Crossroads

[purpledove]

The sovereign LORD is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer... -Habakkuk 3:19

 

[purpledove]

Has anyone heard of Greg Laurie? How a li'l boy was raised by a mom who was having different relationships. How he was exposed to domestic violence and alcoholism! How a teenager in the 80's used LSD. How he was refusing initially to heed the Bible! How he was transformed! How he preached to the hip hops of his time! Now a pastor at a well known congregation/church. The title of his book is 'The Lost Boy' It truly is an easy read and an interesting read too :thumbup

Attaching the video link. A movie was also made based from the Lost Boy book/story

http://youtu.be/3X1DsztvQdI

 

[Diggin Deep]

Has anyone heard of Greg Laurie? How a li'l boy was raised by a mom who was having different relationships. How he was exposed to domestic violence and alcoholism! How a teenager in the 80's used LSD. How he was refusing initially to heed the Bible! How he was transformed! How he preached to the hip hops of his time! Now a pastor at a well known congregation/church. The title of his book is 'The Lost Boy' It truly is an easy read and an interesting read too :thumbup

Attaching the video link. A movie was also made based from the Lost Boy book/story

http://youtu.be/3X1DsztvQdI

I have not heard of him or his story. I will check it out for sure. I have heard many stories like his when I was involved in prison ministry.

Thanks :thumbup

 

[purpledove]

I have not heard of him or his story. I will check it out for sure. I have heard many stories like his when I was involved in prison ministry.

Thanks :thumbup

Yeah, I've recommended this book to many friends who have family or friends in prison. I sent one to a friend too one time when he got incarcerated.

 

[purpledove]

A daily devotional from Greg Laurie:

Why We Should Keep Praying


Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words."
— Daniel 10:12


Have you ever had a time when you prayed about something and there was no answer from heaven? You were praying a lot about a certain situation, and it seemed as though God wasn't listening to your prayer. Let me say that He is listening. And there may be a number of reasons He did not answer you as quickly as you had hoped.

A spiritual battle may be raging that you know nothing about. There is a supernatural realm that functions right alongside the natural realm. There is a thin wall that divides us. And in this supernatural world, things are happening when we pray that we often know very little about.

In the Book of Daniel we find a fascinating story in which Daniel is praying and an angel arrives. The angel said, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words" (Daniel 10:12). Then he essentially told Daniel the reason for the delay in Daniel's prayer being answered: "Twenty-one days ago, your prayer was heard in heaven, and an answer was sent. I was bringing the answer, and I was stopped by a high-ranking demon that opposed me. So the great archangel Michael was dispatched to deliver me from this dilemma. And then I was freed to bring the answer to you."

If you are praying for something and haven't received an answer as quickly as you wanted, maybe a spiritual battle has been raging. So just remember this: God's delays are not necessarily His denials. Just because an answer hasn't come as quickly as you would like does not mean that it never will come at all. So keep praying!

 

[Diggin Deep]

Remodel

God, show me how to get out of the way and make room for you in my life.

READ
Matthew 3:8

REFLECT
Today’s verse says that the result of repentance (changing your beliefs and turning to God) is fruit. In Galatians 5:22-23, this fruit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Sometimes repentance is just about getting out of your own way and making room for the fruit of the Spirit.

Here’s what someone recently said about repentance:

“I always think of repentance as raising the white flag...My attitude is that I am someone who needs saving and God is the one who saves.”

RESPOND
Is there something that keeps coming to mind as you read about repentance? Something you want to change or something you at least want to talk to God about changing? Take a minute to raise the white flag and ask God if there’s anything he wants you to surrender.

 

[Diggin Deep]

A daily devotional from Greg Laurie:

Why We Should Keep Praying


Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words."
— Daniel 10:12


Have you ever had a time when you prayed about something and there was no answer from heaven? You were praying a lot about a certain situation, and it seemed as though God wasn't listening to your prayer. Let me say that He is listening. And there may be a number of reasons He did not answer you as quickly as you had hoped.

A spiritual battle may be raging that you know nothing about. There is a supernatural realm that functions right alongside the natural realm. There is a thin wall that divides us. And in this supernatural world, things are happening when we pray that we often know very little about.

In the Book of Daniel we find a fascinating story in which Daniel is praying and an angel arrives. The angel said, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words" (Daniel 10:12). Then he essentially told Daniel the reason for the delay in Daniel's prayer being answered: "Twenty-one days ago, your prayer was heard in heaven, and an answer was sent. I was bringing the answer, and I was stopped by a high-ranking demon that opposed me. So the great archangel Michael was dispatched to deliver me from this dilemma. And then I was freed to bring the answer to you."

If you are praying for something and haven't received an answer as quickly as you wanted, maybe a spiritual battle has been raging. So just remember this: God's delays are not necessarily His denials. Just because an answer hasn't come as quickly as you would like does not mean that it never will come at all. So keep praying!

Thank you for this!!! Very good devotional!

Never Alone
by Barlow Girl

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

[Chorus:]
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

 

[Diggin Deep]

Redeemed

God, show me more of you today.

READ
Jonah 1 and 2

REFLECT
So what happens when we get this wrong: when we turn away from what we specifically know God wants for us? Well, Jonah ended up vomited out of a whale. (But he’s also rescued from drowning at sea by being swallowed by that same fish. And that’s not even the end of the story.)

When you make a mistake, you don’t need to sit and stew in it, wait it out, hide, disguise or ignore it. And you definitely don’t need to keep it to yourself. Always bring God into it. There’s freedom there.

