July 2017
‘Struth
Today, this is a little-used word—it’s short for ‘God’s Truth.’ Sadly it is employed in some cultures as a blasphemous oath.
But what is God’s truth—in the pure sense—as you and I as believers would, and should, understand it to be?
A star football player in England was recently arrested for DUI (driving under the influence) of alcohol. He did not deny the charge but paid the fine, and then stated that he had not “intentionally consumed alcohol.” The fine was £54,000.00, which meant little to him since he earns about £15 million a year.
It seems as though we are now in a ‘Post-Truth era,’ where there are no longer any absolutes. Yet truth by denfition is an absolute.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . . .” [John 14:6] God, his Father is, “the one True God” [John 17:3], and Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth.” [John 14:17]
But 2016 saw such widespread use of emotional slogans with little relation to reality that ‘post-truth’ was chosen as the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year–described as “an adjective defined as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
Pardon my French, but I say, ‘Baloney’!
I read somewhere recently that, “If the truth will set us free, there must be a lot of people in prison.”
As Joy Dawson taught us, “Even exaggeration is a lie—unless you say something like, ‘I’ve been to Hawaii millions of times.’”
So, let’s live in the freedom of truth—at all times; God’s truth. No white lies, because no matter the color of a lie, it’s still not the truth.
Many Blessings,
Potpourri
The suffering of the righteous opens the door of grace for the undeserving. Tom Hallas
My feelings are real, but not always the truth. Paul Hawkins
The greater the test of faith, the greater possibility of lasting fruit.
We combat natural disasters with Acts of God. The Salvation Army
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive,
and true success is to labor. Neville Shute in ‘Slide Rule.’
Donna’s Corner
You Gotta Have Hope
Dear Friend,
Every time I talk to the Lord about this month’s message, He reminds me of the scripture in Proverbs 13:12 . . .
”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” It’s hope ‘postponed’ or ‘delayed,’ and it grieves the heart. When hope is crushed the heart is crushed.
Hope is confidence in God’s promises related to things to come—and who He is. Those of us who are born again, know that we know that we’ll have eternal life with God our Father. We have amazing hope because . . . “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.“ [Romans 8:39] “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” [1 Cor 13:13]
When we love God, we will trust His promises and live by faith, knowing that we have amazing hope for eternity. When we love others we will share our love, our faith and our hope . . . so others can also learn to that hope.
Thousands commit suicide because they have no hope. People lose hope when they listen to the voice of others—friends, acquaintances, peers, family, the media and other voices—rather than listening to God.
Hope comes from the Holy Spirit, through reading the Word and walking with others who walk with Jesus. In Romans 5 1-5 Paul writes about boasting in the hope of the glory of God . . . and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
So many lose hope because of the circumstances of life, things like lack of commitment and trust in marriage or in a relationship, poor health or a job situation. But my friends, our hope is in God and who He is, and what He says He will do. It’s not in people, money or our physical condition. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” [Matt 6:33]
Read Romans 8:12-28. Hope that is seen is no hope at all. We don’t hope for what we already have, we wait for it patiently. The righteous live by faith, not by fear.
Then we read, “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” [Psalm 147:11] “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” [Lam 3:25] “The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.” [Psalm 33:18]
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” [Psalm 42:5]
My soul finds rest in God ALONE. We must speak truth to ourselves, and choose to believe the truth about His promises. We praise Him and thank Him for the hope He has given us.
When you are filled with hope you will have joy and peace. When people ask you, “Why do you have so much joy and peace in the world we are living in, and all that you are walking through?” tell them about the hope you have, who your hope is in, and what your hope is in.
This should be our prayer . . .
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” [Psalm 25:4-5]
My prayer for you comes from two passages . . .
“Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
[Psalm 31:23-24]
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
[Romans 15:13]
Love and Blessings,
Camps & Gatherings
July 16-22: Prod, Romania
July 29-Aug 4: Champagne, France (Space for only tent or caravan)
The speaker at all Camps will be Stefaan Hugo, YWAM Facilitator for Southern Africa.
Restenäs (Sweden) July 9-15 is now full
Check here for updates and more information for camps in Europe!
Oct 18-21: Singapore, with Dr Bruce Thompson
Click here to email for more information
The Secret Sin
Sin has always been with us, and until recently, it was usually kept hidden. Nowadays, the means to flaunt what God calls sin, is broadcast widely and blatantly, with various forms of it even promoted and passed into the law of the land . . . well that’s a new wrinkle.
“Let’s have a parade! Let’s have a special day (week or month), given to our special cause!”
At first, the in-your-face boldness of an ungodly campaign to legitimize the illegitimate, horrifies most people; but the commitment to, the repetition of, and the demands for the unthinkable, soon wear most sensible people down. Most of us who are on the side of truth and righteousness, go silent; while some angry voices spew out only judgment and condemnation toward those who manipulate and twist the truth; those angry voices misrepresent God.
Most of the sins available to mankind are clearly noted and forbidden in God’s Word—for our own good.
But I digress. The ‘Secret Sin’ that we are headlining, lives within all of us. It goes by the name of pride, and God hates pride whether it’s obvious to everyone—or simply cloaked in false humility. Pride is subtle and usually plain to see: false humility is creepy and simply another form of pride.
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” [James 4:6]
None of us want God to be the Captain of our opposition—the other team. We should all want to be on His team, as He cheers us on and picks us up when we stumble and fall down.
Let’s be real, acknowledging the weaknesses that we try to hide; and being open about our strengths, for they are God-given. The trouble is that few of us have a safe place to be transparent and open with others. A home group or a DTS can provide that safety.
Till next time,
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