A Wake Up Call For God's People

Have you heard about the upcoming  A Wake Up Call event on Sunday, September 11, 2011? If you are a Christian, it is very important that you view and/or participate in this event. Ann Graham Lotz and Joel C. Rosenberg have created this special broadcast event so that it can be seen via several venues.

A Wake Up Call For God's People with Anne Graham Lotz and Joel Rosenberg


A Wake Up Call for God's People with Anne Graham Lotz and Joel Rosenberg from AnGeL Ministries on Vimeo.

Event Dates: Sunday, September 11, 2011

Watch as a church fellowship, community group, or on your home computer. This evening of teaching messages by Anne Graham Lotz and Joel Rosenberg, knit together with authentic worship music led by Selah, we pray, will be used by God to wake up His people. Join us as we consider the times in which we live, refocus on Jesus as our Hope for the future, and ask God to re-ignite such an intense longing for His return that we live the rest of our lives with no regrets.

I also recommend that you read Joel Rosenberg's blog on a daily basis. Here is a copy of his latest post:

More than ever, Israel needs leaders like the “sons of Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32, NIV) Israel also needs faithful friends who will show unconditional love and unwavering support for the Jewish people, while also showing love and compassion towards the Palestinians. These are increasingly difficult times for Israel, and Christians around the world need to be even more faithful in prayer for peace and more determined to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, as The Joshua Fund seeks to do faithfully every day, with your help.
Evidence of a gathering storm continues to mount in the epicenter. Consider the latest:

• “Recent revolutions in the Arab world and the deteriorating ties with Turkey are raising the likelihood of a regional war in the Middle East, IDF Home Front Command Chief, Major General Eyal Eisenberg warned Monday,” reports Ynet News. “‘It looks like the Arab Spring, but it can also be a radical Islamic winter,’ he said in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.”
• “‘This leads us to the conclusion that through a long-term process, the likelihood of an all-out war is increasingly growing,’ the IDF general said.  ‘Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program. The opposite it true; it continues full steam ahead,’ he said. ‘In Egypt, the army is collapsing under the burden of regular security operations, and this is reflected in the loss of control in the Sinai and the turning of the border with Israel into a terror border, with the possibility that Sinai will fall under the control of an Islamic entity.’”
• “Referring to what he characterized as the possibility of a ‘radical Islamic winter,’ Major-General Eisenberg said: ‘This raises the likelihood of an all-out, total war, with the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used.’”
• A new U.N. report (the “Palmer Report”) investigating Israel’s conduct regarding the Gaza flotilla from Turkey has — surprisingly — actually vindicated the actions of the Israeli military. “Here’s a story for the man-bites-dog folder: The United Nations has conducted another inquiry into an Israeli military operation—and produced a report that mainly vindicates the Jewish state. And here, alas, is a story for the dog-bites-man folder: The Turkish government has responded to the U.N. report by withdrawing its ambassador from Tel Aviv and expelling Israel’s from Ankara. The Palmer report—named for the inquiry’s chairman, former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer—was commissioned by the U.N.’s Secretary General to investigate the May 2010 ‘flotilla incident,’ when six ships sailing from Turkey to Gaza on an alleged humanitarian mission were boarded by Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of Gaza. Nine passengers were killed (and several Israeli soldiers badly beaten) in the ensuing melee, sparking a crisis in Jerusalem’s already frayed relations with Ankara.”
• Yet tensions with Turkey are mounting.
• This week, Turkey expelled Israel’s Ambasador.
• Yesterday, Turkey cut off all trade ties with Israel.
• Meanwhile, evidence continues to mount that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. “The U.N. nuclear agency said Wednesday it is ‘increasingly concerned’ about a stream of intelligence suggesting that Iran continues to work secretly on developing a nuclear payload for a missile and other components of a nuclear weapons program,” reports the Associated Press. “In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said ‘many member states’ are providing evidence for that assessment, describing the information it is receiving as credible, ‘extensive and comprehensive.’ The restricted 9-page report was made available Friday to The Associated Press, shortly after being shared internally with the 35 IAEA member nations and the U.N. Security Council.”
• And the Palestinian leadership continues to wage an all-out effort to isolate and delegitimize Israel, while seeking the U.N. General Assembly to vote for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state later this month.

