Archive for February 5th, 2008
Laying On Hands in Walmart’s by Gene McGuire (Sunday, February 10, 2008)
READ: THE BLOOD ON MY BEDPOSTS! HERE
“…..according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:20)
COMMENT: Isn’t it quite a thrill when God uses you in an unexpected but marvelous way? Well, Saturday I had one of those experiences. I was shopping at Wal Mart – not recommended on the weekend because of the crowds – about to purchase some antacid. There was a woman standing next to me pondering what she should buy. For some reason, she started telling me the symptoms she had and that doctors could not find the problem. She inquired as to which antacid she should take. Well, I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV; however, after a few minutes I asked her if she had consulted Jesus, The Great Physician? And then, in the mist of a crowded Wal Mart store, I laid hands on her and prayed for her healing. I have been saved for about 25 years and I don’t recall ever doing that before. I didn’t care who was around because I knew we were in the presence of the Lord. Driving home, I tried to figure out how I had the boldness to do what I did. I thought about the inspirational CD I was given with the songs my church choir will sing Easter morning. I played that CD in the car continuously all day long. Then another thought came to me. For the first time in a long while, I had prayed in tongues for a half hour before leaving home. No matter what it was, I am still rejoicing that the Holy Spirit prompted me to do what I did and that I was obedient. Now I want to get something straight. . . .I’m not “all that”. I’m just the branch and Jesus is the Vine.You and I can do no good works unless we are abiding in Him. (John 15:5)
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Mark 16:18, Ephesians 3:12 and 6:19
WISE SAYING: GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO MINISTER TO OTHERS. MAKE THE MOST OF THEM MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS.(gene mcguire)
Dealing Wise by Gene McGuire (Saturday, February 9, 2008)
“Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may deal wisely and prosper in all that you do.” (Deuteronomy 29:9)
COMMENT: There are many old sayings that have meanings which have been lost in antiquity. I’ve been told that the phrase “Raining cats and dogs” goes back to the time when people kept their house pets on their thatched roofs. When it would rain, the animals would slip off the roof and fall to the ground. How about this one? “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” Supposedly, this one came about when people didn’t bathe too often. When they did, they all used the same water starting with the eldest to the youngest. When the baby took a bath, the water was so dirty that the family had to make sure that he/she would not be thrown out with that murky liquid. I know you have heard the expression “Poor as a church mouse.” I just suppose that this adage is implying that the church was so poor that a mouse living there had to do a whole lot of “fasting”. Many people misinterpret James’ comment on the “medium of exchange”. He didn’t say money is the root of all evil, he said “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The Bible is replete with scriptures which tell believers that there is nothing wrong with prospering. Here is just a sampling: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”(3 John 2), “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself”. (Proverbs 11:25) and “. . . And let them say continually “….let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”(Psalm 35:27b) In Matthew 6:24 we Christian are reminded, once more, as James reminded us: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in)” (Matthew 6:24)
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Psalm 118:25, Proverbs 3:9,10, Proverbs 8:18 and Luke 6:38
WISE SAYING: OBEDIENCE LEADS TO ABUNDANCE. (Pastor Amos Dodge)
Jesus Doesn’t Have All the Power by Gene McGuire (Friday, February 8, 2008)
HILLSONG CHRISTIAN MUSIC ARTISTS
“All power is given unto Me (Jesus) in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18 King James)
COMMENT: A couple of months ago we had Mark Gorman as a guest speaker at our Church; he really opened our eyes to something of which many Christians, yours truly included, are not aware. I used the King James Version in our Lead Scripture on purpose. The word “power” is better translated “authority”. Jesus doesn’t have all the power in the world. The devil has power. Our guest speaker pointed out that what happened in 9/11 shows very clearly that the devil does have power. However, Jesus has ALL AUTHORITY! Now how much does that leave for us believers? If you said NONE, you are right!!!! (Please don’t get upset and immediately delete this message; hang in there with me.) Remember what the Centurion said to Jesus in Matthew 8:9? “For I also am a man under authority having soldiers under me.” Being under authority he was able to give orders to the troops and they obeyed. him. There is a difference between power and authority. Mark used this illustration: Let’s consider a gun as power and the permit to use it as authority. Authority is not stagnant. . . . .it flows. When we are submitted to Jesus, that is under His authority, His authority flows to us. Scripture tells us to submit ourselves to the Lord and the devil will flee from you. (James 4:7) If we are not “submitted (yielded to His authority)” Jesus’ authority cannot flow to us and the devil will not flee.
