"God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more, so that there will not only be enough for your own needs, but plenty left over to give joyfully to others" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

One of the greatest discoveries that I have ever made in the Christian life is the law of sowing and reaping. Paul explains, beginning in his second letter to the Corinthians with the sixth verse of Chapter 9, "If you give little, you'll get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will harvest only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes" (2 Corinthians 9:6,7).

I have several friends and colleagues who have joined with me in claiming this marvelous promise of God and in every case the blessings are abundant. People with modest incomes are able not only to give large sums of money, but also enjoy a life-style that one could hardly expect even from individuals whose salaries were much more than theirs. It is a "loaves and fishes" kind of demonstration of God's faithfulness. You cannot outgive God. As someone put it, "I give to God by the spoonsful and He returns to me shovelsful."

Most believers have never discovered the joy and excitement of Christian stewardship. Always remember that God's graces are bestowed upon us, not that we may hoard them, but that we may pass them on to others.

The same principle of giving also applies to the giving of our time and our talent to the proclamation of the gospel. The more we give, the more we receive. Was God giving you an extra portion of love today, of joy, of patience, of encouragement, or peace? Pass it on. Has something happened to you? He may have given that extra supply for you to pass it on to others in need. By the same token, if your supply in any of these things is lacking, you need only ask. With your motivation of wanting to share with others, God will not delay in responding to your request.

In order to be a faithful steward of that which God has entrusted to me, I shall seek to share with others a generous portion of all that He gives to me, with special emphasis on the good news concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and the supernatural life which He gives.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 1:24 PM CDT

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"If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

On April 29, 1980, 500,000 men and women gathered on the Washington Mall to fast and pray and claim this promise of God.

For years, I have had a growing conviction in my heart that, because the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading and prayer in our schools is unconstitutional, our nation has turned more and more away from God - immorality has become the "new morality"; homosexuality has become the "alternative life-style"; drug addiction and alcoholism are no longer treated as evil; even violent criminals are being declared "not guilty by reason of insanity." The decaying of our society is evident on all sides.

One of the more alarming, documented facts is that the Soviet Union has been accelerating its production of armaments of war, including nuclear weapons. And through a massive move toward peace through disarmament and through neglect on the part of our leaders, we have allowed our military power to disintegrate to the point of vulnerability.

During the late 60's and 70's I genuinely believed that unless God supernaturally met with us and we repented as a nation and turned from our sin, the boast of Nikita S. Khrushchev, former head of the Soviet Union, "We will bury you!" could well come true. For this reason I agreed, along with Pat Robertson, founder and president of Christian Broadcasting Network, and John Gimenez, to cosponsor that great gathering on the Washington Mall.

As 500,000 people spent the day from early in the morning until late in the afternoon, praying, fasting and crying out to God, I sensed that God lifted my load. And, as I sat on the platform joining with my brothers and sisters from all over America, including millions who were joining us in prayer over radio and television, God lifted the burden that had been on my heart for at least fifteen years. he gave me the assurance that the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 would be fulfilled as a direct result of our gathering on that day.

Since that time, there has been no question in my mind but what God heard our prayers and laid the groundwork for a dramatic turnaround in our nation.

Claiming the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14, I will pray for God's supernatural release of blessing and power upon this nation, that we might experience a continuous revival from each individual in the smallest community of America to our leaders in the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House.

Bill Bright

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 8:30 AM CDT

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"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it and He will" (Psalm 37:5).

Janet remained after the student meeting for counsel.

"How can I commit everything I do to the Lord?" she inquired. "What is involved in a total commitment?"

I explained that mere words can be superficial and shallow, and even insulting to God. It is the commitment of our intellects, our emotions and our wills to do the will of God in every situation with the faith that we can, as promised, trust Him to help us do whatever He calls us to do.

Sometimes I wonder if we really know the meaning of the word commitment. Paraphrasing an anonymous source:

We sing "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and are content with five or ten minutes a day. We sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and wait to be drafted into His service. We sing "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" and don't use the one we have.

