In His Presence (Dr. Tony Evans)

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The Only Worthwhile Purpose

In His Presence: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly

(John 10:10).

Have you been duped when it comes to purpose?

The only purpose worth living for is God’s purpose.

Paul said: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of

the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”

(Philippians 3:14).

If you live with this goal in mind, God will change the way you live.

You will stop just being alive and you will start to really live.You will live

the abundant life through God’s grace because you aren’t just living for yourself

anymore.

You are not here for you, but for God.

You will have stability. You can get off the roller coaster of emotions that comes

 when you live according to your circumstances. Even when things are bad,

 you are good because God is good.

When Jesus was asleep on the boat in the middle of the storm, His disciples asked,

“How can He sleep at a time like this?” Jesus could sleep peacefully because

He knew where He was going-He was going to the other side.

One of the great blessings of living in purpose is that you can rest.

You can rest because you know ALL things

will be used for God’s purpose,and you can rest

because you know you are going toward God.

You will be provided for. God always supplies that which He has ordained.

If you are outside of His purpose, you have to take care of yourself.

But if you are walking in His purpose, He will meet all your needs.

***One Minute Please

 Following God’s purpose may not change your place in life,

but it will change the way you live your life.

Watch Online Videos of Dr. Tony Evans and The Urban Alternative at LightSource.com

and

Listen to Dr. Tony Evans Online Broadcasts at OnePlace.com.












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Peace and Hope Referees Anxiety & Uncertainty

				

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Get to know me as I share this experience with you. I pray that it encourages you to “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”




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Accept What God Allows

				

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Today is a beautiful day here in Atlana. The sun is shining, there is a pleasant breeze flowing through the atmosphere and most of all I am alive and well to engage in the various activities today will offer.  Life is good.


I was reading the 11, 12 & 13th chapters of Job in my devotional time.  I remember thinking “Lord why am I reading this book.” Now if I was not obedient to His Sovereignty over my life I would have missed this blessing I am about to tell you of. It pays to LET GOD LEAD. A daily surrendered heart to the finished work @ Calvary keeps God in the leadership position. It also keeps me engaged in a conqueror lifestyle.


Job’s life exemplifies the value of a consistent presence of HOPE. He lost everything -wife, kids, job, home, good health, friends etc. – with no prior warning. It just happened to him, one loss after another. To make matters worse, he had 3 associates coming to him with various ideologies that supposed the idea they knew why Job’s life fell apart. Throughout all of the hardships Job encountered, he maintained an attitude of HOPE and EXPECTANCY.


Now that seems pretty significant to me. I can understand the devastating blows life can hit you with. That can be severe in nature. Job is the prime example of how to ACCEPT WHAT GOD ALLOWS. You see ACCEPTANCE is the answer to all my problems. We have a glaring lesson in the book of Job that supports the thought. All of the loss Job sustained WAS ALLOWED BY GOD. There was a bigger picture available for us to understand. Job’s losses were directly related to a Spiritual lesson between God and the enemy. Job, his wife and children, all of Job’s associates mentioned in the book only had an awareness for what they could see – A LIMITED PERSPECTIVE AT BEST. Yet Job had the willingness to TRUST God in his uncertainty. Why? JOB KNEW GOD IS SOVEREIGN. I think this is why he did not beat the hell out of those accusers. I know the thought must have crossed his mind 🙂


This is a lesson that continues to fuel my own climate for a HOPEFUL outlook day by day. It’s not always easy but it truly does work when you work it.


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Revival: The How & Why of It

				

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How do Christians experience revival? What happens in them that causes such a need? I was presented these questions in a conversation yesterday. The first question’s answer is “faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The second question’s answer is “sin.” We are all born in need of spiritual rebirth. Spiritual revival occurs through faith.