Please continue to pray for the Lord to protect Israel and give her leaders wisdom at this time. Please also consider making a financial contribution to the work of The Joshua Fund as we educate and mobilize Christians around the world to bless Israel and her neighbors, as well as provide humanitarian relief to the poor and needy in the epicenter.

Dear Readers: If you are planning on viewing this special event and if you think that you may be interested in posting comments about it here at Talk Wisdom, please write a brief comment after this post to let me know. I would like to have an open dialogue blog post up for discussion purposes regarding this Wake Up Call event.

Are YOU AWake?


I would also encourage you to spread the news about this event at your blog, website, via email, Face Book etc. so that more of God's people will become aware of the Wake Up Call event. God bless you!


~ Christine

Hat Tips:

Anne Graham Lotz.com

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

A Moment of Silence

When remembering all of those who lost their lives due to the radical Islamic terrorist attack on that tragic day of 9/11/01, the best words shared are those spoken in prayer; especially for the loved ones who still grieve for them nine years later.

To the astonishment of recovery workers at Ground Zero, the Cross appeared miraculously from the wreckage on the site of the former World Trade Center.




Flanked by construction and recovery workers, police Chaplain Fr. Brian Jordan blesses the Cross.

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Please view the powerpoint video at Atlas Shrugs. It was created in February, 2002. We MUST NOT FORGET! WE WILL NOT FORGET!

Quote from President George W. Bush: "Freedom will be defended."

Separated To The Gospel of God

Today, as I looked at the blog posts in my sidebar, several verses in Romans Chapter 1 came to my mind.

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, [fn] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [they are] whisperers,

Rom 1:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Rom 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, [fn] unmerciful;

Rom 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

That describes many people living today in the United States of America. Particularly, it highly describes those who self-identify as liberal leftists, progressives, socialists (including Marxists, Maoists, Communists etc.) and social justice advocates. I don't even need to list examples. Examples can be found everywhere in the news because they are quite evident all around us. Just read the blogs in my sidebar. Watch the Lamestream Media of Mass Deception. Listen to those who, unbelievably and unconscionably, would have the crazy mindset to show sympathy for the terrorist who wanted to blow up Times Square with a truck filled with explosives.

Have you noticed that the words Islamic terrorist, or Islamic jihadist, or radical Islamic extremist are not included in the descriptions of the perpetrator when shared by the nightly news pundits? They bend over backwards not to us the term "Islam" so as to be politically correct - to a fault! Yet, these same goons would unfairly label the TEA Party Patriots as "astro-turf," "right-wing extremists," "racists," "Nazis," "anti-(fill in the blank for the latest social justice term they are using)______ extremists."

What is wrong with this picture?

Plenty. But I don't need to tell anyone reading here what is wrong. You instinctively ALREADY KNOW what is wrong! They are not only the "hate America first" crowd, they are also very disparaging against Jesus Christ and His followers.

Allah, Mohammed, and Muslim followers of the Koran are not insulted by the media. Yet, the same courtesy is never given to God, Jesus Christ, and Christian followers of the Bible. Why??

Christ told us that they would hate us because they first hated Him.

In the Obama: The Chessboard Pawn comment thread, I included a link to an article written by Barbara Ehrenreich (one of the members whose name I recognized and was included in the group described in New Zeal Blog's report: Obama File 102: America's Little Lenin? Joel Rogers and the Obama Movement..) I specifically worked to refute her claims, using Bible verses as evidence of the obvious bankruptcy of her negative tirade and ignorant positions that she took against God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible.

She wrote that despicable article back in 2005, blaming God for the tsunami. I just couldn't let her anti-God, anti-Christian, ignorant blathering go without challenge, so I wrote a response to each of her crazy and stupid incendiary remarks.

If anyone is interested in reading it, go to: Talk Wisdom message board: Rationalizing God's latest 'felony'??

It really peeves me when those who don't know much, if anything, about God, Jesus or the Bible, spew their hate-drenched rhetoric like Ehrenreich did. However, when weighed against the truth, it does expose how ignorant she is about the subject.

Since Ehrenreich is the kind of person who would belong to these fake green groups who illegally funnel money from taxpayers and get away with it, then we can see why our nation is in such dire straits with the Resident ObaMARXIST pawn in "power."

