tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56070200745011279452024-03-13T11:04:00.771-05:00The StarLight NewsRichard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.comBlogger1895125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-32198342452223914312020-07-29T00:00:00.001-05:002020-07-29T00:00:02.654-05:00LAST POST<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Due to Circumstances beyond my control, this will be the last post on this blog... </span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-StarLight-News-125515754156131/"><span style="font-size: x-large;">https://www.facebook.com/The-StarLight-News</span></a>Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-73049011655136979322020-07-28T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-28T00:00:00.167-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 28<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Father of Lies </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 nlt). Before I was a Christian, I don’t know that I actually thought of temptation as temptation. I probably thought of it more like an opportunity. If something looked fun, I thought, “Why not go for it?” I would give this or that thing a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, when I became a Christian, other believers warned me, “Greg, watch out! The devil is going to tempt you.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“The devil? What do you mean, ‘the devil’?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Satan is going to tempt you,” they said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“But how will I know when I’m being tempted?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“You’ll know.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was in high school at the time, and there was a very pretty girl in one of my classes. I noticed her, but she had never noticed me. She sat toward the front of the class, and one day after class, she came walking up to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Hi,” she said. “What’s your name?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was so stunned that I momentarily forgot my name. She was standing there talking to me, and I had no idea why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“You know, you’re cute,” she went on to say. “And you know what? My parents are gone for the weekend. Would you like to come and stay at my house?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And suddenly I realized what was happening. There it was, a temptation from the devil that the other Christians had warned me about. How did I know? Because stuff like that never happened to me. Trust me. It just didn’t. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I told her no, even though it wasn’t that easy to do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I learned something that day: Temptation comes in attractive packages. Satan makes bad things look good. He makes wicked things look appealing and makes deadly things look like they’ll be the best experience you’ve ever had. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He’s a liar. And he’ll do whatever he needs to do to pull you down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From Pastor Greg Laurie<br /><br /><b><span style="color: red;">Due to Circumstances beyond my control, this will be the last post on this blog... For additional Daily Devotionals and Much More Please go to the Facebook Page below and click "LIKE" and/or "FOLLOW"...<br />Blogger has saw fit to change the format and I am too old to sit down and learn a "NEW" way of doing things... I tried... I Really Did... PLEASE Join me On My Facebook Page...</span></b></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-10480639620460198662020-07-27T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-27T16:32:42.296-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 27<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>You Are Loved and Not Forgotten</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by ARLENE PELLICANE </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23 (NKJV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Years ago, my mom was traveling next to a woman who was wrestling with a pie. The lady was trying to take out her work things and get settled while not upending the pie she held in her lap. My mom offered to hold the pie, and soon a friendship was born. Turns out, the pie was a gift from the woman’s mother. My mom and her new friend, Karen, chatted for much of their flight and exchanged phone numbers. From that day on, Karen often joined us for family meals and celebrations. I even interned for a year at Karen’s workplace as a public relations assistant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t think my mom meeting Karen on that airplane was an accident, coincidence or good luck. These words imply randomness and chance. Our Heavenly Father is a God of divine order and planning. God never rolls the dice or crosses His fingers, hoping for the best. He spoke the world into existence! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe God arranged for the airplane meetup with that pie as the connector. Today’s key verse, Psalm 37:23, says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What delightful thing might God be arranging for you today? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maybe you’ll meet someone new this week who really needs a friend like you. Maybe you’re wondering where your rent payment will come from, and an unexpected check arrives in the mail. Maybe you’ll write a kind letter to your best friend, lifting her spirit and yours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now just because there’s divine order in your life doesn’t mean you won’t encounter difficulty and disappointment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Right after the key verse, the psalmist David writes, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds His hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:24-25, NKJV). Falls in life are inevitable but not irreversible. God has a grand plan not just for individuals, but for generations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary earlier this year. We were supposed to take a family vacation to celebrate this milestone. But like many of us, our plans were changed by COVID-19. We stayed home and didn’t see each other. But you know what? Our steps are still divinely ordered. We know all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Who knows? Maybe God has something even better planned. Our lives are not haphazard. We are not victims of chance, chaos, tough luck or bad timing. We can live in peace even in troubled times because our days are ordered by an Almighty God who loves us. The more you get to know God, the sweeter and sweeter your relationship with Him will become. His plans for you are good. You are loved and not forgotten. He knows exactly where you are and will continue to be the architect of your divinely ordered life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Heavenly Father, thank You for ordering my life. I choose to trust in You and find my delight in Your laws. I commit my ways to You and ask for divine guidance over my life. I rest in You, believing You’re working all things for good in my life. Come and have Your way in me. Keep my heart steadfast in hope, and fill me with joy today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.</i></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-12055503749238542202020-07-26T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-26T03:43:05.523-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 26<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Freedom: Is It Safe? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Stacy Sanchez </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Aslan is a lion--the Lion, the great Lion." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Ooh," said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is he safe? No, but he is good. The first time I read these words as a child, they leapt off of the page and resounded in my being. They became somewhat of an unofficial motto that I have chosen to live by. It’s right up there with “How hard can it be?” My friends won’t even let me finish that sentence anymore. They know what will be coming next–-something very, very hard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am a bit of a rule breaker. If there is a sign marking a trail that I’m supposed to stay on, I see that as a mere suggestion and forge my own. “Nothing was ever discovered by staying on the path.” I assert, as I grab my reluctant niece’s hand and tromp off into the desert. (I may have got a text from her mother the next time I took her hiking, asking if we could please stay on the path.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I could have been an explorer–-except in cold climates. I’m daring, not stupid. I’m more of a warm weather, beach explorer. More than once, my husband has had to reel me in. The echoes of his warnings still ring in my ears: No, Stacy, you can’t do that. Don’t taste that! There might be parasites. Get off of the lava!! Don’t swim after the sharks! Moray eels don’t like you all up in their face. You went where? By yourself? Are you crazy? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This dare-to-be-me personality of mine has come at the cost of other people’s judgment. When I became a pastor, I was called sinful, uppity, and a woman with an agenda to take over. That’s a lot of names for someone that just wanted to love God’s people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the only female to play and coach in a baseball league, I was labeled with words that would today be considered homophobic and sexist. Even now, when I stand up for a righteous cause, I learn a whole new set of words that describe how others think of me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I guess I just take these verses to heart. If the Bible says we are free, ’nuf said. We have the freedom in Christ to be all that He has created us to be. Why don’t we act like it? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Freedom isn’t always safe. Quite the opposite. It can be messy. It costs us something. It cost Christ everything to give us our freedom. He definitely didn’t live a life of safety. If you think about it, a safe life isn’t a free life. We’re bound to be held captive by something or someone—maybe even our own fearful desires for safety. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we are doing what God has called us to do or be, it can be scary. People will judge us. They will make their opinions known. It can hurt. But God is much more concerned with our character than our comfort. It is scary to step out into the great unknown of his calling. Nope, it might not be safe out there, but it is good because God is good. His ways are good. His plans for us are always good. And sometimes we find out that even though scary, it can be a lot of fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“I prefer a dangerous freedom over a peaceful slavery.”</b> --Thomas Jefferson </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amen! Me too! We are free! We have been set free from religious laws, opinions, judgments of others, and the lies of the enemy, because of the unsafe thing Christ did for us on the cross. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, He is not safe, but He is good! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Father, sometimes You call us to step out into the great unknown. You want to stretch and grow us into the people you created us to be. It can be scary out there. Forgive us for not trusting You. Just like You grew a little shepherd boy into a great king, You want to make us into something great. Help us to trust that the plans You have for our lives are good and we don’t have to be afraid.</b></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-40747990202398906372020-07-25T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-25T00:00:11.908-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 25<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Want My Opinion? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Anne Peterson </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fools have no interest in understanding, they only want to air their own opinions. - Proverbs 18:2 I’ve been reading through Proverbs again. And I’m telling you, Solomon really has nuggets of wisdom for all of us. I hardly start reading and I need to stop and write down some of those verses, so I do. Things I wasn’t aware of, things I need to work on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God said in Philippians 1:6 that “he who has begun good work in us, will continue that work until the day of Christ Jesus.” The work started the moment we trusted in what Jesus did on the cross. We are works in progress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m glad God doesn’t show us all he’s going to do in us all at once. It would be overwhelming. Instead, he shows us a little at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Proverbs says fools have no interest in understanding, they only want to air their own opinions. That hurt. I considered myself an understanding person, but the second part of that verse rings so true with me. It’s important to me that others know what I think. Boy, I can see the pride just oozing in that sentence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I quickly realize this is something I do often. And sadly, I do it with my husband a lot. I’m wondering if it has been one of the reasons we’ve had some disagreements. Okay, I know it is. Another verse in Proverbs 12:15 says, “Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I listened more and spoke less two things would happen. First, I would be airing less of my opinions, which I already acknowledge would be good. Secondly, I would become wise because I would spend more time hearing what others have to say. Kind of like what it says in James 1:19. To be quick to hear and slow to speak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reading God’s Word is so helpful when we want to relate well to others. God gives us so many instructions on how to do it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes when I speak, I have this urgency to make sure my listener knows what I’m trying to say. Maybe this is because in my family of origin, we were not really heard as children. But just because we know why we act a certain way doesn’t give us the right to continue it. Our reasons should not become our excuses. I’m an adult now, responsible for my words and actions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m so thankful that we have God’s Word to help us in our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I follow what God instructs, I will reap the benefits. And so, I am committed to doing just that. I have on the listening end of those who share all of their opinions. I must say at those times I have felt like what I thought mattered little. I do not want others to feel that way, nor do I want my husband to feel like that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God is revealing how much pride I still have. I know God is at work in me and will be, till I see Jesus. But I can respond to the truth he shows me in his Word. I can be intentional about changing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Romans 14:19 tells us to pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Refusing to air all my opinions and becoming better at listening to my spouse would be upbuilding. When a person feels heard they feel they have value. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I confess there have been times I’ve felt what I had to say was more important than what he had to say. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What God has to say </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lord, I pray that you help me with that. Thank you, Father for your Word and how it can help us in our relationships. Thank you Lord. Help us to be good listeners. I pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-72993694826613339212020-07-24T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-24T08:29:22.545-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 24<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>When Faith Wavers </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:5-8 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord “hoping” He will hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just not sure He will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another cause for uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response. All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our timetable or anticipated method, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it. Examine your past from a biblical perspective—faith will grow as you see the unexpected ways He answered your prayers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">From Dr. Charles Stanley</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-34533882546261574832020-07-23T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-23T00:00:00.302-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 23<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Christian’s Response to Racism and Injustice </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by JOEL MUDDAMALLE</span></div>
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<img alt="Joel" src="https://d2h2b7qc7sti9e.cloudfront.net/cms/images/default-source/headshots/staff/joel-new.jpg?sfvrsn=70a805f2_2" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“And he said to him, <span style="color: red;">‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.</span>’” </b>Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most important voice we need to hear to instruct us on racism and injustice is the voice of Jesus. In Matthew 22:37-40, we hear Jesus answer the Pharisees' question of what is the greatest commandment. His response masterfully and intentionally answered their question by connecting two commandments that flow into each other: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Love the Lord your God. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Love your neighbor. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our love of God requires and compels us to love our neighbor. A love of God without a love of our neighbor is a fractured love of God to begin with. Jesus emphasizes the importance of these two truths by saying that both of these commandments are the hinge that the law (the writings of Moses) and the prophets (the rest of the Old Testament) hang on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To fully understand the weight of Jesus’ word, we have to rewind and look at the past. We could turn to so many places in the Old Testament (Amos, Zechariah, Leviticus and Deuteronomy), but one of the most helpful places for us to start is Micah 6:8. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The prophet Micah speaks out on behalf of two types of people: those who are in poverty and those who are in the margins of society. Micah is dealing with both racism and social classism, which are both offensive to God. Micah responds by calling the people of God (and calling us today) to walk humbly with God, do justice and love mercy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Walk humbly: This is an image of walking hand in hand in intimacy with a father. As a child, when we walk in the shadow of our parents, hand in hand, we are humbled by their presence, and we live and act as a result of that humility. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do justice: The Hebrew word for justice is “mishpat,” and it deals with a legal decision. This speaks of having systems and structures that are not morally bankrupt but reflect the righteous justice of God. Love mercy: As a people who’ve experienced extravagant and undeserved mercy, we should pour out extravagant mercy onto others, even if it’s undeserved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus teaches us that these three characteristics mentioned in Micah 6:8 should be embodied and reflected in the lives of Christians as we relate to our neighbors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who is our neighbor? Every image bearer of God. In other words — all of humanity. As Christ-followers, we love God with every ounce of our being, and we’re then sent out to love our neighbors to be a reflection of the love, mercy and justice of God. This is what can be referred to as the “Law of love” (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8; John 13:34-35). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jesus is telling His people today to walk humbly, do justice, love mercy and love all of humanity. Will we listen to His voice and instruction? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Let Us Pray...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lord, thank You for teaching us so clearly what it means to love our neighbor through Your Word. Thank You for the gift of the Scripture and how it has the power to instruct and guide us in every situation and circumstance. Empower us through Your Spirit to live a life of love that serves as a sign and symbol of the goodness of the gospel to our neighbors that may not know You. Help us, Lord, when things are hard. Remind us to lean into You through Your Word by the power of Your Spirit and not on our own understanding. Stir our affections for You, King Jesus, and be with us as You’ve promised. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>TRUTH FOR TODAY:</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Galatians 5:14-15, <b>“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”</b> (ESV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">James 2:8, <b>“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” </b>(ESV)</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-87766682649436530932020-07-22T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-22T00:00:11.054-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 22<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Prayer for Taking the Next Step </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Alisha Headley </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed.”</b> - Deuteronomy 31:8 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes we allow fear from stopping us from taking the next step. Maybe you feel God calling you to step into a new career, into ministry, a new relationship, new church, new city, or a new group of friends. Maybe you feel so strongly that God has spoken to you, but the fear of the unfamiliar seems to far outweigh the action of taking the next step. You believe God is trustworthy, yet you’re content with where you’re at, so you sit back and stay where you are rather than take a bold next step. Do you know every hero we read about in the Bible did not know what was on the other side of that next step as well? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We know the ending to their stories, but at the time, they did not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In today’s Scripture, Joshua’s life helps us understand that he was given assurance before He led God’s children to their promised land. Before he took the next step, God told him: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>“I will go before you… </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>I will be with you… </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>I will not leave you nor forsake you… </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>do not fear or be dismayed” </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Joshua did what he knew he could not do. Like us, he was told in advance he’d be able. Joshua never faced anything so frightful or potentially disparaging that God didn’t see him through it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Isn’t it encouraging to know that whatever that next step you feel the Lord calling you to, He has already gone before you and is faithful to not leave you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Never Alone </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He will be with us throughout the entire journey, one step in front of the next. God is faithful when we walk by faith with Him, just as Joshua did along with many other heroes in Scripture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We are appointed, equipped, and empowered. We don’t have to take the next step alone. Rest in the assurance of His faithfulness. Through Christ, we can absolutely, unequivocally do anything God places in front of us. Grab onto the hem of His garment and find the faith to go where He leads. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear Lord, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We thank you that no journey ahead of us is too far out for you. That you know the plan, and every step in between. Father, thank you that we have nothing to fear with you leading the way. We thank you for promising us that you go before us giving us assurance before we take the next step. You are aware that we needed this confidence and assurance to rest in before we embarked on the unfamiliar. Thank you, Lord, that you have given us examples of men and women in the Bible like Joshua that have already paved the way proving their inadequacy yet your mighty power. We ask you Lord for boldness and faith to take the next step you have called us to take. Help us to trust you more, help us in our unbelief. We choose to believe you are able when we are not. We choose faith over fear as fear is not from you. We thank you in advance for your provision and for your care as we boldly take next steps. Thank you for your love of every detail of our lives down to every step we take. We love you Lord, and we trust you who has already gone before us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Jesus’ Name, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amen.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-83712826535200057682020-07-21T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-21T00:00:02.917-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 21<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>DO YOU WANT TO GET RICH? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some years ago, a good friend of mine and I were having a spirited discussion about God and money. Toward the end of the conversation, my friend emphatically said, "Well, I know one thing... there is nothing wrong with wanting to get rich!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh really? What did the Apostle Paul tell Timothy? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is there anything wrong with wanting to get rich? YES! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. If you want to get rich, it reveals an unhealthy view of riches.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So many people think the answer to most all of their problems is money. They think, "If I just had more money, then I could do anything I desired to do... and then I would be happy." Money does not make a person happy. Take it from King Solomon, the man who had so much money he made Bill Gates look like a street beggar, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money" (Eccl. 5:10). Angela Kelly won $72 million dollars in Britain's biggest lottery win. I guess her life is full of joy and peace now, right? WRONG! Since her big payday she lost her boyfriend, gained 14 pounds, has been hounded by friends looking for financial help, and now lives like a virtual recluse. Her neighbor said, "She was perfectly happy before she won the millions. Winning that money has really ruined her life. She has totally lost her sense of purpose." Amazing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You know what really satisfies in life? A deep walk with God. Solomon asked, "For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?" Nobody! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. If you want to get rich, it reveals a potential love of riches. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God warns us about loving money. Money is amoral, neither good nor bad, but "the love of money is the root of all sort of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10). Jesus said it is impossible to serve God and serve money. It is impossible to love God and love money. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now don't get me wrong; it is fine to have money... as long as money does not have you. How can you tell if you have money or if money has you? Are you able to give generously and cheerfully to the Lord's work? Tithing (giving 10% of your gross income to the Lord's work) not only builds your faith, it protects your heart against money becoming a destructive idol in your life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. If you want to get rich, it reveals a shortsighted view of riches. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Riches are uncertain and unstable at best. They are here today and gone tomorrow. Does money talk? Yes. It says, "Goodbye." Mike Tyson won $300 million dollars as a boxer... and filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Former box office heartthrob, Burt Reynolds filed for bankruptcy in 1996 with over $10 million in debt. He went through money like "White Lightning" (a little Burt Reynolds movie humor). God tells us "not to fix our hope on the uncertainty of riches" (1 Tim. 6:17). We are to "fix our hope on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Riches surely do not profit in the day of wrath (Prov. 11:4). When you die, you leave behind all that you have and you take with you all that you are. According to Jesus, the only way to make your money last for all eternity is to invest it in heaven's bank, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:19-21). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My friend, let me encourage you to be content with what you have. It is certainly not wrong to have riches... just do not long for them or trust in them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Give generously, live simply, love unconditionally, trust God implicitly, and enjoy the blessings He will bring as a result! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pastor Jeff Schreve, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">From His Heart Ministries</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-31179821770851527882020-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-20T00:00:04.936-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 20<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Those Guys Still Exist </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Leslie J. Barner </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I don’t understand what’s wrong with guys these days.” My dad was expressing his frustration with young men. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“When I was dating your mother, I would bring her flowers, come in and talk with her parents, open her car door, pull out her chair. I would treat her the way a woman should be treated.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In defense, I responded, “That’s old fashioned, Dad. Those guys no longer exist. And some girls don’t want to be treated that way.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truthfully, that was exactly how I wanted to be treated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was how Dad had always treated my mom and his four daughters. It made me feel valued, protected, and cherished. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then a young man named Aubrey came into my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On our first date he opened my car door, pulled out my chair, stood when I stood, sent me flowers, and asked to meet my parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Dad! They do still exist!” I told him over the phone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He and Mom couldn’t wait to meet him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A year later, Aubrey and I were married. And even after 38 years, he still makes me feel like the most desirable woman on earth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I’ve learned how important it is for me to make Aubrey feel cherished and deeply loved too. Matthew 7:12 challenges me to treat him the way I want to be treated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve enjoyed encouraging him, telling him how handsome and sexy he is, how special he makes me feel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He loves when I surprise him with a chocolate candy bar with nuts, or a juicy ribeye steak with rosemary roasted potatoes. Or when I lay my head on his chest while talking in bed, or wrap my arms around him from behind when he’s cooking. Or when I simply hold his hand while we watch television together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve found that showing each other how much we love and cherish each other, in addition to saying, “I love you,” is essential for protecting our marriage, growing closer together, overlooking each other’s shortcomings, and going the distance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage/staying-married/husbands/nourishing-and-cherishing-your-wife/?utm_campaign=IDED&utm_medium=email&utm_source=FamilyLife&utm_content=July%2017">Husbands, click here for more on cherishing your wife</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage/staying-married/wives/your-husband-needs-to-be-cherished-too/?utm_campaign=IDED&utm_medium=email&utm_source=FamilyLife&utm_content=July%2017">Wives, click here for more on cherishing your husband. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The good stuff:</b> “Above all, keep loving each other earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Action points: </b>This week, spend a few minutes during a meal talking to each other about some of the things that speak love to you. Then be intentional about putting that discovery into practice.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-62505218814787811242020-07-19T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-19T00:00:09.788-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 19<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Why Keep Praying When There Is No Answer?</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Rick Warren </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers”</b> (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why should you remain persistent in your prayers when you don’t get an answer? Here are four reasons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Persistent prayer focuses your attention. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you pray a prayer request over and over, it’s not to remind God. He doesn’t need to be reminded! It’s to remind yourself that God is the source of your answer and all your needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If every prayer you ever prayed was instantly answered, two things would happen. First, prayer would actually begin to hurt you because sometimes we pray for things that are not God’s will, or we make mistakes because we see with a limited perspective. Second, you’d never really develop a deep relationship with God, because he would become just a vending machine. If every time you prayed you instantly got results, all you’d think about is the blessing. God wants you to think about the Blesser. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Persistent prayer clarifies your request. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A delayed answer gives you time to clarify exactly what you want and to refine your prayers. When you pray persistently to your heavenly Father and you say something over and over again, it separates deep longings from mere whims. It says, “God, I really care about this.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s not that God doesn’t want to answer your prayers. He does. It’s just that he wants you to be certain what you really want. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Persistent prayer tests your faith. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">James 1:3-4 says, “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The only way you can grow to spiritual maturity is to have your faith tested. One of the ways God tests your faith is by delaying some answers to your prayers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Persistent prayer prepares your heart for the answer.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you make a request of God, God almost always wants to answer in a greater way than you’ve prayed. Sometimes God denies your prayer request because you’re thinking and asking too small. He wants to give you something bigger and better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But first, he has to prepare you for it. So God uses delays in answering prayer to help you grow, to help you get ready, and to help prepare you for a bigger and better answer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remember, “God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20 NCV).</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-9685945247040441232020-07-18T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-18T00:00:01.150-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 18<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Prayer for When You Feel Stuck </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by J. Scott McElroy </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.” </b>-Matthew 11:28-30 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Does it ever seem hard to make progress in your life; to reach goals (even daily ones) and fulfill your calling? You seem to be going in the right direction, making a little progress… and then you get bogged down. That stuck feeling surfaces again. Maybe it's caused by distraction, fear, or something that's just hard to put a finger on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve experienced this feeling more often than I care to admit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think I have a pretty good handle on my personal calling and the work God has prepared for me (Eph 2:10), but getting there or letting him take me there can be a struggle. I can get stuck along the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few weeks ago God unexpectedly shined some light on my dilemma. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’d been leading a book study of Finding Divine Inspiration for several weeks with a sweet group of ladies here in Indianapolis. In response to one of the chapters, we took a few minutes to quiet ourselves and listen for God’s voice. I find these exercises very fruitful; it’s often surprising how easily we’ll hear God’s still small voice if we just get quiet for a few minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wasn’t thinking about this stuckness issue as I sat there silently, but God decided it would be a good time to talk about it. What he showed me felt like an instant mini-revelation, and I impulsively laughed out loud at his wisdom and grace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He took me back to a recent moment when my wife and I were working on our bathroom, preparing to turn our upstairs into an Airbnb. Danielle volunteered to repaint all the cabinets under the sink, and she did a wonderful job. A little too wonderful, in fact. She painted the drawer --including the sides—a nice, thick, shiny coat of white enamel. It looked like new. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the kind of drawer that slides in and out on a hard plastic rail, so the sides of the drawer must make contact with that rail when you open it. You can see where this is going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I put Danielle’s pristine drawer in the slot after the paint dried, it immediately got stuck. Would not budge. The beautiful new paint had completely gummed up the simple slide system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’d spent over an hour chipping away at the layers of paint on the sides, taking it back down to the bare wood and uncovering the plastic strip the drawer slides on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I sat in silence during the book study exercise, that scene played out in my imagination and God reminded me why the drawer got so quickly and completely stuck. It was because unnecessary layers of paint were added to it. Danielle thought she was making the drawer look nice and clean by adding those layers on. But they weren’t necessary, and in fact they were detrimental to the intended operation of the drawer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God was telling me that I often get stuck because I add unnecessary layers; to projects, to my day, to my work, to my routine. I add them because I think I know what needs to be done, or how something needs to look, or because I’m craving comfort or “balance,” or because I’m not ready to go on to the next thing. I add an unnecessary layer when I decide to read one more internet news story and then spend 10 minutes in the click-bait rabbit hole. When I get distracted by a task that seems more fun than the one I need to be focused on. When my priorities get jumbled, I overdo the preparation phase on a project, or when I spend unnecessary time and energy in order to impress people. Yep, without a doubt unnecessary layers contribute extensively to that feeling of stuckness. And often those layers create a situation I have to deal with; scraping off the gook before things can function properly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Additionally, I think my problem with stuckness has a lot to do with communication. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If I’d told Danielle more specifically what to paint on that cabinet, it would have saved us both time and energy. When I don’t take the time to communicate and consult with God about my day or my work and instead automatically follow what I think is right, it’s easy to add unnecessary layers. The Bible tells us he’ll reveal things to us when we ask him (Jer. 33:3; Prov. 16:3; James 1:5) or even—as in my case—when we just get quiet for a moment and listen. Sometimes spending just a few minutes listening for his voice can save hours of extra work and stuckness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God’s given me a new, very effective tool against stuckness: Keep in regular communication with him and keep asking him and myself, “Will this thing I’m doing or thinking about doing add an unnecessary layer to my life or work?” Give it a try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What are some of the unnecessary layers you tend to add? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Let's Pray: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lord, We humble ourselves before you and confess that we often go our own way instead of consulting you on our plans. And sometimes we feel stuck, as a result. Thank you for your grace and mercy towards us, to give us wisdom and understanding in how to avoid adding unnecessary layers to our lives. Please give us a listening ear to your guidance. Please give us the strength to overcome the temptation to add unnecessary layers and encourage us with a new sense of freedom. Enable us to live the life of faith that you created us for! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Jesus Name, Amen!</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-43402356681679561832020-07-17T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-17T00:00:06.620-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 17<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Triumphant Faith</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">from Streams in the Desert</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith</b> (1 John 5:4).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is easy to love Him when the blue is in the sky,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When summer winds are blowing, and we smell the roses nigh; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is little effort needed to obey His precious will </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When it leads through flower-decked valley, or over sun-kissed hill. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is when the rain is falling, or the mist hangs in the air, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the road is dark and rugged, and the wind no longer fair, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the rosy dawn has settled in a shadowland of gray, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That we find it hard to trust Him, and are slower to obey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is easy to trust Him when the singing birds have come, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And their canticles are echoed in our heart and in our home; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But 'tis when we miss the music, and the days are dull and drear, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That we need a faith triumphant over every doubt and fear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And our blessed Lord will give it; what we lack He will supply; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let us ask in faith believing--on His promises rely; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He will ever be our Leader, whether smooth or rough the way, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And will prove Himself sufficient for the needs of every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To trust in spite of the look of being forsaken; to keep crying out into the vast, whence comes no returning voice, and where seems no hearing; to see the machinery of the world pauselessly grinding on as if self-moved, caring for no life, nor shifting a hair-breadth for all entreaty, and yet believe that God is awake and utterly loving; to desire nothing but what comes meant for us from His hand; to wait patiently, ready to die of hunger, fearing only lest faith should fail--such is the victory that overcometh the world, such is faith indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">--George MacDonald</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-38674588158364949322020-07-16T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-16T00:00:02.783-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 16<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>How to Cry Out to God </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">29 <b>“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. </b>30<b> But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”</b> Matthew 14:29-30 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The phone rings, and you answer. A sullen voice informs you of a tragedy. Your heart is so heavy that you feel as though you could die. What do you do? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bad news, danger, and pain all cause us to look for help. As believers, we dwell with the almighty God, who is able to aid us. At those moments when we are sideswiped by life’s circumstances, we should cry out to Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the Bible, crying out refers to speaking audibly with great emotion concerning an urgent need. God invites us to use this form of prayer to communicate that we desperately need His mercy. It takes both faith and humility to share our heart’s concern aloud. Crying out, then, is a way for God’s children to express trust in the Lord’s ability and willingness to help. By calling upon Him with such urgency, wealso lay down our pride and any attitude of self-sufficiency. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Word of God assures us that our Father hears our cries and responds. In Psalm 3:4, for example, David wrote, “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered from His holy mountain.” When we call aloud for help in Jesus’ name, we invite His power into the situation. Remember that there is strength in just speaking His name. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When we cry out to God, He may remove the problem immediately, yet we often have to wait for His perfect timing. Harsh circumstances might even be allowed to remain for His good purposes. But we can always count on His comfort and presence, which enable us to live with joy and hope. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">From Dr. Charles Stanley</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-66734267169187748492020-07-15T05:38:00.000-05:002020-07-15T05:38:19.466-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 15<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Could God Really Love Someone Like Me? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Chris Russell </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today’s big question: <b>“Is it possible that God could love someone like me?” </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love is one of God’s most central attributes. The Scriptures tell us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God’s love is clearly shown in His plan for our salvation, which was worked out through His only Son as a sacrifice for us. God’s Word comes from pure love and, in this sense, is a type of “love letter” toward us. The very act of revelation to us is an act of intimate love between the Creator and His creation. The Bible shows us clearly how we can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ because of God’s love toward us (John 3:16). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was a younger Christian, I had a difficult time comprehending God’s love for me. I had knowledge of His love, but I didn’t really understand the depth of His love for me. That is, I did not fully grasp that love until December 22, 1993. That was the day that my first child was born. The day when I became a dad, I gained a whole new world of understanding about God’s love for me. I remember the flood of emotion that I felt when I saw my son for the first time. That was an overwhelming experience for me, and my heart overflowed with love for him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also remember the moment soon thereafter when it dawned on me: “Wow, you mean God loves me this much? I had no idea.” For the first point in my life, I began to get a glimpse of the depth of God’s love for me, and I found that to be truly astonishing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That new sense of God’s love became a new motivation for my serving Him. You see, when you become aware of the depth of God’s love, it changes you. It changes the way you want to live your life, the reason why you want to live for Him, and the depth of your commitment toward Him. Today’s big idea: as you become aware of the depth of God’s love for you, allow that realization to become the driving force in your obedience to Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What to pray:</b> pray that God will help you to sense His love for you, and pray that He will help you to respond to His love with complete devotion to Him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY:</b> For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-57841307861861191212020-07-14T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-14T00:00:08.230-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 14<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Prayerful Waiting </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Max Lucado </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“They all met together continually for prayer.” Mark uses the same Greek word here translated “continually” to describe a boat floating in the water, waiting on Jesus. The Master, speaking on the beach of Galilee, told the disciples to have a boat ready and waiting (Mark 3:9). The boat was “continually” in the presence of Christ. So are the Upper Room disciples. One day passes. Then two. Then a week. For all they know a hundred more will come and go. But they aren’t leaving. They persist in the presence of Christ. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The followers were willing to do one thing: wait in the right place for power. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We’re so reluctant to do what they did. Who has time to wait? We groan at such a thought. But waiting doesn’t mean inactivity—rather inHIMactivity. Waiting means watching for him. If you are waiting on a bus, you are watching for the bus. If you are waiting on God, you are watching for God, searching for God, hoping in God. Great promises come to those who do. “But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To those who still struggle, God says, “Wait on me.” And wait in the right place. Jesus doesn’t tell us to stay in Jerusalem, but he does tell us to stay honest, stay faithful, stay true. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Desire power for your life? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It will come as you pray. For ten days the disciples prayed. Ten days of prayer plus a few minutes of preaching led to three thousand saved souls. Perhaps we invert the numbers. We’re prone to pray for a few minutes and preach for ten days. Not the apostles. Like the boat waiting for Christ, they lingered in his presence. They never left the place of prayer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>From Come Thirsty </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2004) Max Lucado</i></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-60531079648955816742020-07-13T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-13T00:00:05.406-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 13<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>My Day at the Beach That Wasn't Any Such Thing </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Shawn McEvoy </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me… (2 Samuel 22:5). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your wrath lies heavily upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves (Psalm 88:7). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have many times stood upon the shore of a peaceful Atlantic ocean gazing East to the sunrise, pondering the vastness and the depth of God. This was not one of those times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today, I wanted to catch some fish. It was my only two hours of alone time during the whole week of family vacation to Isle of Palms. I decided to bike down to the point I’d walked to earlier that morning. This was mistake number one. I popped the chain on that old bike about half-way down the beach, and ended up having to push it the rest of the way with one hand while holding my fishing pole (and trying not to hook myself) with the other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I finally got there the waves had risen to a height I’d not encountered in any of my last four seasons on Atlantic beaches. I could barely cast my lure over them, and if I did succeed, I’d soon get knocked over. So, alright. You know what? I’ve been wanting a showdown. “Let’s see whatchya got,” I said, to either myself, God, or the forces of nature. I took my pole back to shore and I waded out to war. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I adopted my best linebacker stance and stood up to the six-foot waves as best I could. I tried body surfing and nearly swallowed a gallon or two of seawater. I tried jumping over, diving under, and shouldering through. And while I was doing all of it I was telling God or whoever would listen how hard a time I’d been having of it. ("Sure," you're saying, "a week of luxury beach vacation with the family; you’re really struggling." But it’s true). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why do I put on weight so easily? Why do you not seem to hear me anymore? Why am I not satisfied in my soul? Why do my simplest desires – like to ride a bike down a beach and catch a fish – result in such discouraging and powerful setbacks? Why is my faith bruised and how do I start to care for the people of God again? Huh?! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing. Just wave after wave after pounding after pounding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The good news is I was exhausting myself, getting this out of my system, and 'praying.' That I was again getting a sense of myself in this rough place called The World and how puny I am in relation to the created universe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The bad news is I was becoming more dejected. When I finally gave up and told God I recognized his bigness and my smallness, I sat in the surf and tried to really connect, to really give it all to him, to really make this the milestone day from which everything was different for the rest of my life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it was just words. Nothing seemed to rise. I couldn’t make my heart climb into my prayers. And I couldn’t figure out how or when I had lost it, or what to do about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I paced to shore defeated and dejected. What progress had I made? At best today was a humbling, at worst a humiliation. My head drooped, and I looked down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I saw further discouraged me. For a length of several yards, the shallow foam washing back out was running at the same pace as my strides walking back in. The optical illusion was one of getting nowhere. Moving, but remaining in the same place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's when, finally, this: "You know you're making progress. You know, despite how it looks, that you’re getting closer to shore with every step. Likewise, today was progress. Tomorrow will be a step. As will the next. My grace is a wave infinitely more powerful and cleansing than these, and My footprints don't wash away." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I sighed, but I smiled. “Step by step you lead me, and I will follow you all of my days…” Step-by-step is exactly how I got home that day, beaten, extremely chafed, shoeless, pushing a bike and carrying a pole. And, I'm happy to report, that's exactly how I’m getting back home in my spirit as well.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-23195818412435160102020-07-12T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-12T00:00:14.202-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 12<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Dwelling on Truth, Not Lies </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Meg Bucher </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Romans 8:38-39 “Where did that come from?” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My daughters and I belly laughed at a ridiculous thought-trail we decided to build a silly storyline on, inevitably ending with someone making a line-crossing comment that sent us all into stitches. Thoughts are tricky little boogers. They can be helpful and motivating, reminiscent and intriguing, imaginative and encouraging… but they can also go completely rogue. After they pop into our minds, they look for a place to land. If we’re not diligent to guide them into the correct categories, they can derail us. At worst, take us completely out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Romans 8:38-39 assures us that nothing can separate us from Christ, the NIV Study Bible noting that “it is impossible to get beyond God’s loving reach.” But there are many crushing moments in life that will tempt us to believe otherwise. Outright lies can potentially drift in and out of our minds attempting to label and disqualify us. Our enemy’s mission is to take us completely out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Doubts can manipulate pride in reverse to wrongly convince us there’s something dysfunctional and wrong with us. Ultimately, this is not at all who God says we are. He proclaims we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14) Wonderfully, meaning set apart and chosen by on purpose for a purpose. Worry can ignite a broken cycle of double-mindedness, and anxiety can signal a lack of trust in God. James warms, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:5-8 NIV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shame and guilt will launch an all-out attack on our confidence if we allow doubtful, worrisome, and anxious thoughts to spin into a destructive tornado. Shame never comes from God. The Holy Spirit will convict us to confess our sins and turn away from them, but He will not lay a blanket of guilt over our hearts. Perfectionism and comparison can be easily fueled by social media and other outlets, making us feel guilty for who we are and where we’re at in life. This is the opposite of God’s truth for our lives, and Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing can separate us from God. Christ dwells in every believer. We are never alone. Through our Savior, we have the power to overcome any attack on our thoughts. The powerful lies attempting to take us out are no match for the Creator of the universe. By keeping God’s Truth fresh in our minds, we are able to focus and follow His plan and purpose for our lives. Our God desires a relationship with us. Tune into the Truth.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-68343874269331117182020-07-11T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-11T00:00:02.635-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 11<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>God Doesn’t Play Red Light, Green Light </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by BOB GOFF </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:2-5 (ESV) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hear a lot of people in faith communities talking about doors, like God is a concierge at an apartment building. “He opened the door” or “He closed the door” gets tossed around a lot. Yet I’ve come to realize that although God orders all our steps, we have agency over the moves we decide to make, too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We turn to God for answers, direction and purpose in our lives, and He gives us Jesus all over again. Our faith isn’t a puzzle to be solved, it’s a path to be followed. But how? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sure, I get the concept about open and closed doors. I’m just not sure I accept the premise that God is playing “red light, green light” games, telling us to advance or go back, in every situation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While I do think God cares intimately about our hearts and ambitions when they’re His, I don’t think He’s necessarily the guy standing at the door, opening and closing it. If you’re a musician and sing bad songs, I wouldn’t be too quick to say “God shut the door on my career.” It’s a hard truth, but maybe it’s time to get better at singing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you’re an author like me and write uninspiring words, as has happened often to me, let’s aim to bring it to Jesus and not blame Him for it. What I’m saying is that it’s easy to conjure up divine intervention for poor performance. Let’s not fall for it. And instead, we can get busy getting better. Does God engage in our lives in unseen ways? Certainly. Who knows how many guardian angels have put themselves between you and a bad outcome? Hitting a couple of road bumps doesn’t always mean God is trying to send a secret, encrypted message. Maybe what we tried just didn’t work out the way we hoped. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What I’ve come to really believe is that in God’s economy, nothing is ever wasted. Not our pain, nor our disappointments, nor our setbacks. These are tools that can be used later as a recipe for our best work. Quit throwing the “batter” away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today’s key verse says it best. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:2-5). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thankfully, God isn’t tapping His pencil on a scorecard, scrutinizing our every move until we get it right. He is with us while we navigate life’s difficulties. We all mess up — often. So let’s keep moving ahead. With our eyes on Jesus rather than caring how we look to everyone else. If we keep it about Jesus, He promised we’d come to know more about Him while we’re figuring out a few more things about ourselves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some things we try will work; others won’t. It’s that simple. So, I’m making it my goal to learn what I can from the successes or setbacks and move on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our failures don’t name us — God does. If you’re not hearing the name “beloved” whispered over your shoulder when you have a major face-plant or a setback, just remember, it’s not Jesus doing the talking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear God, help me remember that failure is just part of the process, and it’s not just OK; it’s better than OK. Thank You for never keeping a record of my strikes and always helping me dust myself off so I can swing for the fences again. And for loving me always, no matter what. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>TRUTH FOR TODAY: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Psalm 37:23, “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.” (NIV) Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (ESV)</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-3709959628445010912020-07-10T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-10T00:00:05.012-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 10<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>What Does it Mean to Be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made?</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Jennifer Heeren </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The human body is a unique design of multiple systems that all work intricately together. The cardiovascular system gives you energy to move. The muscular system gives you the ability to move, lift, and hold things. The digestive system processes food into energy and discards waste. The immune system keeps you healthy. The hormonal system determines your gender. The eyes cause you to see. The nose lets you smell. The tongue and mouth let you eat and taste. The ears enable you to hear. And your skin enables you to feel textures. You were also blessed with a brain so you can think, process, and create. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God created you on purpose with love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You were made with a hole in the center of your soul that only one thing fits. Until you find that very specific something, you will never be fulfilled. And that very specific something is God Himself. You were designed with an intense need of your Creator, God. Without a relationship with Him, you will always be searching for something to fill that void. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drugs, alcohol, food, money, sex, material goods, occupations, hobbies, travel, success, fame—these are some of the ways in which we try to fill that empty space inside. But none of those things will ever fill it. They are like round pegs in square holes. The vacant areas at the edges will still leave you desiring more of something else. Whatever you attempt to put in there will dissipate because it never completely fills the space. Those things were never meant to fill the space; they never can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sadly, many continue to shove mismatched pegs into that hole. A little of this, a little of that… hoping that one day they will feel complete. They surmise that this thing over here didn’t work but maybe this other thing will do it. They just haven’t found the right thing yet but one day they hope they will. People want to look to everyone and everything else before they turn to God. Fortunately, God made a way for us to repent and turn to Him by sending His very own Son to make the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you do finally realize that without God you are unable to make the most of yourself, that’s when things begin to change. The clay cannot mold itself no matter how hard it tries. However, God, the Potter, can not only mold His clay but He also knows what His original design of you was. He is both a Potter and an Architect with a Master Plan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do I always feel like I am fearfully and wonderfully made? No. Sin and pride always want to drag me back into my own way of thinking. The same thinking that kept me reaching for those mismatched pegs. Those thoughts tell me that I can do whatever I want, by myself, without God. They lie and they don’t even make sense. They say I can do anything but then turn around and say that I’m not good enough to do what I want to do. Feelings can’t be trusted unless they line up with the Word of God. And the Word of God tells me that I’m fearfully and wonderfully made for a specific purpose. Therefore, with God’s help, I will walk in that purpose as often as I can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whether I always feel it or not, I can trust God and His plans for my very life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Part of this devotional was taken from What Does it Mean to Be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made? by Jennifer Heeren.</i></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-32003229654917663422020-07-09T03:45:00.001-05:002020-07-09T03:45:22.144-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 9<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Real Reason for Submission </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By Jennifer Waddle </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. (Ephesians 5:21-23) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am sad at the way today's culture has distorted the roles of both husband and wife. Between strivings for control and misconceptions of what biblical submission really means lies a chasm of mistruths that stand in the way of healthy, godly marriages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd like to speak a word of wisdom to wives for a moment, encouraging them towards a heart of submission that seeks the will of God first. For if we cannot submit to the will of the Father, which is good, pleasing, and perfect, how will we ever find peace under the authority of our husbands? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In turn, if I may encourage husbands, I'd like to remind them that being the head of their marriages, as Christ is the head of the church, is the most gentle, loving, protective role in the world. What a divine position you've been given! What a privilege! Please step into your role with both meekness and assurance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh, the beauty of God-ordained submission! It looks nothing like the world's battle for dominance. It doesn't compare to the petty and shallow conflicts that consume marriages today. Instead, God's blueprint lays out a clear and beautiful foundation of submission to one another out of devotion to Christ. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And there, my friends, lies the real reason for submission — reverence for Christ. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once we wrap our minds around this biblical concept, and more importantly, envelop our hearts around it, we can rest assured that submission is the most pure and beautiful way a marriage can exist. No longer are we threatened by our husband's role. No longer are men confused about their place in the marriage. The relationship is made whole when both are living in reverence to Christ Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If submission has been a contention in your marriage, please spend some time in Ephesians chapter 5. Ask God for wisdom and clarity concerning this misunderstood principle. Then, come together and determine to live out God's design for your marriage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are some things to consider as you move forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When husbands have a clear picture of what Christ did for the church, they will better understand their loving and self-sacrificing role as head over their wives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When wives stop feeling threatened by their husband's God-given role as head over them, they will actually be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be strong and fruitful helpmates to their spouses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The word submit also means to acknowledge, surrender, relent, and yield. We acknowledge one another as beloved and cherished. We surrender to one another in love and grace. We relent our wills for the perfect will of the Father. And we yield to one another often, letting our agendas fall at the feet of Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The real reason for submission isn’t to feel “less-than.” It’s to be fully devoted to Jesus Christ and live in reverence to Him. When we see submission in that light, it becomes a missional privilege rather than a dubious requirement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please don't let the culture distort your view of the blessed roles in marriage. Prayerfully consider who you were created to be and accept it as a divine calling. There is great peace and contentment in godly submission.</span><br />
