by Joseph Candel 8/13
Politically Correct America?
Via The American Dream
Without a doubt, there is a war on the Christian faith in America today. It is being waged in classrooms, courtrooms and churches all over the nation.
The following is an excerpt from a speech that Rand Paul gave earlier this year…
There is a war on Christianity, not just from liberal elites here at home, but worldwide.
The following are just a few examples…
-An elementary school in North Carolina ordered a little six-year-old girl to remove the word “God” from a poem that she wrote to honor her two grandfathers that had served in the Vietnam War.
-The Ohio Statehouse banned Christian pastors from using the name of Jesus when they open up the daily sessions with prayer.
-The use of the name of Jesus was also forbidden in all prayers opening sessions of the North Carolina State-House.
-Last year, a federal appeals court ruled that prayers before commission meetings in Forsyth County, North Carolina that included the name of Jesus were unconstitutional.
-A high school track team was disqualified earlier this year because one of the runners “made a gesture thanking God” once he had crossed the finish line.
-Volunteer chaplains for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have been banned from using the name of Jesus in their public prayers. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Chaplains all over the nation are now being banned from using the name of Jesus.
A recently released 140 page report entitled “The Survey of Religious Hostility in America” included some more examples of how Christianity is being systematically oppressed in America today…
•A federal judge threatened ‘incarceration’ to a high school valedictorian unless she removed references to Jesus from her graduation speech.
•City officials prohibited senior citizens from praying over their meals, listening to religious messages or singing gospel songs at a senior activities center.
•A public university’s law school banned a Christian organization because it required its officers to adhere to a statement of faith that the university disagreed with.
•The U.S. Department of Justice argued before the Supreme Court that the federal government can tell churches and synagogues which pastors and rabbis it can hire and fire.
•A federal judge held that prayers before a state House of Representatives could be to Allah but not to Jesus.
Are you starting to get the picture?
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Builders Beware!
By Father David (excerpts)
IT'S A FUNNY THING ABOUT A BUILDING: IT NEEDS ALL ITS PARTS TIED TOGETHER, because if any part of it collapses, it usually takes the whole building with it! If the roof gives in or one wall collapses or one pillar goes down, it often takes the whole thing with it!
AS LONG AS THE WORLD FULFILLS ITS MISSION TO HELP THE CHILDREN OF GOD by being obedient to God in this respect, to help them and not hurt them, God even blesses the world and permits them to stay on and perform their function of being used by Him to further His aims and help, protect and provide for His Children.
THE WHOLE STRUCTURE OF ANY HOUSE OR ANY GOVERNMENT OR ORGANISATION OR RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT RESTS ON THESE TWO KEY CENTRAL PILLARS: THE WILL OF GOD AND THE WILL OF MAN. As long as they coordinate and cooperate and are in line with each other, working parallel at least, and in the right position, solidly on the right foundation and fastened securely, doing their duty and working together to uphold the structure, it will stand firm.
BUT IF THEY GET THE LEAST BIT OUT OF LINE WITH EACH OTHER and begin to be at cross purposes with each other, watch out! There's going to be trouble! The Prophet of God came along and demonstrated it didn't take much to destroy the whole building!
Will America be able to stand if we continue to try to push every shred of the Christian faith out of public life?
Written by Aleksandra Radmanovic July 2013
I recently did a search for how often the word “beautiful” appears in the Bible.
I found out that the Old Testament is full of beautiful women. Sara was beautiful.1 Rebecca was very beautiful.2 Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful.3 Job’s daughters were more beautiful than any other women in the land.4 The list goes on and on. I think my favorite, though, is Abigail. Abigail was beautiful and intelligent.5 What more would a woman desire be said of her?
I came to the conclusion that in this ancient biblical culture where spiritual qualities were more sought after than they are today, what was good, wholesome, and godly was also considered beautiful. And so a godly woman was considered beautiful both by God and by men. Beauty wasn’t so much about the outer shell, proportions, sizes, and shapes.
But what particularly caught my attention on this topic was a short story from the Gospel of Mark:6
Mark 14:3: “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.”