If you take the time to read just the first page of comments (which include four sections of what I wrote to refute Ms. Ehrenreich's claims), you might easily recognize the difference between one who knows the God of the Bible and our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ; vs. one who tries to create "god" in her own image and opinion(s). That is precisely what the left (especially the radical leftists) attempt to do on all issues where the God of the Bible doesn't fit their own secular, humanistic desires, wants, opinions, ideas, politics, and notions of what a Righteous God would (and should) be like.

If you really think about it, it is as if they are creating their own idol in their minds, and then putting their own mind-created idol ideals and actions upon the God of the universe.

Why do they do this?

Because their deeds are evil. (Jesus' words - not mine!)

What better way to camouflage their sins then to create the idea that what they believe about abortion, homosexual behavior, euthansia, lying, cheating, stealing etc. is not really sinful?

You see, it is because they are not "separated to the gospel of God" as Paul states in Romans 1:1. They are not bond servants of Jesus Christ - they serve themselves and their own fleshly desires.

Without being born again in Christ Jesus, a sinner (which we all are - including me until the moment of genuine salvation) CANNOT receive "grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith" as it is described in Romans 1:5.

When you read all of Romans 1, you discover the characteristics of those in the faith, which are completely opposite to the characteristics of those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The contrast could not be more clear!

We see the evidence of those who willingly reject Christ in their lives. They live up to (more like - live down to) all of the descriptions that Paul makes in Romans 1:21 - 1:32.

The truly sad thing to realize is that many of these kinds of people are running (and ruining) our country today. The lying, deceitfulness, cheating, thug-like behavior, misinformation, rejection of decency, willingness to ignore the law and what is right in this life is so painfully obvious in Washington D.C. that we almost cannot even recognize our country anymore.

But don't just take my word for it. Read Daily Thought Pad: Cornucopia of Corruption and Treason


It is only the hand of God that can truly save us. This is why we must continue to pray!

Just as George Washington knelt down and prayed at Valley Forge - when it looked like all was lost against the power of the British army in that day, WE THE PEOPLE must get down on our knees, confess our own sin and shortcomings, and fervently pray to God for deliverance from this evil, corrupt, and deceitful gangster government.

Here is Romans 1:1 - 1:32:

Rom 1:1 Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God


Rom 1:2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,


Rom 1:3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,


Rom 1:4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.


Rom 1:5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,


Rom 1:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;


Rom 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.


Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,


Rom 1:10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.


Rom 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established--


Rom 1:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.


Rom 1:13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.


Rom 1:14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.


Rom 1:15 So, as much as is in me, [I am] ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.


Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, [fn] for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.


Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." [fn]


Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,


Rom 1:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them.


Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible [attributes] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,


Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.


Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,


Rom 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.


Rom 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,


Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.


Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.


Rom 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.


Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;


Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, [fn] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [they are] whisperers,


Rom 1:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,


Rom 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, [fn] unmerciful;


Rom 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

NKJV Footnotes:
(1:16) NU-Text omits of Christ.
(1:17) Habakkuk 2:4
(1:29) NU-Text omits sexual immorality.
(1:31) NU-Text omits unforgiving.

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Hat Tips to all links

Lord, "We The People" Need a Miracle!

ZachJonesIsHome has some: Food for Thought: Lawful orders are lawful orders and unlawful orders are unlawful! How can anyone serving as President who is not a “Natural Born Citizen” issue any lawful orders?

Excerpt:

Respect begins with the question:

Have you ever asked the question, “Why do so many people bend, break, and/or ignore the law?”

The comment on Philip Berg’s site, the attorney who brought the first action against Obama in Berg v Obama, if true, indicates that the number of people bending, breaking and/or ignoring the law exceeds my wildest expectations and goes to the highest levels of our Republic.

written by larry, January 25, 2009

I am a retired (25) police officer and spent 26 years in the United States Air force as a MSGT in charge of Training for the 482 Security Police Squadron. Was in Vietnam and also served in the Gulf War. For the last year I have been watching this site on a daily basis not believing that Barack Hussein Obama has become our president. I coach a High School softball team and everyone of my players had to produce a birth certificate to be eligible to play through the state. I hate to say this, but we in a total crisis and something will happen if this man is allowed to continue to lead this once proud nation. I have never posted before but know many FBI, Secret Service Agents, CIA and many other Federal Agents who have told me they are not to discuss this issue about Obama or they will be terminated from employment. We all need to take a step back and pray that something will come out on all of these lawsuits. I spoke to the Supreme Court Justice in my state who advised that the US Supreme Court have been ordered to throw out any case that deal with the fraud President elect. May God Help us All (emphasis added)

My comment:

The words of that former police officer (if true) have totally disheartened any chance of Obama the usurper being exposed by SCOTUS or any other court in our nation. People who are threatened with “losing their jobs” will most likely not have the courage nor intestinal fortitude to do what is right. I am SO SAD for our country today.