We sing "I Love to Tell the Story" but never witness to the love of Christ personally. We sing "We're Marching to Zion" but fail to march to worship or Sunday school. We sing "Cast Thy Burden on the Lord" and worry ourselves into a nervous breakdown.

We sing "The Whole Wide World for Jesus" and never invite our next-door neighbor to consider the claims of Christ. We sing "O Day of Rest and Gladness" and wear ourselves out traveling or cutting grass or playing golf on Sunday. We sing "Throw Out the Lifeline" and content ourselves with throwing out a fishing line.

Consistency is a wonderful word for the believer in Christ. Add to that the word commitment and you have a rare combination of supernatural enablements that result in a triumphant, fruitful life.

Today I will commit everything I do to the Lord and trust Him to help me do what He calls me to do. Since He has called me to be His witness, I will trust Him to enable me to share His love and forgiveness through Christ with someone else today.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 8:04 AM CDT

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"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3, KJV).

Recently my 93-year-old father went to be with the Lord. Though I was saddened to realize that I would never see him again in this life, and I shed a few tears of sorrow for myself, at the same time I rejoiced in the knowledge that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

My father is now rejoicing in the presence of our wonderful God and Savior. One day I shall join with him, my mother (who is still living at 93), all my brothers and sisters who have declared their faith in Christ, and multitudes of other loved ones, friends and saints to spend eternity in that place where "eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard...what God hath prepared for those who love Him."

"I cannot think what we shall find to do in heaven," mused Martin Luther. "No change, no work, no eating, no drinking, nothing to do."

"Yes," responded a friend, "'Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.'"

"Why, of course," said Luther, "that sight will give us quite enough to do!"

Joy of joys, you and I not only have been given purpose and power for living the supernatural, abundant life - by the indwelling Holy Spirit - but we have also been promised a place in His presence when this life is over. And, as Luther realized, we will then worship Him face to face throughout the endless ages of eternity.

We need not know exactly what heaven will be like; we need only know who will be there - our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That assurance and anticipation should motivate us to live the kind of supernatural life that burdens and concerns us about the needs of others, moment by moment, day by day.

Today I will meditate on the glory and beauty of my heavenly Father and my eternal home where I shall worship and have fellowship with my Lord throughout eternity. I will encourage loved ones, friends and strangers alike to prepare to go there also when their work on earth is done.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 12:26 PM CDT

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"But these are recorded so that you will believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in Him you will have life" (John 20:31).

What a message you and I have to share. That is why John wrote this entire Gospel, so that we, first of all, might believe, but then also that we might share the good news with all who will listen.

"These are recorded" - the miracles presented in this gospel - so that we might believe. The goal of the book is two-fold: (1) to prove that Jesus was (is) Messiah and (2) that all those who look at the proof might be convinced and thus find eternal life.

The miracles, facts, arguments, instructions and conversations - all are directed toward that end. John's goal (to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah), if kept steadily in view will throw much light on the book. The argument is unanswerable, framed after the strictest rules of reasoning, infinitely beyond the skill of man, and having throughout the cleared evidence of demonstration.

All Scripture is given to us for a purpose. The purpose of this particular passage is crystal clear; hence it demands some kind of response from those of us who truly believe. To know the truth is not enough. We must act on it, trusting the Lord of the harvest to make us sensitive and alert to the spiritual needs of those around us.

I will seek to be sensitive to the spiritual needs of all with whom I have contact.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:16 AM CDT

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"For He has set a day for justly judging the world by the man He has appointed, and has pointed Him out by bringing Him back to life again" (Acts 17:31).

Why does God command men and women to repent? And why does He expect you and me to relay His message to them? The answer is simple: because "He has set a day for justly judging the world." And if people refuse to be penitent and thus become pardoned, they must be condemned. "Justly," of course, can be interpreted: "according to the rules of strict justice." And who will do the judging? The man God has appointed - His only Son, Jesus Christ; the one He has pointed out to us clearly by bringing Him back to life again.

Jesus, you will remember, declared that He would judge the nations (John 5:25,26 and Matthew 25). God confirmed the truth of those declarations by raising Him from the dead - giving His sanction to what the Lord Jesus has said, for surely God would not work a miracle on behalf of an imposter.