I had read this story before, but it had never registered with me that the woman actually broke the jar. Since the perfume was extremely expensive, the alabaster jar in which the perfume was held was probably worth a lot as well. Yet she broke it, possibly because she wanted to demonstrate that Jesus was worth everything to her. She was going to give Him her all, the best, the most precious and expensive thing she had, withholding nothing.
Mark 14:4: Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?”
It is so easy to judge things in a superficial way. The depth of someone’s motivation is hard to discern at times, especially when they act in an uncommon way.
Mark 14:5: “It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
Mark 14:6: “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
Here is the word I was looking for, beautiful, defined as “that which gives the highest degree of pleasure to the senses or to the mind and suggests that the object of delight approximates one’s conception of an ideal.”7 Jesus saw into her heart, past what was the proper, reasonable, usual, or expected act of someone’s faith and religious conviction, and proclaimed that to Him, her actions were ideal. And here we also see Jesus’ conviction to stand up and defend one who is misunderstood and harshly and unjustly judged.
Mark 14:7: “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”
The world is full of deprivation and needy causes, but opportunities to express love to those who mean the most to us are limited.
Mark 14:8: “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare me for my burial.”
The little thing that she could do meant a lot to the one she loved and believed in.
Mark 14:9: “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
This woman believed in Jesus and she was motivated to act on her belief. She used what she had, did what she could, with originality and creativity, and wasn’t afraid to show it. That’s being genuine and authentic all the way. It made her famous and painted a fine picture of what God considers beautiful.
There are countless ways to serve God and express our love and adoration to Him. When the inspiration comes from within our hearts and we are true to ourselves, our actions, just like the actions of this woman, will leave a legacy for others to follow into the further beauties of God and His Spirit.
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TFI Mother, in Bucharest, Romania.
by Peter Amsterdam
Over the years I have seen some very dear friends of mine be marvelously blessed by the Lord. Some of these same loved ones and co-workers have gone through what seemed to be a series of incredibly trying times. They faced a lot of difficulty, disappointment, and unfulfilled desires and dreams. From time to time I would comment to Maria, “It will be so fulfilling when we see them truly happy.”—And the wonderful thing is that today, nearly all of them are.
I attended a wedding celebration for one of these friends recently. She had gotten married a few months back in another country, and so she and her husband were celebrating their marriage with those of us who weren’t able to attend the actual ceremony. I felt so much joy seeing them together, along with their beautiful baby daughter. She had desperately wanted a family for many years, but it just wasn’t happening, and of course that was a huge test for her—but she continued to hold on to the Lord and trust. And now, after years of waiting, the Lord had brought the right man into her life—and brought her into his. As hard as I know it was for her to wait all those years, it was worth it.
Seeing her so happy, as well as thinking about others Maria and I have been close to who have come through long spells of waiting or ongoing tests, increases my faith to trust God when times are bad, or when I’m going through a difficult period. Each of these loved ones that I’m thinking of passed through their own particular “valley of the shadow of death” which was full of difficulties, discouragement, and circumstances that couldn’t easily be changed. In some cases there was no way out but to wait, and to trust that, in time, things would change for the better. They would come for counsel, and while we would try to give them good advice, to comfort and pray for them, there wasn’t really anything that could be done to help them practically.
Each one persevered through their difficulties. They held on to the Lord in faith and prayer, they didn’t give up, and they crossed the valley and came out on the other side. Today, their situations are very different and their lives much happier. Their trust and faith in the Lord has paid off.
Just today I was reminded of a low time in my life, when I was faced with personal difficulties, which were the most trying I had faced until that point. There was nothing I could do to remedy the situation I was in except to pray and trust God for the outcome—that He would either change the situation or give me the grace to make it through. Thankfully, He did both.
During those traumatic weeks, a dear friend gave me a notebook with a number of Bible verses pasted into it. It was a lifesaver for me. Sometimes all I could do was curl up on my bed and read those verses—nothing else helped. That booklet full of verses was my lifeline during that time of trial.
In time, I passed through that valley. Some years ago I loaned that same notebook to another friend who was experiencing turbulent times. Today, she returned it. When she did, I recalled her journey over the past years and how she too has grown and changed and has much more peace in her life.
These events of the past few days have highlighted for me the importance of trusting the Lord in difficult times. In the midst of it you may feel as if you’re being ripped apart, and sometimes all you can do is cry out to Jesus and hold on desperately to the promises in His Word.—All you can do is fight to survive.
