December 4th, 2011
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
(Luke 2:36-38 ESV)
These short three verses in the New Testament are hardly spoken in many Christmas, or any other messages, in the modern church. However, they pack a powerful piece of revelation for the believer.
Let us not miss what happened here:
Anna became a widow after being married only 7 years, after a living a life of purity and integrity.
Anna did not go out and decided to remarry or start a family.
Anna dedicated the rest of her life in the service and worship of the Lord her God.
Anna took up physical, emotional and spiritual residence in the House of the Lord.
Anna continually went without food because the Word of God was her bread.
Anna petitioned the LORD with prayers and supplications, day and night for 84 years, without fail.
Anna’s faithfulness was noticed by the LORD who rewarded her with being the one of only two people in Jerusalem counted of any importance, to meet the Christ Child.
Anna prophesied over Him and gave thanks to Our Great God for allowing her to see this Miraculous encounter.
Anna could not hold back the Gospel, after meeting the Baby Jesus. She knew right then and there Who He was and Why she was allowed to meet Him.
Anna proclaimed that good news to all who would listen, and who had looked for the Messiah, whose arrival they anticipated.
This is what amazingly occurred here! Anna was not just sitting in an air-conditioned temple ‘pew’ waiting on God to give her a sign. She was not like most western Christians these days!
Hers was a life totally sold out to God.
Hers was a life totally submitted to His Perfect Law and Will.
Hers was a life tied to the Promises of His Word.
Hers was a life thankfully rejoicing in those Promises.
Her motives were pure. Her conscience was clean. She put away the deeds of the flesh for a higher purpose.
READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE BY CLICKING HERE
Tags: anna the prophetess, commitment, fasting day and night, fire of his holiness, on fire for christ, prayers, sacrifice of praise, sold out to Christ, the fire of his holiness, worship, worshippers Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on ANNA THE PROPHETESS – EXAMPLE OF TRUE WORSHIP, FIRST EVANGELIST!
November 27th, 2011
PART 1 – DALE CARNEGIE, PEALE, OSTEEN OR JESUS?The best selling Business book of all time is “HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE” by the great self-help author and business trainer – DALE CARNEGIE. In terms of impact, while other books like “A Purpose-Driven Life” by Rick Warrren may have sold more (over 26 millions copies) per unit, Carnegie’s book and philosophy has influenced more worldwide, due to its ongoing training institute.
Dale Carnegie’s personal story is very instructive in doing the right thing (for himself) at the right time. Even his name change from Carnegey to Carnegie, was a stroke of marketing genius. At the time, famous US steel magnate Andrew Carnegie was as well-known as Donald Trump’s is today. Carnegie took the world by storm on the following principles, which formed the foundation of the best known course in the world:
- Build greater self-confidence
- Strengthen people skills
- Enhance communication skills
- Develop leadership skills
- Improve our attitude and reducing stress
His “How to Win Friends...etc” book was based on the following four pillars:
- Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
- Part Two: Six Ways to Make People Like You
- Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
- Part Four: Be a Leader – How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment
If you look at these items above, there seems to be nothing wrong with any of it. However, I am more interested in How Christ would measure up to any of these things. This is important because a person’srelationship with the Lord Jesus is more significant than succeeding in the natural.
One major fault I find with this book and its successor – Norman Vincent Peale’s “THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING” – is its complete dependence on Psychology. Peale even said ” Positive Thinking is another term for Faith”!
WHAT????
While Peale’s Guidepost Magazine is still a wild bestseller, it should not be confused with biblical Christian doctrine, as it sometimes includes stories of other religious Faiths.
Tags: andrew carnegie, Dale Carnegie, Father God's business, how to win friends and influence people, Jesus, Joel Osteen, Norman Vincent Peale, positive thinking, the power of positive thinking Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on HOW DO I “THINK ON THESE THINGS”…..
