Corrie Ten Boom, “Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.” (via Pastor Benny Hinn)
That quote is from someone who knows real tragedy unlike anything we can imagine. Yesterday, we got closer to being able to imagine what true evil and true horror is; in stark, terrifying, real terms. Except few of us experienced that pain in a direct, real way, as the people and young children who were viciously murdered in cold blood at an elementary school in Connecticut were strangers to us.
These words from Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom is proof positive that strength comes from God and God alone. Even when demonic evil taking place all around you and involves the very people you know and love. Even during those dark hours, Jesus is the answer, and in Him alone is where comfort, grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace and the strength that surpasses all mortal understanding reside.
Here is an amazing real interview with Corrie ten Boom herself, speaking in her own words, on forgiveness and how to overcome hardship and tragedy, from someone who survived a Nazi Concentration Camp and still maintained her faith in Jesus Christ and the love of God that confounds the unbeliever.
Photo of Billy Graham giving the September 11th Memorial Speech.
Billy Graham’s 9/11 September 11th Speech at the Memorial Service are powerful, eternal words; even 11 years later here on September 11th 2012.
Here is the full audio, with the text transcript below. God bless you.
Billy Graham’s remarks given at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Friday, September 14, 2001, brought hope and healing to the shocked nation. They still hold power, 11 years later.
We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be. The Bible says that He is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” (1)
No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a Day to Remember.
Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice.
Here is a partial video.
But today we come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation. But today we need Him especially. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare. And we need the help of the Spirit of God. Read the rest of this entry »
The Bible says that love is stronger than Death. But in the midst, throes and turmoil of losing a loved one, never forget that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, and took the sting out of Death.
When your loved one passes away, it will look like Death has won. But that’s a lie. Death has not won. For Love lasts forever. Love is stronger than death because God. IS. LOVE.
T.D. Jakes speaks this message at Whitney Houston’s funeral. If you haven’t heard it, take time to listen to his message and allow it to sink in. In just over five minutes this powerful man of God delivers the most eloquent funeral speech I’ve ever heard. Heartfelt, funny, gracious, moving, profound, uplifting. Perfect.
Do not allow death to sow seeds of bitterness, resentment, or even regret. We all will have regrets, of time lost, love lost… and memories and moments never to be redeemed again… But that is a lie. We WILL meet again in Heaven, and that time will be redeemed 100 fold. Remember that the Bible says our lifetime spent here on earth, even if it is 100 years or more, is as a wisp of smoke compared to our eternal life in the hereafter and beyond.
In but an eyeblink from God, 1000 earthly years pass by. Within an early second, our loved ones will be reunited with those who loved Jesus Christ and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven to be rejoined once again. Death is a destination… and death is the beginning of life. NOT THE END. Thus the death of a loved one is something to be celebrated.
Prayer Request: As my uncle Tom passes from this life into the next, please keep him and the family in your prayers. Pray that this brings the family closer than ever before, and that God prepares my uncle’s soul to enter Heaven, and embraces him with open arms. Thank you.
Death. Is. Dead.
Celebrate their life, celebrate their memory, and celebrate the reality of the afterlife in the loving wings of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and their creator, their Father God. For our lose is Heaven’s gain. And the gain they receive is beyond earthly measure or comprehension. We will join them soon enough, for life passes by in a blink. Make the best of it, and love people. For God is love, and nothing on this earth, not metal, stone or works of creativity, will pass with us. Nothing but our relationships, and those souls in which we have brought an eternal destiny.
Faith in Jesus Christ is the bridge that leads lost souls of people to God.
Welcome to the first installment of Bible Teaching of the Day. May this uplift and encourage you. :)
Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is a word that can be easily lost in the day-to-day life of a believer. It’s a reliance and complete trust in God. A confidence in Jesus Christ that He is more than enough and greater than any need we could possibly have.
This faith of ours is constantly being tested and, in-a-sense, constantly under attack. Peter writes in his first letter, “Beloved, do not be surprised at all at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at revelation of His glory you may rejoice in exultation.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)
Faith comes from the heart. This faith is given when one becomes a believer in God,
To quote from Romans Chapter 10, Verses 8-10 from the Holy Bible’s New Testament,
“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and your heart’- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him (Jesus Christ) from the dead, you will be saved;
For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in Salvation.”
In life it’s quite easy to let the cares of the world get you down, but in those times God wants us to do the exact opposite… trust in Him and rejoice. To learn from Him, Jesus tells us that He will take a portion of our burden and walk side by side with the believer.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Satan tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden, ancient artwork
The Bait of Satan by Joyce Meyers is today’s Sermon of the Day.
Whether you go to church regularly or not, it can be very encouraging to listen to a few sermons online. Thanks to the popularity of youtube, you can find many of them online easily that are watchable with the click of a button. Something I like to do while I’m working is listen to them in the background while I’m writing or working on something else.
This sermon is called “The Bait of Satan”, but it’s not exactly what you think, as the sermon covers a lot of very interesting ground. Including an interesting discussion on how we perceive people who are saved but not following the Christian walk the way WE want them to: friends, relatives or family members, and how we can be grossly in error regarding their relationship to God. In this case it was Joyce’s own son!
Very interesting stuff. Enjoy. :)
The Bait of Satan by Joyce Meyers Part 1
The Bait of Satan by Joyce Meyers Part 2
Be sure to check out Joyce Meyers website to keep tabs on what she is up to lately.
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