Seeing my newly married friend, having another one return my “survival notebook,” and thinking of others who while in their personal valley felt that they would never be happy again, but now are, reminded me that there is new life after passing through that valley of seeming death.—And it’s worth holding on for, worth waiting for, worth fighting for.
Psalm 23:4
Written by Maria Fontaine Sunday, 01 September 2013
I don’t think that God intended any marriage to be perfect. I think of it as the “thorn” factor that He allows into the equation—that element that we shrink from, but that He knows we need. You may wonder, Why would we need differences of opinion, sensitivities, misunderstandings, jealousies, resentments, comparing, sacrificing, arguments, emotional upsets, fears, heartbreaks, and adversity? Those things don’t sound like they would build a very strong marriage.
This reminds me of the adage, “It’s your attitude toward adversity that counts.” We can’t escape the fact that character and moral depth are developed through difficulties. If we didn’t experience the trials of life, we wouldn’t learn how to exercise the qualities that make us better people—patience, understanding, forgiveness, and more.
Misunderstandings, disagreements, hurts, even wrongs force us to respond to them. We can choose to stretch, to become better, to reach out to God for more of His love, to forgive, to make a conscious decision to learn what we can from the situation. Marriage is full of such opportunities.
It’s how we face the circumstances that come into our life and what we do with them that counts. Will we learn from our difficulties and become better or will we become hardened? Will we become humbler or prouder? Will we become creative in solving problems or will we sink under them in despair? Will we become desperate to become what we should be in order to handle the difficulties, or will we become accusatory and critical? Will we become more committed, or will we be tempted to quit when the going gets difficult?
Even when we do our very best and we grow and learn and mature, there are always more challenges ahead, because that’s the way God created life to be. We overcome one difficulty and then we go on to another one. But each victory is a step forward. Each victory is fulfilling. Each victory takes us further along the road of progress.
But what about when we can’t overcome something and it seems that we’re doomed to permanent frustration in some area? If we’ve done what we can and we’ve prayed all we can pray, God’s word to us is that we are not a failure and all is not lost. “Having done all, we can still stand”1 and allow the Lord to lead our hearts into His patient perseverance.
The Lord may know that these rocky areas are actually more beneficial to us in some way than a smooth road would be. As we communicate with Him about our relationship, He will motivate us to do better in the areas we need to, He will encourage us for the good we are doing, and He will help us to keep His flame of love burning in our relationship. With His power behind us, we will have strength and grace to meet the next challenge.
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1. Ephesians 6:13.
Maria Fontaine is the spiritual and administrative co-director (along with her husband, Peter Amsterdam) of the Family International, a Christian community of faith dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. She is the author of numerous articles on the Christian faith life.
Love Never Fails
Love cannot fail! It makes no difference where it is bestowed, it always brings in big returns. You can’t give without getting, you can’t reward without receiving in return—and the more you give, the more you get. It multiplies, like the five loaves of bread and two small fish that fed thousands, or the last bit of oil and handful of meal that saw three people through three years of famine.1—D.B.B.
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There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer, no disease that enough love will not heal. No door that enough love will not open, no gulf that enough love will not bridge. No wall that enough love will not throw down, no sin that enough love will not redeem. It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble, how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle, how great the mistake. Sufficient love will dissolve it all.—Emmett Fox
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Do you want the key to every heart? Try love! It never fails, because God is love, and it’s impossible for Him to fail!—D.B.B.
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The Grestest Is Love
If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I'm a housekeeper, not a homemaker.
If I live for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness, not godliness.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child; then stands aside to let the child walk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.
Before I became a parent, I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my children.
As a parent, there are many things I must teach my children, but the greatest of these is love.
--Author unknown (adaptation of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13)
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.—Apostle Paul
Change You Life. Change Your World.
More @ Activated the Org.
By Father David
Fasten your seat belt! We are about to leave the drab and restrictive domain of the Flatlander and delve into the thrilling realm of the spirit world!
Come now and tune in to the mysterious dimension of eternal realities: the living world of forever rather than the dying world of now, the everlasting realm of eternity rather than the temporary space of time,the fascinating dimension that is largely unseen by us in mortal flesh, rather than this mundane plane, which is so temporary.
