1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

ISSUES 83 - 92 home

#84 #85 #86 #87 #88 #89 #90 #91 #92

#83

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans for welfare and

not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

Ever felt worthless? Like you thought God was trying to ruin your life? Or like

everything was just going completely opposite of the way YOU wanted it to go?

I know I can answer yes to a couple of those questions. But you know what?

When those thoughts get into our head... you know who does it?? THE DEVIL.

He wants to bring you down. He WANTS you to feel worthless. He HATES you!!

He KNOWS that God has A PURPOSE for your life. That God wants to use you

for his divine plan! So yeah the devil is reealllyy angry about this and wants to

stop you. He goes around making you feel worthless... he tries to make you blame

yourself for things that happen. BUT IT ISN'T YOUR FAULT. You are a very

special person no matter what the devil tries to tell you!!! When this happens

you need to fight him with the WORD OF GOD just like Jesus did in the desert.

Bring up ANY verse that you can think of: like the one we put up there! We don't

want you to get brought down. We have the victory in Jesus!!!

(remember that hymn???) Oh VICTORY IN JESUS, MY SAVIOUR FOREVER. We

need to CONFIDE in Jesus when the devil tries to bring us down.

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

Are you feeling down in the mud?? WELL STAND UP! YOU have the power within

you to fight the devil and his evil plots. God wants to give you a future and a hope...

so accept it and defeat the devil!!!!

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord I thank you for the hope that you have given me. Thank you for comforting

me in my trails and giving me the power to DEFEAT the devil! In Jesus' name, amen.

~~~

**************

#84

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Galatians 1:10

Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men?

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

Have you ever showed off to someone to try and make them think that you

were cool? Or maybe you were just trying to fit in: so you changed a few

things told a few lies: but that’s ok right? Well you know what? I think that you

need to look at Paul as a good example! (As a matter of fact more than 90% of

us do I'm sure) Lately in my life I feel like I have been trying to please both people,

and God. And I’m going to tell you, it just does not work! We have to choose one

or the other! And I pray that you will choose God! Because it is said that God

doesn’t want us to be lukewarm Christians (or Mormons, or Catholics or Baptists

or whatever..). He wants us to be either hot or cold! Here’s what I mean by that:

If you are cold that means that you don’t believe in God at all. If you’re hot- then

you’re on fire (that’s good!) and you live your life for Christ- in a big way! If you’re

only lukewarm though- you don’t know where you stand with God. You are kind

of a believer and you are KIND OF a people pleaser.

And before we go there is just one last thing I want to mention, you can be the

most popular person at school, you can be a dork, you can be really smart, and

you can get straight F’s. These are going to be the things humans will judge you

on. But when Jesus comes back to take all of his believers to Heaven he’s only

going to judge you on one thing- whether or not you believed in him. Whether or

not you loved him. And whether or not you showed it! SO SHOW IT!!!

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

I want you to scroll back up at the top and say the verse to yourself again... this

time asking yourself those questions. Then I want you to honestly answer them

and pray about your answer. Do you think God liked your answer? Why/why not?

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord I thank you for this day, and I thank you that I don't need to win the

approval of men. The only approval that I need is YOURS! Thank you! In Jesus'

name, amen.

~~~

**************

#85

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Psalm 29:11

The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Luke 24:50-53

And He led them out as far as Bethany and He lifted His hands and blessed them.

And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them. And they

returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.

1 Chronicles 4:10

Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me and that Thou wouldst

keep me from harm, that it may not pain me!” and God granted him what was requested.

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

You know what? I am sooo blessed! There are times when I don’t feel like that at all

but even if I don’t feel like I am blessed; I still am!! God loves to bless us. And all we

have to do is ask for his blessing! Sometimes blessing is just given… but

sometimes it is received by asking for it. Do you remember the short story of Jabez?