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<br />Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-90475903656424052182020-07-08T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-08T00:00:04.867-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 8<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Don't Depend on Pharaoh </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Dr. Tony Evans</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Scripture Reading: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">30 <b>Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, </b>31 <b>and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— </b>32 <b>to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,</b> 33 <b>to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.</b> Exodus 35:30-33 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">29 <b>Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank. </b>Proverbs 22:29 NIV </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Believe it or not, God's strategy to transform society includes the development of economic stability. What does economics have to do with transforming a culture? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Deuteronomy 28:12, God told Israel that if they would obey Him, they would be a lender to other nations and never a borrower. When God's people disobeyed, they became debtors and were plunged into poverty. They had to depend on pagans, on Pharaoh, for their livelihood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This economic strategy remains a good one for today. Pagans will not finance God's program. With economic independence via hard work and skills, God's people can continue to make an impact for Christ. We can do His business His way because we're using His resources. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>As long as you are working for and dependent upon Pharaoh, he will never let you go. </b></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-82890021459512091542020-07-07T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-07T00:00:06.760-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 7<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b>The Cornerstone of Liberty </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">by Pastor Greg Laurie </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;"><b>“What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance”</b> (Psalm 33:12 nlt). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Today is the 244th birthday of the United States of America. Our founding fathers framed a document that was drafted for the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, who adopted it on July 4, 1776. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">We call it the Declaration of Independence. Among other things it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">The framers acknowledged that all people, from all backgrounds, have dignity before their Creator. Pastor Chuck Smith once said that sometimes we forget that the Declaration of Independence, which declared independence from foreign tyranny, also declared our dependence on an eternal God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">We see this in its closing words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Our forefathers believed there is a God who guides the affairs of mankind. And they clearly founded our nation on the teachings of one book. That book is the Bible. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Abraham Lincoln said of the Bible in 1864, “All the good the Saviour [sic] gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">However, in our pursuit of freedom I think we’ve lost sight of the Creator who gave us clear parameters to live by. We need to turn back to God. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;">Although we have forgotten Him, He has not forgotten us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i>Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Your Devotional Sponsor:</span></div>
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-18217598843909644282020-07-06T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-06T00:00:01.914-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 6<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Traveling Light </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Max Lucado </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I fell asleep in the Louvre. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most famous museum in the world. The best-known building in Paris. Tourists are oohing and aahing, and that’s me, nodding and snoring. Seated on a bench. Back to the wall. Chin to my chest. Conked out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The crown jewels are down the hall. Rembrandt is on the wall. Van Gogh is one floor up. The Venus de Milo is one floor down. I should have been star struck and wide eyed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Denalyn was. You’d have thought she was at Foley’s Red Apple sale. If there was a tour, she took it. If there was a button to push, she pushed it. If there was a brochure to read, she read it. She didn’t even want to stop to eat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But me? I gave the Mona Lisa five minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shameful, I know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But it wasn’t my fault. I like seventeenth-century art as much as the next guy … well, maybe not that much. But at least I can usually stay awake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But not that day. Why did I fall asleep at the Louvre? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blame it on the bags, baby; blame it on the bags. I was worn out from lugging the family luggage. We checked more suitcases than the road show of the Phantom of the Opera. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can’t fault my wife and daughters. They learned it from me. Remember, I’m the one who travels prepared for an underwater wedding and a bowling tournament. It’s bad enough for one person to travel like that, but five? It’ll wear you out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You think I’ll ever learn to travel light? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I tell you what. Let’s make a pact. I’ll reduce the leather bags, and we’ll both reduce the emotional ones. After all, it’s one thing to sleep through the Louvre but quite another to sleep through life. We can, you know. Do we not dwell in the gallery of our God? Isn’t the sky his canvas and humanity his magnum opus? Are we not encircled by artistry? Sunsets burning. Waves billowing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And isn’t the soul his studio? The birthing of love, the bequeathing of grace. All around us miracles pop like fireflies—souls are touched, hearts are changed, and… Yawn. We miss it. We sleep through it. We can’t help it. It’s hard work carrying yesterday’s guilt around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s also enough to make you miss the magic of life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then let’s get rid of the bags! Once and for all, let’s give our luggage to him. Let’s take him at his word! <b>“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” </b>(Matt. 11:28 NLT). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u>From Traveling Light </u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u>Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2004) Max Lucado</u></i></span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607020074501127945.post-43418603262941692912020-07-05T00:00:00.000-05:002020-07-05T00:00:10.581-05:00July, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 5<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5QudIwDj6Y/XS_ccNnz7KI/AAAAAAAAF0Q/juSirdjKF8kWs9rCovE498sCkBTVNrjzQCLcBGAs/s1600/SLN%2BDAILY%2BHEADER.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Go Ahead and Feel Those Feelings </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Gwen Smith </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Today’s Truth </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.</b> (Psalm 109:22) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Friend to Friend </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some dog owners teach their pups to attack, pursue or chase someone by using the command, “Sic ‘em!” This short, sharp prompt gives dogs permission to aggressively pounce on an enemy or targeted individual. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I sensed this type of request from David to God as I read Psalm 109. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2 for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3 With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.</b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Psalm 109:1-5) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Having been betrayed by people in his community, David was furious with the surrounding “wicked and deceitful men.” (V2) Frankly, the details of what had gone down reads worse than the lyrics of a country song. He’d been “spoken against with lying tongues” (V2), and “attacked without cause” with “words of hatred.” (v3) Frenemies threw around accusations and repaid good with evil and hatred. (v4-5) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sting of betrayal was fierce and deeply personal. Always is, right? In response, David prayed with a harshness that makes me wiggle uncomfortably. Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Psalm 109: 6-8) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that's just the beginning of his poignant prayer! The pains and strains of it all made him physically sick and depressed. But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">23 I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Psalm 109:21-25) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was plumb wrung out, y’all. Wrecked emotionally. Overwhelmed and angry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ummm... yeah! I get that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I imagine we all do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Essentially, David was shouting from the top of his soul-lungs, “Sic ‘em, God!” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">27 Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">28 While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. </b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Psalm 109:26-31) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I read his prayer and recognize it’s okay, good even, to rise up against evil. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s okay to hate evil and injustice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also see that the place to let my anger rise up is in prayer. David hashes it out with God. I should too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’ve been on the receiving end of betrayal and false, unfair accusations. I occasionally get mean emails. I’ve lost sleep, racked my brain to understand, and have cried out for God to be my Defender. Psalm 109 reminds me that it’s okay to address wickedness and feel my feelings honestly, as long as I do so in an intimate dialogue with my ever-present Lord who’s sovereign, good and loving (v21). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Let’s Pray </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sovereign Lord, Even when we act horribly, You act with justice, love, righteousness, mercy and compassion. I bring You the burdens of my heart today, Jesus. You know my pains and strains. You know the people who cause my blood to boil and who have wronged me. Contend with them, Lord. Move as only You can, as my Defender and Deliverer for Your glory. Heal and help my heart to walk in Your strength, dignity and joy today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Jesus’ Name, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amen.</span><br />
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Richard Spurlockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775290540968889127noreply@blogger.com0