The Bible tells us to set our affection on things above—heaven—not on things on the earth, for the things which are seen are only for a time, but the things which are not seen are eternal.1
All God’s children of faith since the beginning of time have been looking for an unseen world, a “city which has foundations”—eternal foundations—“whose builder and maker is God.”2 Not having received all that God had promised them but having seen those promises from afar, they remained strangers and pilgrims on the earth because they sought a better, heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, and He has prepared just such a place for them, the awesome heavenly city, New Jerusalem, which will come down from God, out of the heavenlies, to rest on planet Earth.3
This is the hope of all ages: that now unseen eternal world where we shall dwell with Him forever, the heavenly city described in the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, and mentioned several times elsewhere in the Scriptures. That’s what we’re all looking forward to—not pie in the sky, but literal heaven on earth.
But God’s invisible heavenly kingdom is already in operation and existence, here and now! It not only surrounds us but is within us. As Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.”4
Our 3D world is one of almost unlimited space, so much larger and greater than his that he could not possibly begin to understand it or us. Ours is a whole new world, marvelous and magnificent, that the Flatlander does not even know exists, simply because he cannot see it.
Even if it were possible to show it to him, it would be so beyond his two-dimensional understanding that he would probably be like the old country farmer, who, the first time he saw a giraffe, said, “There just ain’t no such thing!”
The fact of the matter is that the dear little Flatlander, in his pride, hates to admit that there’s anything beyond his level. Poor fellow! How limited his vision, how narrow his realm, how restricted his scope of operation!
And so it is with what the Bible calls the “natural man” who refuses to believe that anything such as a fifth dimension, a spirit world, could possibly exist, simply because he’s never seen it or been there. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him.”5 And so he says, “There just ain’t no such thing,” simply because he never saw it before.
To dismiss the entire spiritual realm like that would be as absurd as saying, “I don’t believe that New York City or London exist because I’ve never been there.”
The Bible is full of evidence, stories, and positive declarations of the existence of this fifth dimension, the spirit world. Some of its immortal characters, having passed on into it through death, even came back to tell us about it. Others were lifted up into the realm of the spirit to get a brief glimpse or vision of it, and many received messages from there. And some of us have even been there! I have, so I know it exists.
You can know too. If you really want to know the truth, humbly confess your limitations, and ask God to help you find that whole new world, He will. Why not try it? What have you got to lose?
1. Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 4:18
2. Hebrews 11:10
3. Hebrews 11:13–16; Revelation 21:2–3
4. Luke 17:21
5. 1 Corinthians 2:14
The Family International
Written by Katrin Prentice--Thursday, 01 August 2013
One of my favorite inspirational stories is of a young African boy who crossed over 3,000 kilometers of hostile jungle territory on foot because he had a vision and determination.
Legson Didimu Kayira was born in the 1940s to a life of total poverty in the Tumbuka tribe, Malawi, but he dreamed of studying in the United States. When he was 16, he decided to make his way on foot to Egypt and find work on a ship sailing to the U.S. He left home with only a small ax, a blanket, a map of Africa, a map of the world, and two books—a Bible and a copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Fifteen months later, Legson arrived in Kampala, Uganda, where he came across a directory of American colleges. He wrote to Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon explaining his situation and asking for a scholarship. The dean was so impressed he granted him both admission and a scholarship, while the student body collected $650 to cover his fare. In December 1960, Legson finally arrived at Skagit Valley College, still carrying nothing but what he’d left home with two years before.
Later, Legson became a professor at Cambridge University and authored six novels and the prize-winning autobiography, I Will Try.
Here’s another: In 1938, Soichiro Honda began developing a new piston ring, which he dreamed of selling to the Toyota Corporation, but it was rejected.
He went back to the drawing table, and two years later he had a new piston ring. This time, he won the contract with Toyota, but he had no factory, and concrete was rationed due to WW2. Undaunted, Mr. Honda invented a new formula for making concrete and got his factory built. Unfortunately, it was bombed—twice—and finally leveled by an earthquake.
After the war, Japan suffered a gasoline shortage. Mr. Honda couldn’t afford to drive his car, so he attached a small engine to his bicycle. His neighbors were soon asking him to make “motorized bikes” for them too and encouraging him to build a plant to manufacture his engines.