I have never posted before but know many FBI, Secret Service Agents, CIA and many other Federal Agents who have told me they are not to discuss this issue about Obama or they will be terminated from employment. We all need to take a step back and pray that something will come out on all of these lawsuits.
I spoke to the Supreme Court Justice in my state who advised that the US Supreme Court have been ordered to throw out any case that deal with the fraud President elect. May God Help us All.

Yes indeed. From the sounds of that so-called “order” (sounds more like a tyrant’s threat) it is going to take a miracle of God to get Obama exposed.

What I would like to know is who created such an order as this???

I sincerely doubt that it came from the Bush Administration. When Bush signed that Executive Order that allowed Orly Taitz to add “friend of the court” documents to her lawsuit, it erased any suspicions that Bush was “in on it.” I could be wrong, though?

I am so sickened by all of this. From the actions of Justice Roberts (meeting secretly with Obama), I don’t think that we can expect him to have the gonads to do what is right. He doesn’t want to lose that cushy lifetime job appointment….now does he?

…And from that very act, one loses a certain degree of respect for the sanctity of all laws…

I have lost all respect for our elected and appointed officials. By refusing to do this:

“All people are asking for is conclusive proof that Obama is eligible (or not) to serve as President.”

They have, in one felled swoop, trampled our United States Constitution and We The People who expect our elected officials to maintain a government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

I am disgusted beyond belief…



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My prayer for our nation:

Lord God, heavenly Father - Maker of heaven and earth. I praise your Name and thank you for all that you have blessed our nation and family with all these years. The forgiveness, grace and mercy that You have bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ is all culminated in our joyful hope and promise of eternal life with You.

Father God, we who belong to Jesus Christ are "not of this world." We are as strangers in a strange land - that of late - has almost become even more unrecognizable than ever before - especially when compared to the original intentions of our Founding Fathers.

Father, they dedicated all that they did and accomplished to You. They gave you thanks and praise all through the good, the bad and the ugly things that they endured. It was You, in fact, against all odds and despite setbacks and dire circumstances led them in creating this great nation. They credited their ability to bring forth this free nation of the United States of America because of You and Who You Are. You are the great I AM. Without You, I am nothing. Without You, our nation is nothing. Without You, we can accomplish nothing good in this world.

I come before you today with a very heavy heart. I am on my knees, asking ever so fervently for Your intervention, if it be within your Will, to save our nation from the dire consequences that are to come because of disobedience, sin, evil, and the culture of death that is currently being promoted by an illegitimate POTUS and ungodly government.

Father God, I pray that you will show us the way to be released from this burden. I pray that whatever needs to be done, will be done to Your ultimate glory.

When Jesus taught us to pray, part of what he said was, "...thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." This is my prayer today. I pray that you will hear the cries of the millions of people in this nation who recognize what is happening and the evil that is overtaking our land.

Your Word tells us:

2Ch 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, in this great nation are called by Your precious name.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, are humbling themselves before you.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, are praying to you today.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, seek your face.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, repent and turn from our wicked ways.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, reverently ask that You will hear us from heaven.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, ask that you will forgive our multitude of sin.

Lord, I, and I pray millions more, ask that You will heal our land.

I, and all who come here and agree with this prayer ask all of this in the Name of Your precious Son, our Savior, Lord, and King, Jesus Christ.
Amen.


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HT: ZachJonesIsHome

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Update @ 9:28 a.m. PT -

Maybe an answer to prayer already? The Betrayal: OBAMA BECAME A U.S. CITIZEN AT AGE 19

Guest Blogger: Susan Smith

Talk Wisdom's guest blogger for today is Susan Smith. She is the author of a weekly newsletter called, "Life in Israel - One Body." I met Susan via Stephen Bennett's blog way back in 2004. At the time, she was working for a Christian organization in Israel called "Bridges for Peace." We have been corresponding ever since.