What comfort and help can you and I receive from these truths today? Surely, this is a reminder that God is still on the throne; He is in control; nothing is going on in the world without His knowledge and consent. Further, we are reminded of God's justice, which assures us that He will always do right in behalf of His children. That falls right in line with Romans 8:28, of course, which concerns all things working together for our good.

World turmoil will not upset me, for I know the God who sits on the throne - and who rules over all.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 7:12 AM CDT

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"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30, KJV).

Several years ago I had the privilege of meeting with a world-famous theologian. This great scholar had denied the deity of Christ and had taught thousands of seminarians who had studied under him that Jesus was only a great man and a great teacher. He was not God incarnate, and surely could not forgive sin and provide rest to His followers. Yet, in a unique way God had created a hunger in his heart for truth and for two years he had done an in-depth study of the life of Jesus.

As we met together in his office, he asked, "What do you tell a student when he asks you how to become a Christian?"

When I realized he was sincere, I proceeded to explain why I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and why all men everywhere need Him as their Savior and Lord, and how anyone who wants to can receive Him.

"I am persuaded," he said after a long while, "that no honest person who is willing to consider the overwhelming evidence for the deity of Christ can deny that He is the Son of God."

This great scholar, who had denied the deity of Christ all his life and encouraged millions of others to think likewise, bowed in prayer and received Christ into his life as Savior and Lord.

Jesus Christ stands out clearly as the one supernaturally unique figure in all of history. He is incomparable. He invites all who will to experience His love and forgiveness. "Come unto Me." He welcomes "all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will seek to make sure that every loved one, every friend, every contact I make today is fully aware of the fact that God loves him, that Jesus Christ died for him and will welcome him into His family through a simple act of faith. I will tell him that He offers peace and rest - from life's burdens - to all who follow Him in faith and obedience.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 1:11 PM CDT

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The first question that the devil asked the first woman Eve in the garden of Eden was this, "...hath God said...?" The devil was trying to plant in man and woman a doubt about the Word of God. He's been doing it ever since. He doesn't give up. But this is the Word of God, and it doesn't change. Human nature has not changed. Jeremiah the prophet once said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (17:9). Is your heart that way? Mine has been that way.

Is your heart that way? The answer to a wicked heart is found only through faith in Jesus Christ. We're the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. To learn more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, call us toll free at 866-JESUS-CARES or click billygraham.org.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:18 AM CDT

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"Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results" (James 5:16).

"I can take my telescope and look millions and millions of miles into space," said the great scientist Sir Issac Newton , "but I can lay it aside and go into my room, shut the door, get down on my knees in earnest prayer, and see more of heaven and get closer to God than I can assisted by all the telescopes and material agencies on earth."

Among many other things, the carnal Christian is characterized by a poor prayer life. The spiritual Christian, on the other hand, is characterized by an effective fruitful prayer life.

Prayer is simply communicating with God by listening as well as talking. The acrostic ACTS is helpful in recalling the various components of effective prayer, though the order is not necessarily rigid.

"A" is for adoration - worship of God, first for who He is; and second for all of His benefits. He alone is worthy of our adoration and praise.

"C" stands for confession. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Sometimes this component should take priority, especially for the unbeliever and the disobedient believer, because God does not hear the prayers of the disobedient until they confess. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalms 66:18, KJV).

"T" is for thanksgiving - gratitude to God for His blessings.

"S" represents supplication - expressing our petitions to God for individuals and specific things and events.

I will claim great power and wonderful results for supernatural living by a righteous life and by giving priority to prayer. I will remember to bring my adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication to God throughout the day.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:45 AM CDT

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"So don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and He will give them to you if you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to" (Matthew 6:31-33).

As a young businessman, I was strongly attracted to the material things of the world and worked very hard to achieve success. But when I became a Christian, I could not ignore the logic of Christ's command, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33, KJV).

I made my commitment to obey His command. Since that day so many years ago, I have sought to be obedient to that command. The Lord has graciously and abundantly blessed me with the fulfillment of the promise of His supernatural provision which follows:

"Your heavenly father already knows perfectly well (the things you need), and He will give them to you if you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to."

