The Russian Connection

FROM DELIGHT TO DUTY TO DESPISE

 

 

 

 

 

 

    from DELIGHT to DUTY to DESPISE

 

If there is no love behind our actions, it makes every process a pain.

No matter what it might be.

It’s easy to start out with good intentions or motivation, but if we don’t continually keep ourselves in check as to why and how we are doing something, the reason behind it seems to get forgotten. 

Some EXAMPLES:

MARRIAGE:
At first doing nice things comes natural. You want to show love & affections. Then over time it can become more like a chore, or duty to try and remember important dates or keep up the small things you used to. If we’re not careful, the down spiral can continue. We end up not doing anything for our husband/wife because we’ve lost all underlying acts of love in our daily relationship and it now becomes something we despise.

OUR JOB:
Getting a new job is very exciting. Everything is new and feels good. But with time, things can begin to fall in to routine and you don’t put any hard work or emotion in to it anymore. Beware of the “despise” mode. Once we allow ourselves to fall this low, we literally have to drag our selves to get up and going. Also, being late is a common symptom. Avoid at all cost!!

GIVING TO GOD:
When you love God and just want to bless Him, giving is easy. But if we forget the love aspect and just give because it’s the “Christian” thing to do, it can feel like a duty. When we completely lose sight of why we tithe and let the enemy infiltrate our minds, giving something feels like a waste. God wants a joyful giver! And a giver out of love!

TODAY:

In everything you do, do it with all you have.

Don't let it go from being a delight, to a duty to something you despise!

ON THE FLY

ON THE FLY

Today I am leaving for Kharkov, Ukraine.

We are believing God for a mighty move of His Spirit that will not only shake a church, but demonstrate to a city that God is not dead, and there is power in the name of His son.

People are fasting and praying all over the world at the beginning of 2012. The church in Kharkov, which is one of the largest churches in the nation of Ukraine, is also fasting and praying; praying for a supernatural harvest of lost people entering the Kingdom of God in 2012.

As you are consecrating your body to the Lord at the beginning of this year, while you are praying, would you pray for us?

We know the importance and impact of having an army of believers helping us prepare the way for the Gospel in rocky places and dry soil. They never go unheard or without supernatural response.

 Would you and your family, or prayer group please pray for: 

• Traveling protection, not only for James Huey and I, but also our families.

• That any planns of the enemy to distract and destruct would be hindered by angels and Heavenly Host that go before us to disable all acts of evil.

 -Mikel

BIBLE CHARACTER SCANDALS

Bible
       Character
          Scandals!

All throughout history, man has failed.

He has fallen short, messed up and sinned. But the good news is, through God's grace, He has provided us with a savior, Jesus who remit us of all sin when accept Him in to our hearts. So God does not base His love for us upon our acts or "goodness", although we should live with the intent to honor Him every day with our actions.

God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

Did you know?

• Abraham was too old.
• Sarah laughed at God’s promises.
• Moses stuttered and questioned God's judgment in picking him. He killed a man.
• David’s armor didn’t fit and was too young. He also killed a man & had an affair.
• Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.
• Amos’ only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
• Jacob was a liar.  
• Lazarus was dead.
• John was self-righteous.
• The Apostle Paul spent his life murdering Christians.
• Jeremiah was depressed & suicidal.
• Samson didn't wear a suit and had long hair.
• Noah got drunk.

 

Did I mention Moses had a short fuse?

None of those of people were perfect.

They were just ordinary, but used by God for an extraordinary purpose.

 TODAY: 

Being used by God for His Kingdom is not about being flawless.
It's about being willing, and surrendering our hearts to Him.

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING

What Are You Thinking??

If you've ever made plans, you can probably relate with the scenario of God changing them, or things not ending up as you thought!

That's because sometimes we think we know the best thing to do in a situation, but then God steps in and shows us that He has a better way for us.

Even though those changes can come a little unexpected in our perfectly planed agenda, they are always for our best. Since God always wants the best for us.

 I S A I A H 55:8 

"My thought are not your thoughts, 
neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord." 

I have discovered that what God chooses to do, does not always make sense to us; it does not always fit into our reasoning. Our minds do not always understand the spiritual leadings that we have from God. His thoughts are indeed above ours! All His ways are right and sure.

TODAY:

Lets let our spirits take the lead and not our heads!

COMPLETELY OVERLOADED

COMPLETELY OVERLOADED

In our world today, this is a very common feeling.

But maybe you don't just feel like this sometimes, you feel like this....every day.

Completely OVERLOADED.

Stress, worry and anxiety are some of the worst conditions we can allow ourselves to be in. Even doctors testify to the alarming health risks and hazards that these kinds of things do to our bodies.