When Susan was living and working in Israel, the newsletter was named, "Life in Israel." Upon returning, Susan explains the new name of her newsletter:

This writer lived in the city of Jerusalem on earth for five years (2002-2007).
You read about my personal life during those years and God provided many divine encounters with taxi drivers, Israelis and one man studying to be a rabbi in particular. You heard about encounters with other Christian volunteers from all over the world. The Lord did very important and crucial spiritual work in my personal life during those years.”

Because I am convinced the one Church body and Israel are one and the same, spiritually speaking, I changed the name to “Life in Israel-One Body.”

Susan's writing has blessed me (as well as all of her subscribers around the world) immensely over the past four years. I have shared several of her past newsletters here at this blog.

Today, I am presenting two of her most recent newsletters together in one post. It is a marvelous way to start the new year of 2009 - with the heartfelt, Jesus-loving, Bible-based wisdom that is contained and shared in Susan Smith's wonderful writings!

It is my prayer that you are blessed by these two marvelous essays as much as I have been!

In Christ,
Christine

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Life in Israel-One Body 26Dec08



Have you ever received a Christmas present that causes pain? This year has brought the most shameful and painful gift into my life. In order to grow spiritually, we often have to face pain. Emotional pain hurts as well as physical pain. Jesus is our healer. The Holy Spirit is gentle. He never forces us to face an issue in our lives. We always have a choice. Are there things in your life that you need to work through with God?



The grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus the Messiah, the Father’s Son, will be with you in truth and love (2John 3) as you work through issues in your life. We can trust God. Even when others have hurt us, and we feel we can trust no one. We can trust God. Even when we believe or think no one can possibly understand, we can trust Jesus. The Lord knows our hearts.



All the days designed and intended for you were written in the Lord’s book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). Is that hard for you to believe? Every Word of God is pure and flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him (Proverbs 30:5). Do you trust God? I do. He is a safeguard to those who put their trust in him.



So exactly what is this painful Christmas gift acknowledged by my heart? I have received one of the most excruciating and embarrassing revelations ever before in my life. I believe this revelation is from God. This is necessary. I must deal with it. The healing of my broken heart continues from sin that has touched my life. Praise God for his gentleness, his kindness and his grace. Too much light can blind a person. So often in our lives, we are unable to receive more light from God. In a sense there are obstacles to our sight just as there are obstacles to our spiritual growth. Only the love of God can remove the veil that covers our heart (2 Corinthians 3:14-15). Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).



Two weeks ago we talked about hearts of stone. My heart is more pliable today than it was two weeks ago. Shameful memories from childhood can become demonic strongholds in our thoughts. I was in my forties before the sexual abuse by a brother during my early childhood was ever revealed to another human being. The memories of what happened were repressed and denied. These memories affected my behavior as an adult. I will be 60 next year.



Over the past two weeks there has been some unexpected feedback to this newsletter. One was from a doctoral candidate. This reader is working on her PhD dissertation. I have known her personally for more than 10 years, and her words of encouragement seemed like manna from heaven. Another message was from a reader in the State of Georgia whom I do not know personally. God’s timing is always perfect! The Lord used these two readers in a mighty way to encourage and lead me forward regarding the direction of these newsletters.



Following Jesus is often like stepping stones in our lives. We move from one to another as the Lord directs. The steps are always according to his good will and purpose. They are also according to his perfect timing. There is no running! By God’s grace we learn to wait on the Lord, and we learn to be strong (Psalm 27:14).



My waiting was difficult. It seemed very hard at times, but the Lord is my God. By his grace we have been saved, through faith . . . it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Our faith is a gift from God every day. Praise the Lord. My salvation happens over and over again. I was saved yesterday, I am being saved today, and I will be saved tomorrow! Following Jesus is a daily walk for every believer. This specific “waiting” period for me began in the newsletter dated 14Nov08. More than a month ago you read:



For the past week I have had a bit of a struggle in my soul (mind, will and emotions) regarding the direction of this newsletter. To open my heart a bit, it concerns my biological family. One of my professors at Columbia International University (CIU) has been lecturing about different family structures and how family systems work. The Lord has used some of Dr. Wagner’s words to touch my heart deeply.



