Keep On Keeping On! by Joyce Meyer

Keep On Keeping On!
by Joyce Meyer

Various thoughts run through our minds every day—some good, some bad. Our natural temptation is to focus on the bad, so accepting them doesn’t take any effort. The effort comes in being determined to cast down the negative thoughts and take a firm grasp of the positive ones.

Positive minds full of faith and hope produce positive lives. The opposite is also true—negative minds full of fear and doubt produce negative lives, which can ultimately destroy your life. Some people have been hurt so many times that they don’t think they can face the pain of another letdown. Therefore, they refuse to hope so they won't be disappointed.

Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that we’re not going to quit. When we’re bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say: "I’ll never give up! God’s on my side. He loves me, and He’s helping me! I’m going to make it!"

No matter how bad the battle rages in your mind, don't give up! Step out and regain the territory that’s been stolen from you. Even if it’s only an inch at a time, make sure you’re leaning on God's grace and not on your own ability. In Galatians 6:9 the apostle Paul simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! Don't be a quitter! Don't have that old "give up" spirit. God’s looking for people who will find the courage to rise above all the negative and pursue the positive.

Whatever you may be facing or experiencing in your life right now, I want to encourage you to stay positive and refuse to give up! God is with you, and He’ll help you make spiritual progress—strengthening and encouraging you to keep on keeping on during rough times. It's easy to quit, but it takes faith to press on to victory.

When the battle seems endless and you think you'll never make it, remember that you’re reprogramming a "worldly" mind to think as God thinks. In the same way that computers are programmed, our minds are programmed. From the time we’re born, our minds are like computers that have had a lifetime of garbage programmed into them. But God, who’s the best "computer programmer" around, is working on us every day to reprogram our minds as we cooperate with Him (see Romans 12:2).

This process of reprogramming or renewing our minds will take place little by little, so don't be discouraged if progress seems slow. Don't get down when you have setbacks or bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off and start again. When a baby is learning to walk, he falls many, many times before he develops the ability to walk without falling; however, the baby is persistent. He may cry for a while after he falls down, but he always gets right back up and tries again. Learning to change our thinking works the same way. There will be days when we don't do everything right—days when our thinking is negative. But never stop trying. God is gradually bringing us around to His way of thinking. Just don't give up!

Must Christians Suffer?

Must Christians Suffer?
By Rev Hong Hee
http://www.konghee.com/www/?p=229622 Feb 2009

Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is itwritten concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?”Mark 9:12

It was very difficult for the disciples to grasp the idea that their Savior would have to suffer. The Jews who studied the Old Testament prophecies expected the Messiah to be a great king like David, who would overthrow the enemy, Rome. But their vision was limited to their own time and experience.

If Jesus hadn’t suffered and died, we would have died in our sins. Through His suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our salvation. Through His suffering, Jesus fully identified with us. We know that Jesus understands our struggles because He faced them as a human being. We can now trust Him to help us survive our trials and overcome life’s temptations.

Suffering is one of the unavoidable passages of life. Some people think that troubles are always caused by sin or a lack of faith. But trials are often a part of God’s plan for believers. Jesus never promised that His followers would not suffer (Luke 21:17-19).
Suffering brings a number of benefits:
(1) It may be an opportunity for you to practice submission before God.
(2) It can build in you character (James 1:2-4) and patience (Rom. 5:3-5). You can’t really know the depth of your character until you see how you react under pressure.
(3) You start to become sensitive toward others who may also be facing troubles (2 Cor. 1:3-7). It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can you still be kind when others treat you unfairly?

God’s will is to make you mature and complete, not to keep you free from pain. Instead of complaining about your struggles, you should see them as opportunities for growth. Often, your troubles may be a sign of effective Christian living on your part.

Finally, God does not expect us to enjoy suffering. Only days after telling the disciples to pray that they might escape persecution, Jesus Himself asked God to spare Him the agonies of the cross, if that was God’s will (Luke 22:41-42). It is abnormal to want to suffer, but as Jesus’ followers, we should be willing to suffer if by doing so, we can help build God’s kingdom.

We have two wonderful promises to help us persevere when we suffer:
God will always be with us (Matt. 28:20), and
He will one day rescue us and give us eternal life (Rev. 21:1-4).

The Price Of Discipleship

The Price Of Discipleship
By Rev Kong Hee
21 Feb 2009
http://www.konghee.com/www/?p=2218

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”Mark 8:34

To be a disciple of Jesus requires you to make a threefold decision.

First of all, you need to deny yourself.
This means to humble yourself and forsake all personal, selfish ambitions. This doesn’t mean you need to take a vow of poverty or celibacy. But it does mean that you must be willing to put God’s will above your own.
In desiring to do His Father’s purpose, Jesus emptied Himself of His glory and splendor, humbling Himself fully in obedience to God. Self denial is often a major obstacle to the talented, educated and wealthy. By their own abilities and connections, they can seemingly accomplish so much in life.
Can you trust God enough to surrender all your talents and heart’s desires completely to Him in exchange for His plan and purpose for your life?
Can you give Jesus all of you in exchange for all of Him?

Secondly, to be a disciple, you must be willing to take up your cross.
The cross speaks of the place of sacrifice. The first time the word “love” is mentioned in the Bible, we see Abraham willingly placing his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice (Gen. 22). Love always requires sacrifice.
God loves you so much that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for your sins.
Do you love Him enough to do the same?
To willingly sacrifice your time, talents, money and life for His cause?

Thirdly, to be a disciple of Jesus requires you to follow Him unreservedly.
In the endtimes, God is looking for those “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4). Many people would happily follow the Good Shepherd to “lie down in green pastures, beside the still waters.” But few are willing to follow Him “through the valley of the shadow of death”
(Ps. 23:1-4). Following Jesus requires determination, discipline, dedication and devotion.
With just 11 disciples, Christ changed the whole world. He wants to do the same with you today. Deny yourself. Take up your cross.
Follow Him.
Be a true disciple of Jesus.