The first question requires some personal identification to our “REVIVAL” experiences. I know what it is to be an ACTIVE participant in sin which directly supports a spirit in need of revival. Sin separates us from God eternally. Salvation revives our spirits and attaches us to the Holy Spirit. This attachment is a Divine characteristic of Christianity. ACTIVE participation in Christianity keeps the spirit revived in three ways:


HOLY SPIRIT - FOIX


    

  1. Prayer to God,through Christ and reading God’s Word, experiencing new life in us through the Holy Spirit.
    2. 

  2. Regular fellowship with other Christians via worship service, Bible study and various gatherings.
    3. 

  3. Consistent service to both Christians and non-Christians via ACTIVE participation in various ministries.
    4. 



The condition of our spirits is well-maintained when these three ACTivities are in place in our weekly routines. Revival denotes a need for a “life source” to infuse its life into lifelessness.  When it is done properly, revival works. Otherwise, the lifelessness continues and the need for revival gradually becomes eliminated by death.   Spiritual revival is solely dependent on Spiritual Life.


The second question reminds me to review the Psalmist’s situation in Psalms 85. This chapter, worth reading, gives us clarity on what happens when sin and disobedience to God’s Word are at hand. But it is REALLY important to notice the element of HOPE in God for restoration. That is key. Hopelessness is a subtle foe. It is a derivative of a sinful lifestyle.


The Old Testament Israelites were notorious for getting deliverance from God and then falling away from God and into the ways active sin.  The natural human condition is to run away from God. Adam and Eve depict this in Genesis 3:8.  New Testament Jews revoked the opportunity to develop faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Therefore, their spiritual revival has not been established and they are waiting for their human, earthly promise of the millennial Kingdom to be instituted by the coming Messiah aka Jesus Christ. There is a Divine divide between the Heavenly promises and the Earthly promises that is necessary to apply to Psalm 85. 


THIS IS TRUE FOR MANKIND: SIN SEPARATES US FROM THE LIFE SOURCE. REVIVAL RESTORES US TO THE LIFE SOURCE. 


JESUS CHRIST IS THE LIFE SOURCE


Faith in His death is the source of the forgiveness of our sin – through prayer on a regular basis. Faith in His burial and resurrection signifies the absolute “new life” experience Christians can experience over the course of their lifetime “in the faith.” We transition from spiritual “death” to spiritual “life” through faith IN HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.




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What A Mighty God We Serve

				

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Can your heart identify to these words? “He is so good to me, oh yes. He gives me victory, oh yes! Oh what a mighty God we serve…….He opens doors for me, oh yes. Doors I’m unable to see, oh yes. Oh what a mighty God we serve.” I woke up with this song of my youth. This tune is not the popular version we know today but one that seems to have vanished from the archives. I learned it in the 70’s.


Hope is the principle we are focused on this month. Yesterday I had a belief in the Giants victory that was fueled by hope. I am sure many of you did as well. At half time they were behind and the Patriots seemed to be gaining momentum going into the third quarter. I remember tweeting after a failed drive that “it was clobbering time” in the Giants camp. (I am a Fantastic 4 fan too!) To my surprise I was right. The game shifted and the Giants went on to win in the last 2 minutes of the game. What an exciting game but it also serves as a lesson in the benefits of HOPE.


My statement was fueled in hope. I hoped that the defense would prevail because of their history. I hoped in Eli being the better leader because of his history. I hoped in the receivers being in sync with Eli and running the field because of their history. The Giants did not start out the season on top but the history of the season yielded significant evidence to fuel my HOPE. We got to see the Giants, in all their splendor, win the game, the trophy, the rings and the celebration began. OH WHAT A TIME!!


Mighty Mighty (song)
CHECK OUT THE LINK  BELOW!


Romans 5:2 reminds us “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” HOPE is vital because of the process of justification at work in my life. It is necessary to do a daily assessment of the HOPE in my life. There may be times when I have nothing “going on” to hope in. If my heart and mind is not settled in “rejoicing in HOPE of the glory of God” I could find myself hopeless in certain situations. Hopelessness is a direct result of a conquered lifestyle.