He prayed to God to bless him INDEED and enlarge his territory that God’s hand would

be with him, that he would see no evil, and that it would not cause pain. And God granted

him what he asked! JUST LIKE THAT. And if you are one of God’s children then how

can he turn you down? Say you had a daughter… and she was around the age of 2: she

asks you for a banana, and you give her the banana don’t you? The only circumstances

that you wouldn’t give your daughter a banana is that if she was about to have a full meal

or you didn’t have any bananas. NOW let’s think of that banana as God’s blessing… if you

ask for that “banana” he is going to give it to you! (lets forget the not having a banana

part because God ALWAYS has blessings) Remember the full meal part? If the “banana”

is just one blessing and he wouldn’t give you the banana because of your “full meal” of

blessings… WOW! Have you ever had an experience like that? You just ask for something

small and God gives you something HUGE. It has happened to me MORE THAN ONCE. You

just need to have faith! You KNOW that God wants to bless you. Now all you have to do

is ask… THAT is the faith part. DON’T DOUBT. There is no need for it!

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

Would you like a blessing in your life… right now??? God wants to give it to you! So go

ahead… don’t be shy… he is WAITING for you to ask Him.

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, please put your hand of blessing over my life. Please bless me in a way that

no one else can! Thank you God for every situation you have put me in or will ever put me

in because it isn’t a curse; that too is a blessing. Thank you again! In Jesus’ name, amen.

~~~

**************

#86

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Acts 2:46-47a:

Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their

homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor

of all the people.

Acts 12:5

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let

us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage

one another --- and all the more as you see the Day appproaching.

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

The reasons we go to church is to worship God, learn more about Jesus, and fellowship

(or hang out with) other Christians. Without church we would still be able to go to Heaven

and we could still be saved, but we wouldn’t know quite as much about God.

I have made so many GREAT friends at the church I go to. They help me, and they pray for

me and they encourage me! That’s exactly what a church is supposed to do. You are

supposed to just be there for each other. What I have just described to you is basically

fellowship! The Youth group I go to every week teaches us all kinds of things about God.

About His love, about Jesus, about salvation- all kinds of stuff! By going to church I’ve

learned so much more than I would if I had just stayed home.

Also if you don’t have a particular Youth group you go to, but you still want to know about

God and talk to people. You can do this on the internet. If you guys want to know of a great

place you can go online you can go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electriclife/

Worship is such a great thing. It is actually the only part of the church service that is for

God! You sing to God when you worship. The other parts of the service are usually to

teach you!

Okay so having said all of this there is one more thing. Just because you go to church,

that doesn’t make you a Christian (or Mormon, or Catholic…). To be a Christian you need

to do a little more then go to church. To be one, you need to know and accept Jesus. And

if you haven’t yet, and you want to, please scroll down and read the salvation prayer! If

you’re not comfortable doing that, then go to a local pastor or someone, and ask them to

help you.

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

What are your reasons for going to church? Do you go because your parents make you,

because you feel like you have to to be a “good christian” or because you WANT to learn

about God and fellowship with your Christian friends?

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord,

I thank you and believe that you sent your son to die on the cross so that I can go to

Heaven and be with you when I die. I confess that I am a sinner and that I have done many

bad things in my lifetime. I want you to come in my life and make me new. Please wash

away my sins and come into my heart to live with me today. In Jesus Name, amen.

~~~

**************

#87

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Matthew 13:1-8

Jesus Teaches in Parables -
That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. And large crowds

gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was

standing on the beach. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying,

"Behold, the sower went out to sow;
and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them

up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately

they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they

were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among

the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good

soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Matthew 13:45-46

- A Costly Pearl -
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,

and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:13-15

- Jesus’ Explanation -

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never

perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their

ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear

with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

In the first parable that is listed is a really good, and well-known one. It is basically

referring to God [as the sower] and those different places are our hearts. And the way

Jesus described it, is perfect! It’s simple yet soooo true. As for the second one, Jesus

explains how we should seek the kingdom of heaven. As if it were a precious pearl that

we would give anything for!