God is trustworthy, and the obedient, faithful Christian soon learns that he, like the psalmist of old, can proclaim:

"I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves Him, nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry" (Psalm 37:25).

Resting on the absolute certainties of the Word of God, I will refuse to worry about anything today (recognizing that concern involves others, while worry involves only myself). "All things work together for good to them that love God..." (Romans 8:28). "My God shall supply all your need..." (Philippians 4:19). By trusting these and other promises from God's word, I have no reason to worry.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:19 AM CDT

Updated: Tuesday, 18 September 2007 9:21 AM CDT

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We value our bodies and our minds. We spend a great deal of time and money caring for them, educating them. And God values our bodies, too. But God values our soul the most. The only way we can ever see the true worth of our soul is to see it from His perspective. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man, if he...gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” How do you stand before God with your soul?

The answer to that question from Billy Graham is of eternal importance. We're the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. To learn more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, call us toll free at 866-JESUS-CARES or click billygraham.org.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 8:40 AM CDT

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"But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in You. Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting Him, what can mere man do to me?" (Psalm 56:3,4).

Raymond and Martha were active church members and gave generously to the needs of the fellowship. But their real security, as Raymond shared, was largely in monetary holdings. After working hard for many years to build a financial empire, they had nothing to worry about. They were on "Easy Street" and could do anything for the rest of their lives, confident of being able to pass on a sizable fortune to their children and grandchildren.

But at this point, Raymond turned over the reins of his business to a trusted employee who, through mismanagement and embezzlement, coupled with a severe economic depression, was able to destroy in approximately two years what had taken Raymond more than thirty years to accumulate.

Devastated and fearful, Raymond and Martha turned to God and His Word. As they claimed God's promises, the Savior whom they had professed to know but had not really known, became a reality in their lives. They became joyful, radiant and victorious. Though they had lost almost everything materially, they had, in the process, gained all that was really important. Now their trust was in the Lord who filled their lives with His love and grace. They passed on God's blessing to others, including me.

I will not wait until personal tragedy, physical illness, financial reverses, heartache or sorrow cross my path, but will place my confidence in the Lord and in his Word and begin now to draw upon His supernatural resources to live a full and meaningful life for His glory.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 1:23 PM CDT

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"And having chosen us, He called us to come to Him; and when we came, He declared us 'not guilty,' filled us with Christ's goodness, gave us right standing with Himself, and promised us His glory" (Romans 8:30).

A famous Christian leader insisted to me that anyone could lose his salvation. I asked him if he felt that he would ever lose his. Quickly, he replied, "Absolutely not. I am sure I will not lose my salvation."

Can we lose our salvation? Personally, I believe there is too much controversy over this issue. Some fear that the individual who has assurance of salvation and knows that he will spend eternity with God might have a tendency to compromise his conduct, which would result in disobedience to God and would be an insult to Christ and His church. Others think that the individual who does not live like a Christian - although he professes faith in Christ - has never experienced the new birth, does not have eternal life and will be forever separated from God.

It is quite likely that the person who insists on "doing his own thing" - going his own way while professing to be a Christian - is deceived and should be encouraged to look into the mirror of God's Word. For if his salvation is real, the evidence should proclaim it.

The caterpillar which goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly, lives like a butterfly, not a caterpillar. In the same way, the man or woman who has experienced new life in Christ will witness to it in his life.

Our beginning Scripture deals with seven marvelous truths:

He chose us.
He called us.
We came.
He declared us not guilty.
He filled us with Christ's goodness.
He gave us a right standing with Himself.
He promised us His glory.

For centuries, man has been mystified by predestination and eternal security. One famous theologian put it this way: "How would it be a source of consolation to say...that whom God foreknew, He predestinated, and whom he predestinated, He called, and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified might fall away and be lost forever?"

We should praise and worship God because of His promises to all who receive Him that He will never leave them nor forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).

I will meditate upon the truths in this marvelous Word from God. And as an expression of my gratitude for the privilege of living a supernatural life, I will praise and thank God constantly for His goodness and will encourage other believers to do the same.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 7:42 AM CDT

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