Because he had no capital, he wrote all 18,000 bike shop owners in Japan a personal letter, explaining his vision and asking for financial contributions. Five thousand of them agreed to advance him capital for his invention … and the rest, as they say, is history.
What these men, and others like them, have in common is that they refused to let the limitations of their circumstances limit their dreams.
The Family International
Written by Alex Peterson
Six steps of meditative prayer
Step 1: Choose an appropriate location. Most people find that meditation is best in quiet, uncluttered surroundings, ideally away from where they work or spend most of their waking hours. A secluded spot outside can be especially conducive. Fresh air not only renews us physically, but it also illustrates God’s Spirit that is able to clear our minds and spirits.
Step 2: Take time to wind down. It’s impossible to immediately go from the affairs of a busy day into a state of deep meditative prayer. There needs to be a time of transition, a time of phasing out the material world. Sometimes it helps to spend a few minutes on a transitional activity, such as listening to soothing music, taking a short walk, or breathing deeply. As you try different things, you’ll find what works best for you.
Step 3: Leave your cares at the door. If problems are weighing you down, they’ll keep you from the peace you could receive from meditation. Take a minute or two (or as long as it takes) to give your present cares to Jesus in prayer. Be specific. Describe to Him what is troubling you, and ask Him to lift and bear it. Focus on God’s ability to bring solutions, rather than the problems themselves. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”1
Step 4: Get relaxed. Several minutes of gentle stretches and deep breathing, followed by a relaxation exercise (concentrate on relaxing your face and neck, then your entire body, part by part) can help. If you’re feeling especially tense, a shower or a bath or a short walk in nature might help you relax. Or if you’re very tired, a nap may be just the thing, because as long as you’re exhausted, you probably won’t get much out of your time of meditation.
Step 5: Select a comfortable position. In meditation, the position of your spirit matters much more than the position of your body. You don’t have to sit a certain way—or even sit, for that matter—except of course you should be comfortable, so that doesn’t become a distraction. Whatever position you choose, it should allow you to maintain good posture, because this facilitates deep breathing and good circulation of the blood.
Step 6: Meditate. You’ve found an appropriate spot and wound down physically. You’ve put your problems and cares into Jesus’ very capable hands. You’ve disconnected from the affairs of the day, and are relaxed and comfortable. Now you’re ready to begin a time of focused meditation.
You might choose to focus on Jesus Himself, thinking about one of His attributes, or on some special blessing He has brought into your life. A specific thought from God’s Word can also be a subject for meditation. Reading a passage from the Bible, one of the “From Jesus with Love” messages that are on the back page of each issue of Activated, or some other short devotional material may help get you started. For more meditation ideas, see the “Spiritual Exercise” columns in previous and coming issues.
Let your mind rest. Don’t analyze. Just relax and concentrate on quieting your body, mind, and spirit. Think of this type of meditation as being like learning to float in water. It takes that amount of relaxation of both body and spirit for God’s Spirit to take over and give you the “buoyancy” you need. If you struggle or try to poke your head up to see what’s happening around you, the balance will be upset and you’ll break your connection with Him.
“Peace I leave with you,” Jesus promised. “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.”2 Let Him carry you away to the peaceful haven He has prepared for you.
1. Philippians 4:6–7
2. John 14:27
Written by Virginia Brandt Berg
What is the greatest weakness in most families? According to Dr. James H. Bossard, a former professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania who spent 40 years probing what he called “neglected areas of family life,” it is the way parents talk in front of their children.
After studying extensive recordings of table talk, he wrote, “I had no idea I would discover a real pattern in the conversation of families. I just wanted to learn what families talked about, but to my amazement I have found that family after family had definite, consistent conversational habits, and that the critical pattern was the most prevalent.
“These families rarely had a good word to say about anyone. They carped continuously about friends, relatives, neighbors—almost every aspect of their lives, from the lines of people in the supermarket to the stupidity of their bosses.
“This constant negative family atmosphere had a disastrous effect on the children, because a high percentage of [these families’] children were antisocial and unpopular. And this pattern of the family’s hostility many times turned to quarreling amongst themselves. Without fail, their meals were a round of insults and bickering. The children absorbed that pattern, and it caused the children trouble.