Dr. Wagner was a guest speaker this fall during chapel at my school. You can see a photo of Dr. Larry Wagner at this web page http://www.ciu.edu/graduate/faculty/bio.php?id=32. During the chapel message he quoted someone and said, “We can never be free from what we are unwilling to name.” That quote touched my heart for some unknown reason so during our next class meeting I asked Dr. Wagner for the source of his quote.



God has used the answer to my question to lead me in amazing ways over the past two months. Dr. Wagner recommended a book called Leading with a Limp. The writer is Dan Allender. Dr. Dan Allender received a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary and his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University. Currently, he serves as Professor of Counseling and President of Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, Washington.



When I ordered Leading with a Limp from Amazon online, there were several books written by Dan Allender. I also ordered The Wounded Heart: Hope for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. This second book has unleashed a flood of emotions in my soul, and the Lord is using it tremendously to heal me more from the inside out. Let me share two things from this book:



A father who uses his daughter as a surrogate wife or confidante has bound his daughter’s heart to him in a subtly sexual way . . . the damage may not be overt, and in fact the daughter may feel so special that she would defend to her death the appropriateness of her father’s interactions. It is nevertheless abusive . . . The fact that sexual abuse can be subtle ought not cloud our perspective that it is equally abusive and damaging.



“Damaged” is how I have often felt as a woman. What exploded like a bomb shell inside my heart later in Allender’s book was this: “The child that is set apart for abuse is usually hated for his or her privileges by the other siblings. The child who feels different because of the abuse is then even further alienated due to the sibling jealousy.” He then wrote, “The silence is rarely broken . . . It remains a dark secret for years, if not forever.”



Jesus came to heal the broken hearted (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1). God prepared my heart and I was able to receive the truth. Jesus heals (Psalm 103:3). I am ready to break the silence. What a wonderful, yet painful Christmas gift this is to my heart and soul. We will continue next week as the Lord leads. Have a wonderful New Year’s holiday. ~ Susan Smith

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Life in Israel-One Body 02Jan09


This newsletter will end for a while after today. My spirit, soul and body need a break. When we meet again, my plan is to share much more with you as the Lord leads. Since completing the course called Psychopathology, I am convinced the spiritual realm and the mental realm of our lives are closely related if not one and the same.



There is evidence of this supposition in my personal life and in the lives of others in my family. Les Parrot is a professor of clinical psychology and Leslie Parrot is a marriage and family therapist. In their book entitled Relationships, they talk about intimacy:



If you try to find intimacy with another person before achieving a sense of identity of your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself . . . when you come to a relationship lacking personal self-worth, all you can offer is neediness.



Wow! Drs. Les and Leslie tell about the “emotional baggage” we bring from our first homes on earth to our adult relationships. “No other relationship shapes who we are more than our family. Most of what we think, feel, say, and do is in response to the home we grew up in.”



No wonder Jesus said, “You must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). Every believer must be changed from within by a new way of thinking. You must “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Every mind and heart has been stained with sin during childhood. Only a supernatural power can change the way we think. We live in a fallen world, but we have a choice every day. The evil one can change the way we think as adults, or the Holy Spirit can renew our minds and transform our lives. We are slaves to the one we obey (Romans 6:16). Do you understand?



The feedback to last week’s newsletter has been overwhelming. Thank you for responding. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). The outpouring of love and encouragement expressed by my brothers and sisters in Christ who read last week’s newsletter has been incredible. “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). I stand amazed at the awesomeness of God’s love expressed by his people all over the world. Thank you. Your inspired words have brought great comfort to my soul.



Have you ever felt as though you are in over your head? You know what I mean. It is like biting off more than you can chew. We all have our limitations, and there are times we all need a break. It is painful to receive light that exposes our sin and the sin of those we love deeply. There are times we must be still and wait.



There are times we must be still and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10). We must stop our activity and be silent. Dan Allender expresses this so well in a book called Bold Love:



The key is that the silence that dawns in light of seeing your own sin does not discount the damage of others’ sin. It simply puts it, for a time, in the background, where it waits to be addressed when our own heart is less disposed to judge and rage at another’s failure.