SCRIPTURE STUDY:Matthew 6:33 and Matthew 8:5-13
WISE SAYING:THE ONE WHO KNEELS TO THE LORD CAN STAND UP TO ANYTHING.
POST SCRIPT: Visit Mark Gorman at www.markgorman.com See how God is using this anointed Ministry.
Jesus I Believe In You! (With All I Am) by Hillsong (Music Video)
You Don’t Want Fifty Percent Off! by Gene McGuire (Thursday, February 7, 2008)
“I (Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows.)” (John 10:10 Amp. Bible)
COMMENT: The other day I was startled by the following sports headline: “Woods beats players, kills event” When I dug into the accompanied article, it was a real eye-opener. It seems as if Tiger Woods is so good that tournaments in which he is not participating have a very difficult time finding financial sponsors. For instance, Woods hasn’t played in the International Tournament in Denver since 1999 and its demise has just been announced by the PGA Tour Commissioner. TV fans and those who attend golf matches in person have very little interest in any event in which Woods is not participating. While I was reading this article, I asked the Lord how could I use this in my daily message. The thought He gave me was so obvious that I wondered why it didn’t come to me immediately. I guess I couldn’t see the forest for the Woods. But seriously, in the same manner that no golfer can come close to Tiger on the golf links, no one and absolutely nothing can come close to Jesus when it comes to helping people lead successful and overcoming lives here on earth……not Buddha, Confucius, Mohammad, or anyone else. When Our Lord is an intricate part of our lives, we dwell in righteousness, peace and joy and get a little preview of Heaven right here on earth before the real thing comes along. Nonbelievers are not the only ones missing out on the abundant life Jesus promises in our Lead Scripture; believers who have Jesus as their Savior but neglect to allow Him to be their Lord suffer deprivation also.
SCRIPTURE STUDY: Matthew 6:34, John 14:27, 16:33 and Romans 8:37
WISE SONG LYRICS: I WILL COME AND BOW DOWN AT YOUR FEET LORD JESUS. IN YOUR PRESENCE THERE IS FULLNESS OF JOY. THERE IS NOTHING, THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN COMPARE WITH YOU. I TAKE PLEASURE IN WORSHIPPING YOU LORD.
Looking Down Your Nose by Gene McGuire (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . .” (Romans 12:2)
COMMENT: Now be completely honest with me on this one. I’m going to describe a situation and I want you to tell me how you ordinarily respond to it. O.K.? You are driving on the highway at the speed limit; as you look through your rear view mirror you see a “brigade” of cars approaching you going about 15 miles above the limit. When they reach you, do you make a decision to join them, thinking that the police couldn’t stop all of you to give you tickets? O.K. I will square with you, I sadly say that I often choose to join the group. Now don’t look down your nose at me! Are you completely innocent? Well, let’s move away from that subject, it’s getting too hot! The point I am trying to make is that we live in a fallen society and we continually see ungodly things accepted as legitimate. For instance, the other day I heard an announcement that some movie star and her boy friend are expecting to have a baby as if it were a perfectly acceptable situation. The world system is continually giving us instructions as to how to live our lives. We cleanse our bodies daily because they get dirty; likewise, we should cleanse our minds with God’s Word daily because of the filth we encounter day in and day out. Don’t join that “fast crowd”!