I continue to WAKE UP  to the fact that “WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS”  in all my affairs. You have a best friend in Jesus that has affixed you into the Body of Christ so perfectly that you are victorious from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep.  All you need is a heart and mind that is settled in “rejoicing in Hope of the glory of God.” My HOPE in the Giants winning the super bowl was realized and lasted for one day and it was AWESOME!!!!


OUR HOPE IN THE GLORY OF GOD REVEALED TO MANKIND AND THE WORLD IS GOING TO LAST THROUGHOUT ETERNITY – IT WILL NEVER END!!!!!!!!!!


Can u hear me shouting????????  SHOUT WITH ME!


We are all CONQUERORS in Christ.




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The Joy IS in the Journey

				

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I know a man who taught me a valuable life-lesson that is based in hope. At the time he shared this with me I was 27 and clueless. I had my own idea of how life was supposed to be and I was working hard to realize my dreams. I was living well but I was always caught up in some type of chaos I was creating due to my inability to find the joy in the journey. My friend must have realized this and shared this lesson with me.


A Journey Called Life
The joy IS in the journey. The journey is life. Destination?


He had been a mail carrier for the USPS for decades. It brought financial security and marital stability along with a lifestyle that was envied by his family. He described his experience as what he thought were “the best years of his life.” His circumstances changed when he became ill. He lost his job and all of the financial security. He became unemployable and homeless. He found himself alone, needy and hopeless. After a major hospitalization caused by his apparent demise brought about by his “seemingly hopeless case of mind and body,” he heard, through a series of interactions with people who survived the same problem that was killing him, there is a solution. He stayed the course of a particular treatment plan wherein he found a constant presence of hope within. His life gradually began to change for the better. He became employable again but he dealt with serious blemishes in his history that deterred many potential employers from hiring him. Frustration ensued but willingness prevailed. A training program with the regional transit authority yielded him favorable results and he once again had work. He found unspeakable joy day after day as he struggled to establish himself again. He gained a new life that was exponentially better than “the best years of his life.” His joy still remains to this day as he is living better than ever in the second half of his life.


As I reflect on this life-lesson I am blessed today to realize that I now understand the value of his story that never abandoned my memory and I have used it to generate hope in my own hopelessness. God is always present. His realized presence provides an unlimited source of hope to carry us through life situations with a constant spirit of joy that positively affects our lives and the lives of others. As long as we are willing to show-up for life each day, we can live through any circumstance that materializes victoriously. This is a virtuous reality based in an Conqueror lifestyle. THE JOY IS IN THE JOURNEY!


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I Have Hope

				

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A Polish made Unitra turntable atop an Electro...
 vinyl productions burned music on my soul permanently


Growing up I heard this classic Roberta Martin song “I Have Hope.” In addition to hearing it from the choir on Sunday mornings, I can recall the 33 playing on the record player ringing out the lyrics from the speakers in our living room on Aspen Place, Columbia Ave and Pennington Ave:


“I have hope, I have hope when trouble comes my way


I have hope, I have hope since Jesus has come to stay


I have hope, oh yes when things are not well with me


I have hope, it’s a beutiful hope and it sets me free


If your distressed , Jesus says come unto me. If your depresed I know he’ll give you liberty


Time may find you at the end of your line, but keep the faith its not too late the Lord will be on time.


I have hope, I have hope when darkness fills the sky


I have hope, I have hope since Jesus is ever nigh


I have hope, oh yes through dangers I can not see


I have hope its a beautiful hope that sets me free.”


http://www.last.fm/listen/artist/Roberta%2BMartin/similarartists is a link to this genre of music that features the Roberta Martin classics.


It was written in 1968 but the melody and message is timeless. Hope is a life principle that fuels my daily pace. It puts pep in my step and glide in my stride. Most of all it keeps a smile on my face that springs from true joy in my heart. The goodness of God is constantly present. Thank you Lord for saving me at Calvary. It gives me Hope, a beautiful Hope that sets me free one day at a time.


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