“Long ago,” Dr. Bossard continued, “a great Teacher pointed out that what comes out of the mouth is a great deal more important than that which goes in to it.” That Teacher was Jesus, and that wisdom is found in Matthew 15:11.
Jesus also said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If your soul is superficial, egotistical, and mean, all those qualities are going to permeate your words as they flow from your lips. But if the Holy Spirit has control, the words you speak will be filled with divine light, just as Christ is light (John 1:4; 8:12).
Words flowing from a soul filled with God’s Spirit of love will have a magnetic quality that will draw others. When the heart is burning with divine love, you don’t need to try to put pathos or tenderness into your conversation. All your words will have a savor and a power that comes from an inner depth.
Do you want to always speak just the right words at just the right moment in just the right way so that they will have a lasting good effect? That probably seems almost impossible—and it is humanly impossible. But it’s not impossible when you let the Spirit of the living Christ speak through you.
You must take time to read His recorded Word, the Bible, and partake of His Spirit by letting Him speak to you personally in prayer and reflection.
But if you don’t do those things, then just when you want and need them most, the right words will not come forth. What will come forth will more likely be shallow, lukewarm, or negative. But if you let Jesus live in you and take time in His presence, soaking up His love and Spirit, “from your innermost being shall flow continuously springs and rivers of living water” (John 7:38 Amplified Bible).
So the root of the problem isn’t actually the tongue, but the heart. Words only convey what’s in the heart. Jesus taught that our words reveal our heart’s character. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).
If you need such a change of heart, begin by praying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Then as you spend time with Jesus, the fountain of all goodness and kindness and gentleness, your relationship with Him will deepen and you’ll soon find your words to be conductors of His Spirit, making you a greater influence for good in the lives of those nearest and dearest to you.
Power from God makes possible things that are beyond our human capabilities. This power can manifest itself in many ways: a miraculous healing from physical affliction; an easing of stress and emotional pressure; a change in circumstances that couldn’t be brought about through human effort; insight that transcends earthly wisdom, knowledge, and experience; the capacity to love sacrificially and unconditionally, as God loves us. From simple solutions to outright miracles, all come from a force outside of us. It is the power of God.
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There is tremendous power in God’s love. It forgives sins, changes hearts, renews spirits, restores health, gives hope to the despairing and strength to the weary, and brings sunshine where there is darkness.
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God is all-powerful, and all things are possible for those who tap into His power through faith and prayer. With faith no bigger than a mustard seed, anyone can cast mountains into the sea (Matthew 21:21), heal the sick, raise the dead, and give new life to the desperate and needy (Matthew 10:8).
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Do you think millions of people throughout the ages would have believed in prayer if it didn’t work? Discover the power of prayer for yourself. It’s no secret.
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God knows each person’s heart and innermost needs, feelings, and fears, and it’s in His power to give each person exactly what he or she needs.
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The secret of spiritual power and victory and overcoming and fruitfulness and fire and life and light—the secret to everything good—is found in God’s Word!
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God has unlimited power, but to tap in to that power you need a conduit, a line. Faith is like a cord that carries God’s power from the source to the appliance.
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We’ve all seen superhero movies like Superman where people had supernatural powers. Though they lived in the physical world, they had powers that enabled them to defy its limitations and to do things that were impossible for mere humans. That’s how it is in the spirit. God’s Spirit in you gives you power to break out of the problems and despair of life by bringing you happiness, hope, courage, and new strength that is unquenchable and unstoppable.
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Including God in everything adds a whole new dimension to life. It’s like stepping into a new world where even things that used to be mundane can become extraordinary.
The Family International
Most people have a few things that make Christmas special to them. Here are a few of mine.
Written by Maria Fontaine
I love the spirit of giving that permeates Christmas. It’s often a time when even the least generous become more giving. It’s a time when children can learn the joy of giving as they share what they have. It’s also a time when everyone can give something, whether they have a little or a lot, and find reward in doing so.
We did this every year when I was a child, and it was a tradition that became very meaningful to me. To this day, whenever I look at a Christmas tree, I’m always reminded of that annual experience that made such an impression on me as a child.