Jesus knows the pain of burdens and doesn't want us to carry them. He has promised us help. That we can come to Him, and cast our burdens down at His feet and we will see us through.

Psalms 55:22

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."

1 Peter 5:7

"Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for YOU."

TODAY:

No matter what it might be that you've been carrying around on your shoulders, long work hours, being busy taking care of your family or even finances, know Jesus wants to help you in every area.

• But He cannot help if you do not ask!
• Lay your burdens down at His feet and ask Him for His help.

It is a humbling experience that frees us & will give you a peace you've never known before.

THE SPIRITUAL COUCH POTATO

The SPIRITUAL COUCH POTATO

For all of you reading this outside the United States, you may never of heard this term before. It simply means lazy or unproductive; you've let your muscles go soft. 

Your faith is just like a muscle.

Excercise does it really good.

The way you stay strong as a Christian is by continually building your self up in the Word and excercising your faith

• Even if you don't workout and may not even be able to see any muscles, God still gave you them. Whether you choose to utalize them & maximize their potential or not, is up to you.

• In the same way God has given every man a measure of faith. 

ROMANS 12:3

"According as God has dealth to every man the measure of faith"

The Bible says it is impossible to please God without faith. (Hebrew 11:6)

But then the Bible goes on to show how to get more faith & how to excercise it.

• It comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17) Every time we use our faith to get the promises of God out of His Word, we give Him glory. 

 TODAY: 

Don't let you faith become stagnant and lose it's strength. 

Keep it active & keep it strong!

REVELATIONS OF SCRIPTURE

1 Of the Best Revelations Of Scripture

I've Heard Lately.

It can be easy to fall into the assumption that once a problem has been acknowledged, it has been addressed.

But that’s not true.

We feel better because we’ve now talked about the issue and put it out there. We assume it has been dealt with, and well… file the thought away that the job is done.

Acknowledgement is the first step and vital key to action, but can remain passive if we chose not to put it in to work.

Ex. Continue in my truth and it shall set you free.
John 8:31-32

Jesus said ABIDE and CONTINUE in my truth and it shall set you free.

The truth alone, does not necessarily set anyone free.

Someone who smokes might  KNOW that there are options and ways out to help them quit, but they choose not to.
Or just because we know the truth about loosing weight, doesn’t mean we follow those guidelines!

• The key is CONTINUALLY doing the truth.
• Taking action and addressing an issue thoroughly.

                                                           TODAY:

CONTINUE in God's truth and it will SET YOU FREE!

FELT TIMID ABOUT APPROACHING GOD LATELY

Felt Timid About Approaching God Lately?

HEBREWS 9:13,14

“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

This powerful chapter talks about:
-Redemption from our sins
-The work of the Cross
-Power of the Blood of Jesus and
-Our new even BETTER covenant with God. 

Let me ask this.
Has any thing been keeping you from talking to God lately?

Satan’s nr 1 greatest weapon against us is internal.
It can start with something as simple as a thought.

“What makes you think you’re good enough for God?” “How can you talk to Him when you did that thing yesterday?”  He uses shame and sin consciousness to keep us from our Heavenly Father.

But Jesus took upon Himself every sin that we could ever commit! He cleansed us from ALL unrighteousness! and is faithful to forgive us when we ask!!! 1 Jn 1:9.

TODAY:

Don't let the devil deceive you out of your closeness to your Heavenly Father!

You are REDEEMED!!

SOMETHING UNSEEN.. SOMETHING POWERFUL.. SOMETHING YOU CAN KNOW

        Something unseen...
        Something powerful....
        Something YOU can know.

JOHN 14:16-17, 26

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot see Him or know Him, but you know Him, because He abides with you and will be in you." 

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."

• The reason why the on looking world ridicules believers for talking about the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, is because they cannot understand it.

Unless you accept Christ in your heart, and become baptized, you cannot intimately know the Holy Spirit. For them It does not make sense.... how can you communicate with something... and claim to know something... you have never seen?

But the Holy Spirit goes far beyond something "seen".
He is a piece of God's spirit living on the inside of us.

He is the comforter, helper and guide that Jesus promised to send us once He left.

TODAY:

Although the world may not be able to see Him,
YOU know Him, because He lives on the inside of you!

IN NEED OF A FRESH START?

                        In Need
                   Of A
               Fresh Start?

Genesis 1:1 The beginning. 

John 1:1 The fresh start.

                    Everyone has a beginning.......

                                    but everyone needs a fresh start......

All of us can look back to when we were born and saw wow what a beautiful thing, but then one day we grow up and realize we need a new start.

A fresh start.

Which always begins with God.

• In 2012, let the word that became flesh, come alive in your mortal body; because you, by faith through grace, have put your trust in Christ.

Every day begin to say: 

2012 is my year of a fresh start.

In Christ old things have passsed away behold all things have become new.