Hang in There (part I)

I feel as though God is taking me and my family through some things right now.  The reason we are going through is so that we can be better prepared to do bigger and better things for the Kingdom in the future.  I have to tell you that this is not always an enjoyable process.  But God is continuously talking to me through other believers.  I have received several messages of encouragement over the past couple of months and this time I wanted to share a couple with you.  I don't know if you are struggling with anything right now.  But I do know that God is in control and He is right there with you.  The first message I received was from a friend on Facebook. I'll simply post it the way that I received it. I think that you will be blessed by it.


I was lost, but now I am FOUND! Got Jesus?
by Allen Mark Taylor

Matthew 4:1-4 - Man does not live on bread alone
NIV
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
KJ
Notice the Scripture states that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. In ancient times, the desert is equated with a place incapable of sustaining life. Matthew (with Luke and Mark) is stating that Jesus was going into a place where His only hope would be in God. Notice that the journey into the desert was the first act in the ministry of Jesus after His baptism.

Do you feel like you are in a wilderness? We may think that we are being set up for destruction, but God is training us to live a life of dependence upon Him and not our surroundings. This was the path of Jesus and we should not be surprised that this is a part of our journey as well.





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Hang in There (part II)

I received this one as an email from my brother.  It is a daily devotional called "Marketplace Leaders".  The message is below:

Jehovah Jireh

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2
by Os Hillman

"But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs" (Phil 2:25-26).

I got onto the bus with the other delegates attending a workplace conference in South Africa . It was a season in my life in which I had experienced many losses both financially and relationally. God was stripping away the old wineskin and creating a new one. One of the things He was teaching me was that He - not my skills, not my work - was my provider of financial needs during this season of training.

God provided me the means to attend the conference. One day before the registration deadline, a man came to my office and gave me $2500 and told me I was to go. Now, a man had just placed an envelope into my hand. "Here, God says I'm to give this to you. Inside are 10 crisp American $100 bills - $1000!" The man was from Kuwait .

Every believer needs to come to know Christ as their provider. Jehovah Jireh means God is my provider. When God called the Israelites from their place of slavery they had to walk through the desert. There is no way to earn a living in the desert. So God provided manna each day for them. Sometimes He even brought water from rocks. They had to experience a new way of gaining provision that was not rooted in sweat and toil. God had to demonstrate His faithfulness as Jehovah Jireh to His people.

There were times when Paul's tent making business was not the way God would provide for him. God often uses others as His instrument of provision. So, God sent Epaphroditus to take care of Paul's needs.

Do you know God as your provider? Do you have a need? Place your need before the Lord today and ask Him to demonstrate His faithfulness as Jehovah Jireh.


To subscribe to this daily devotional, click here: TGIF




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Christian Rapper of the Week: Evangel

video credit: FourthFridays

Album Credits:
Espository Journey (2008)

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KREATIVE BLOGGER AWARD

THE MAN EDITION

                                            
                                               picture credit by:  tdc1767

I am happy to report that I received a KREATIVE BLOGGER AWARD from my friend Anna.  All praise to God for this blessing.  Anna is the wonderful writer behind the Wrestling with God blog. Anna and I just became blog friends over the past week and she has quickly become a blessing to me. She was a little concerned about it being a girly logo, so I made it the "Man Edition"!  I hope I do not offend the original creator of such an honor.  Check out Anna's blog when you get a chance. I know you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award
2. Copy and paste the award on your own blog
3. Link the person who nominated you.
4. Name seven things about yourself that folks may not know.
5. Nominate seven Kreativ bloggers
6. Post links to the seven bloggers you nominate
7. Leave comments on each of the blogs letting them know that you have nominated them!

Here are 7 things that you may not know about me.

1. I am a licensed minister that lives in the San Antonio area. I have been a minister since 2001 and it is my prayer that I will have the opportunity to pursue the ministry full time in the near future.

2. I am a car salesman in my secular job. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? I work for a high-end dealership in San Antonio. Always remember to be nice to your salesmen! There are a LOT of Christians in the business!

3. I am a huge football fan. I am originally from Louisiana, so my favorite collage team is LSU out of the SEC conference. My delima is that I married into a UT (Longhorns)family so I have to cheer for Texas as long as they are not playing an SEC school. So far so good in that one, but may God help us if LSU ever plays UT in the BCS championship! My favorite pro team is the New Orleans Saints (who are 5-0 as of yesterday!). Hopefully they will continue to play well this year.

4. I have been married for 7 years to my beautiful wife and we have a 6 year old son (If you search through the blog you can find out what their names are). I can only imagine what life would be like without them... and it does not appeal to me at all. I do ask that you will pray for us all as we continue to strive to be the man, woman, and child that God would have us to be.

5. I graduated from Grambling State University in Louisiana with a degree in Marketing. Our mascot is the tiger (check the graphic above).  GSU has produced such great football names as Eddie Robinson, Doug Williams, Trumaine Johnson, and the Earnie "the Big Cat" Ladd. GSU is also well known for having one of the best four year Nursing programs in the state.

6. If you want to make me happy, feed me seafood. Give me fried catfish, gumbo, po-boy sandwiches, and dirty rice; and we will stay friends forever.

7. I truly want to be the man, father, husband, friend, and Christian that God wants me to be. It is through the grace of God that I have a wonderful testimony. And it is my prayer that I can share that testimony and God's love with as many people as possible.


Now, my seven favorite blogs. These are the blogs that I check out nearly every day. They are very diverse and they keep me well rounded. Here's my list in no particular order:

1. Different Frequencies...Same Radio. Dan is active duty Navy and full time on fire for the Lord. He is usually the first one to comment on my blog and I always know where I can get some encouragement.

2. I'm Speaking Truth. This one is not for the faint of heart. Truth is an advocate for challenging the church to remember what the true word of God is. Reading his blog reminds me that I have a responsibility to proclaim God's word correctly and live my life accordingly at ALL times.

3. Urban Resurgence. This is a blog that I have recently started following and enjoying. David is my brother from Austin, Texas (just one hour down highway 35). I definately admire his passion for the Lord and his appreciation of quality Christian rap music.

4. The Prodigal Daughter. This is Di's blog. It is best stated in her own words:
"A website offering a safe environment to share about the pain of pastoral sexual misconduct and the hope that exists within the healing journey." Di has given voice to the pain that a lot of women (and men) have felt as a result of trusting those who have proven to be untrustworthy. I keep her on my blogroll because she can help someone that I may not be able to reach because I have not gone through what she has gone through. Her blog is extremely important.

5. Two Common Thieves. Mark and Misty have the wonderful testimony of deliverance from addiction and are living witnesses that you can make it out. I second that testimony in my own life as well. Thank you guys for being so open and forthcoming. Check them out to find out how God changed them.

6. Solus Christus> Rev. Renaldo Mendes is a Pastor living and spreading the word of God in Brazil. His posts are always challenging and thoughtful. He is also a wonderful encourager of "All These Things".

7. Seth's Blog. This gentleman does not need the publicity, but his blog and books are an excellent source of business growth ideas.

Thanks again to Anna for the award and I hope you will go out and enjoy these blogs as much as I do. As always...

Peace and Love,

Rev Mike

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