That time of being still to know and the place for being silent in God’s light has arrived for Susan Smith. Allender says, “Silence is required for deep change . . . the silence that deeply changes our heart is the hush that comes when we are caught in our hatred and found to be without excuse.”



God has loaded my plate with delicious food as I continue to learn at Columbia International University (CIU). This week I have had another taste of something that is very important. What I have learned is true for you too. Wherever God has you is where he wants you for his good will and purpose. The mighty God of Israel never makes a mistake. He loves us with an everlasting love. The Lord has led me to CIU in order for me to receive more healing for my heart and soul as well as to prepare me for the future. God took me to Jerusalem for five years to heal my heart as well as to work with Bridges for Peace in the accounting department. My healing continues.



Dan Allender tells a bit about how God loves us: “He dares, in fact, to tear us away from all presumptions of logic, fairness, safety, and normalcy . . . He will have His way and invites us to join Him in the mystery of relationship.” Scripture tells us to ask, seek and knock; we are then assured that we will receive, find and the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7). There is only one door to life. Jesus said, “I am the door” (John 10:9).



The evangelist, James Robison, said in 1989 that no matter how active we are or how diligently we “serve the Lord,” if we do not know him, and live in intimate fellowship with him, then we are not in the center of his will, and we will not experience the mainstream of his blessings and power. I agree. What James Robison said is true for you and for me.



I believe with all of my heart that God has placed me in school during this season for his good will and purpose. I am to learn. I am also to receive more healing in my heart and soul. The Lord can choose to use us to touch hearts and lives no matter where we are or what we are doing.



The land of my life needs to be healed. God’s healing is continuous if we choose to receive. The land and life of my country, the United States of America, needs to be healed. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Does your life need to be healed? Does your country need healing?



We must always remember the correct order according to God’s Word. We must humble ourselves first. The second step is to pray and seek God’s face. The third step is to turn from our wicked ways. Then the Lord will hear from heaven; he will forgive our sin, and he will heal our land. No other order will work. Humility comes first.



Only in humility can we pray and seek God’s face. Only in humility by the grace of God are we able to turn from our wicked ways. Let us pray together, as Jesus the Messiah taught his disciples, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We will meet again after today. For now, the Lord is leading me to be still and silent for a season as I seek and ask for his mercy. Shabbat Shalom, until we meet again...

Washington's Prayers

While reading a small booklet entitled "What They Believed: The Faith of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln," (written and compiled by the late D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.), I noticed a segment entitled, "His (referring to Washington) Fervent Prayers."

Kennedy wrote:

Washington's prayers underscore his fervent evangelical faith. In one, Washington confesses his "heinous" sins.

O most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins, but so coldly and and carelessly, that my prayers are become my sins and stand in need of pardon...

His sin was what he perceived to be a lack of fervency in his own prayers.

Or note this prayer:

I have sinned against heaven and before thee, in thought, word, & deed; I have contemned thy majesty and holy laws. I have likewise sinned by omitting what I ought to have done, and committing what I ought not. I have rebelled against the light, despised thy mercies and judgments, and broken my vows and promises; I have neglected the means of Grace, and opportunities of becoming better; my iniquities are multiplied, and my sins are very great. I confess them, O Lord, with shame and sorrow, detestation and loathing, and desire to be vile in my own eyes, as I have rendered myself vile in thine. I humbly beseech thee to be merciful to me in the free pardon of my sins, for the sake of thy dear Son, my only saviour, J.C. [Jesus Christ], who came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance..."

How much more evangelical could any prayer be?

In another prayer, another "grievous" sin is confessed:

I have done thy work, yet it hath been so negligently that I may rather expect a curse than a blessing from thee. But, O God, who art rich in mercy and plenteous in redemption, mark not, I beseech thee, what I have done amiss; remember that I am but dust, and remit my transgressions, negligences & ignorances, and cover them all with the absolute obedience of thy dear Son..."

What was his sin? He had done the work of the Lord, but he had done it negligently, so much so that he asked God to forgive him for the Christian work he had done. Many today, if they do anything at all for God, are demanding some sort of reward from Him!

There are many more incredible prayers that came from Washington's pen, indicating the source, the wellspring of faith in the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, the sacrifice at Calvary, and the perfect righteousness of Christ with which he was clothed.