In the last few verses Jesus was explaining to his confused disciples why he spoke in

parables. I thought Matthew 13:13-15 was a little bit hard to understand, so I wanted to try

and interpret it for you. What I think it means is this: Jesus speaks in parables because we

don’t always see, hear, and understand things correctly. We can be hearing something,

but we don’t always quite understand it- (think of a time when you were sitting in class

and your teacher was trying to explain something to you- you were trying SO hard to

understand it, but you just didn’t get it! That’s sort of what is being talked about here).

Sometimes we may see things, but we don’t know exactly what we are seeing, (maybe

one day you were sitting on a bench and you look up and see two people. One

person pushes the other- automatically you may believe they are fighting, when really

they are just playing. You have just seen something- but you didn’t really know what it

meant- you didn’t perceive it correctly). Our hearts have become hardened and we don’t

often hear with our ears. We don’t usually see things because we have closed our eyes.

Because if we did then we would understand in our hearts and we would change and be

healed.

Matthew 13:35

So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

If you read Matthew 13:1-8 again I would like you to take this verse to heart. Which place

do you think your seed fell onto?

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, thank you for the things you are doing in my life. There is no amount of thanks

to thank you for what you have done for me. Thank you for blessing me in so many ways.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

**************

#88

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Matthew 25:14-30

“Again it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his

property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to

another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who

had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.

So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one

talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the

master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had

received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five

talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!

You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and

share your master’s happiness!’ The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said,

‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well

done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in

charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are

a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered

seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs

to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have

not sown and gathered where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my

money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with

interest. ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone

who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even

what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the

darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

What the moral of the parable above is that those of us who have been given more, are

expected to do more.

1 servant was given 5 talents, and in return he gave 5 more. Another man was only given

2 talents, yet he still managed to contribute 2 more! You see, these men weren’t given that

much, but they still gave back some.

Now look at the man who was only given 1 talent. He was so worried about holding on to

his one that he didn’t try to get any more for his master! God will give us "talents" [literally

speaking also] according to our abilities

We are to put to work the gifts that God gives us. We shouldn't hide them!

If God gave you the gifts of: writing, singing, dancing, and speaking all in one: what would

you go do?

Well I know what I would do! I would go out and use the gifts he gave me to the best of my

abilities. Obviously the first thing you would notice about the talents I listed is that they are

for a music industry. So what do you do? You go to talent searches, sing at oprys, or help

lead worship at your church. You go out and find a place to use your talent!

When you take the smallest things God gives you and you invest in it and you use it for His

glory, he blesses you even more!

Did you see what happened to the guy that had doubled what was given to him?? He was

put in charge of MANY things!! Not just a few but MANY. And in those days it was a privilege

to have control over things in your master’s household.

Now we don't know what kind of blessings God is going to give us but we know that if we

use the gifts he has given us for His glory and really make use of them: he will bless us!

Now that’s what I want, am I sure it's what you want too right? How many "talents" has he

given you and what are you going to do with them?

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

This week we challenge you to step back and take a look at your life. Try and think of all

of the blessings and things God has given you. Once you’ve done that ask yourself, “Am

I giving back as much as I am receiving?”

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, I am going to go out today and use the gift that you have given me. I am not

going to dig a hole in the ground and hide it there. NO! That’s not what you want me to do.

I am going to go out and use the gift you have given me for your glory! Thank you Lord for

entrusting me with this gift. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~~~

**************

#89

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit be on the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion

seeking someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:11-18

Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the

devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers against powers,

against world forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly

places. Therefore take up the full armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day,

having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm therefore having girded your loins with truth,

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the

preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which,

you shall be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of

salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition,

pray at all times in the Spirit and with this in view, be on alert with all perseverance and

petition for all the saints.

Matthew 24:42

Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

1 Thessalonians 5:2

For you yourselves knows full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

Luke 12:40

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

1 John 2:28

And now dear children, continue in Him so that when he appears we may be confident and

unashamed before Him at His coming.

Revelation 22:7

And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophesy of this

book.”