Sharing JesusI love the fact that Christmas is a time when talking about Jesus comes more naturally and is often more appreciated, even amid the commercial aspect of the holiday. Because most of the world celebrates Christmas in one way or another, it’s an ideal opportunity to share “the reason for the season” with those who haven’t heard. It’s the perfect time to explain that Jesus is God’s gift of love, sent to bridge the gap between God and us; that He is “the way, the truth, and the life”2 and “the door” to salvation.3 Christmas time and Jesus go hand in hand.
Sharing ourselvesI love how Christmas gifts carry a little bit of the giver with them. When I was a child, most of the Christmas gifts my parents gave me and my sisters were things that we needed, such as clothes or shoes, but they would usually also try to get each of us something that was a frill or an extra, things they knew we had been wanting and would consider special.
It sometimes takes more thought and creativity to come up with something meaningful, but those are the gifts that seem to be the most appreciated and remembered. As Henry van Dyke said, “The finest Christmas gift is not the one that costs the most money, but the one that carries the most love.”
Get-togethers and activitiesI’ve always loved gatherings with family and friends at Christmastime. Also when I was growing up, all of us children participated, either in our church’s Christmas play, or by singing Christmas songs or reciting poems.
MusicAnother thing that I love about Christmas is the music. So many Christmas carols contain deep truths—inspired lyrics set to inspired music. I like the old religious carols, and I like the newer ones too. Any song that brings attention to the Greatest Gift is wonderful.
LightsI love Christmas lights. A lot of people like Christmas lights, but I really like them! I would gladly have them hanging in my home year-round—and some years I have. In the past when I’ve traveled around Christmastime, I’ve even packed a string or two of Christmas lights in case I might not find any right away in my new location. I just love the glow they give.
Speaking of lights, I’m praying that each of you reading this will have a love-filled, light-filled Christmas, and that we will each do our part to light others’ lives with the love of Jesus. This world of ours needs all the light it can get!
Now light one thousand Christmas lights,
On dark earth here tonight;
One thousand, thousand also shine,
To make the dark sky bright.
He came to bring us love and light,
To bring us peace on earth.
So let your candles shine tonight,
And sing with joy and mirth.4
1. See Matthew 25:34–40.
2. John 14:6
3. John 10:9
4. Swedish traditional carol, author unknown
Maria Fontaine is the spiritual and administrative co-director (along with her husband, Peter Amsterdam) of the Family International, a Christian community of faith dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
Written by Michael Palace
Every year, a month or so before Christmas, I used to go to the same office to renew my visa. My visit there was usually made easy by the help of Judy, one of the office staff.
One year, after several minutes of small talk, Judy burst into tears. Her husband’s cancer had returned—he had already had one tumor removed from his liver—and his doctor said he didn’t have long to live. “Thomas is only 42,” said a tearful Judy, “and our two sons are so young!”
I prayed with her for her own peace of mind and for Thomas to be healed, if that was God’s will.
Judy smiled through her tears and thanked me.
When I phoned Judy the next day, she told me Thomas was scheduled for another examination a couple of weeks later, at which time they would have a better idea how much longer he had to live. We arranged to talk more when I returned to finish my paperwork before the New Year.
Christmas had come and gone but strains of “O Come All Ye Faithful” were still running through my mind as I gathered some things for Judy and Thomas to read, including a book of comforting thoughts for the dying and bereaved, Glimpses of Heaven. They were going to need lots of encouragement, I figured.
When I arrived at the office, Judy was not at her desk. I supposed she was with her husband. Surely she was more needed at his side than in the office at this time.
Then suddenly Judy entered the room, and when she saw me, she lit up like a light bulb! She explained that at Thomas’s last checkup, the same doctor who had shown him a clear image of the cancerous tumor on the ultrasound screen before we prayed for his healing couldn’t find any trace of it now. It had completely disappeared, and the doctor was baffled.
Judy and Thomas were ecstatic. They had wanted to phone me to share the wonderful news, but hadn’t been able to find my number. Judy and I rejoiced together, right there in the office.
As I looked down at the Glimpses of Heaven book still in my hand, I realized how little faith I had had that God would answer our prayers. I felt a little embarrassed about that, but very happy that God had given Judy and Thomas a most wonderful Christmas gift—the gift of life.
Michael Palace is a teacher and works among the mountain tribal people of Taiwan.
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