RESPOND
Ask God for extra chances to turn toward him today. Then take them when they come your way.

 

[freakofnature]

Thank you for this!!! Very good devotional!

Never Alone
by Barlow Girl

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

[Chorus:]
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I love this song. The lyrics are awesome but it's amazing musically as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8QubLxJI54

 

[Diggin Deep]

I love this song. The lyrics are awesome but it's amazing musically as well.

I just heard it for the first time yesterday. At first, I was thinking to myself, "what kind of Christian song is this that would sing about God not being there and then...Eureka!"

Very good song!

 

[freakofnature]

I just heard it for the first time yesterday. At first, I was thinking to myself, "what kind of Christian song is this that would sing about God not being there and then...Eureka!"

Very good song!

I have that album. I think it was their first. Another song I love off that album is this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLxzzZGNm0

 

[Diggin Deep]

I have that album. I think it was their first. Another song I love off that album is this one.

I can't view youtube here at work...what is the name of the song?

 

[freakofnature]

I can't view youtube here at work...what is the name of the song?

You Led Me

 

[purpledove]

Another Blessed day! Thank God for work! Thank God for life!!!!

 

[Diggin Deep]

Another Blessed day! Thank God for work! Thank God for life!!!!

And all of God's people said...Amen!

 

[Diggin Deep]

Revisit

God, thanks for never giving up on me. Thank you that your mercy is new today and will be new tomorrow.

READ
Jonah 3

REFLECT
There’s so much more to Jonah’s story. After he’s thrown over a ship and left to drown, God sends a whale to swallow him. He’s safe (but smelly) inside the fish for three days until he’s vomited onto the shore. There, God tells him to go to Ninevah (again). This time, he does it. He stops, changes, and follows God. Then once he gets to Nineveh, he leads those people into doing the same thing.

Repentance doesn’t need to be a big, fish-swallowing event. Here’s what someone has to say about repentance:

“I want repentance to be a daily exercise for me. I ache to see it as something woven into the fabric of my relationship with Christ. I want it to be a sustainable habit. I understand I’m in progress. That shouldn’t surprise me.”

RESPOND
Ask God to help you take another step toward Him.

 

[Diggin Deep]

Receive

God, I understand that I’m a work in progress. Help me to take another step toward you today.

READ
Psalm 51

REFLECT
Repentance doesn’t stop with changing. Repentance requires receiving.

David is definitely a guy who has something to say about receiving. He started out golden: he saved his people by killing a giant against all odds and was to be the next king of his people. When he becomes king, he falls in love with another man’s wife and, instead of stopping, turning and changing (because he knows it’s a bad choice), he schemes a way to murder the man by placing him on the front lines of warfare, guaranteeing his death.

When David’s friend Nathan comes to him and shows him the reality of the situation, David understands the gravity of what he’s done. He knows the consequence of his actions and also the power of God to restore him. That’s the context for Psalm 51.

RESPOND
Read through Psalm 51 again. Pay attention to the way the language changes. Verses 10 through 12 are a great example of receiving, so you might choose to pray that for yourself. Instead of reading it as David’s prayer, ask God to make it yours.

 

[Diggin Deep]

Relax

God, I want to trust your promises for me. Would you speak to me today about your plan for my life?

READ
Matthew 11:28-30

REFLECT
Last week we talked about repentance: what it means to stop what we’re doing, raise the white flag and tell God that we need more of him than we thought we did. Then we let Him change and mold our hearts (just like David asked God to do in Psalm 51).

Thank goodness God doesn’t leave the ones he loves in some sorry, crumpled, dejected state. Instead, when we come to Him, he invites us to simply relax in his love. We don’t have to earn God’s love and we can’t lose it just because we made a mistake. His love is freely given to us for the taking. That’s the definition of grace.

RESPOND
Take a few minutes to think about whether you’re ready, or even willing, to receive all that God has for you. If you are, thank God for that. If you’re not, ask God to talk to you about it.

 

[purpledove]

I need prayers please.

I am so struggling with the fact that I had a misunderstanding with this forum male friend who's a Christian himself. Given our past misunderstandings I've never betrayed his trust. I have informed him of the transactions i deal with others when it was regarding him i talk about. What i can expose about him, it surely will ruin his reputation here at forum given what he had done and words he had blurted out and name calling in his anger about his female friends in particular. I have kept his secrets of the things he tells about his friends here There's 2 particular female friends of his he had done this besides others. I have disliked that about him as I feel it's a non-Christian way to deal with things and shows his lack of respect for women. I feel like he pretends too much to befriend these ladies now whilst what he had told me about them :ninja

I am so tempted to expose him as I have learned he had betrayed my trust. I am torn given i know if i expose him, that would be non-Chrsitian like of me as I know i should forgive and forget. I have given my apology for what I have done on my part in this misunderstanding. He however given he's not faultless too had not which was acceptable to me as that's his prerogative. My biggie is his betrayal of my trust and I feel so vindictive that if he can do such things why can't i go the same route to save my reputation too ? Is he the only one who has that right? Juz coz I am a Christian I cant do the same thing? But he's a Christian himself :ninja

Help please. I need to be stronger than I am now :willy_nilly:

 

[Kyle B]

I remember watching Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ...stirring images...how he suffered...the pain...wondering what it was like in those days. someone being sent to be crucified...the pain again hits the pit of your stomach....

At church on good friday, we usually sing "The Old Rugged Cross". It's a beautiful song which expresses Jesus' suffering for all. :thumbup