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

We need to be ready. We need to be prepared. We need to be alert of the things that are going

on around us. You know why? Because if we aren’t: then we can get devoured. You don’t want

to get caught off guard. We need to be ready all the time for Jesus to return. Because no one,

not even Jesus Himself knows when he will come get us. Only God knows! Jesus is coming

back for us! Isn’t that the best news you’ve heard in a while? Well it is to me!! That message

alone makes me wanna jump up and down!! Isn’t it cool to know that God didn’t just put us on

this earth and forget about us! He’s going to send his Son back one of these days.

The message this week is for us to be prepared. To be ready for whatever is going to come!

Luke, John and Revelation talk about how we need to be ready for when Jesus comes down

to get us. Luke is telling us that we won’t know the hour, the day, or even the month that he’s

coming.

1 John tells us that we need to continue walking with him so that when he appears we won’t

be ashamed in front of Him. And lastly Revelation tells us that we can’t just keep the word to

ourselves. If we’ve heard verses in the Bible (and everybody reading this newsletter has) then

we are blessed. Now we need to go out and share those words with others.

Are you “sleeping”? Well this is your wake up call! Get into God’s word, do HIS Will for your

life: pray to and worship Him today. That is how you can be ready. Don’t forget about being

alert of the devil. We need to put on the full armor of God. Did you hear me? “The FULL armor

of God.” (Ephesians 6:11-18) In Ephesians 6:11 it doesn’t say to put on just the shield of faith,

or just the shoes of peace. It says to put on the FULL armor of God. Missing just one piece can

make us susceptible to the attacks of the devil. So what are the two things we talked about

today? 1) Be ready for Christ’s return. 2) Be ready for any attack that will come your way. BY

putting on the armor of God.

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

Are you missing some of that armor we just talked about? Think about this question and

apply it to your life today. If you have anything else to share about this topic please e-mail

[email protected] .

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, I am going to put on all of Your armor. You will not catch me “sleeping” when you

return. Thank you that I don’t have to stand up to the devil alone, that you are always there to

help me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~~~

**************

#90

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Philippians 2:14-15

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves innocent children

of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you

appear as lights in the world.

1 Peter 3:9

Not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called

for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know

how you should respond to each person.

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were

still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

James 3:10

From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing, my brethren these things should not

be this way.

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

One of the biggest questions I hear from both Christians and non-Christians is, why is it so

wrong to cuss? If you ask me, James 3:10 gives us that answer.

Our speech is a big part of the way people look at us and think of us as Christians. If we went

around cussing and talking smack about people, they wouldn’t think that we were very good

people. And I don’t think that they would think Christianity was very interesting either. They

might get scared off, when we don’t want that! We want them to look at us and go “hey, they’re

different! I want to be like them!” Have you ever heard the _expression, ‘Do you kiss your

mother with that mouth?’

Well a better one is, ‘Do you praise God with that mouth?’

Lots of people start cussing in their early teenage years. Not all, but most. We do it because

we see so many other people. Then we get into the habit of cussing, and those words just

become part of our vocabulary.

This is where Galatians 1:10 comes up.

Are you now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or are you trying to please men?

If you are still trying to please men, then you are not a servant of Christ.

What we say can hurt people, as well as ourselves. But if you keep your speech “seasoned

with salt” we might be able to bless people by our words instead of make them feel bad.

I am sure that you have heard the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but words

can never hurt me” well that sentence right there is TOTALLY wrong. I can totally relate and I

am sure you can think of a time where that sentence was wrong too. So many times do we try

to say to ourselves that things that other people say don’t hurt. But in reality… it does. But just

because someone has hurt us with their words doesn’t mean we should hurt people with ours.

Jesus is a perfect example of that. When He was on His way to Calvary, there were a lot of people

who were calling him names, but he never threw an insult back. We should be like that even

when it hurts us. Jesus told us to bless those who curse us. Do you know how hard that is??

And when you bless someone who has just cursed you it makes them soooo mad! At times that

can get a bit scary especially if that person is bigger or stronger than you are… you don’t want to

get into a fight! But no matter what we need to follow the example of Jesus. It’s the best thing to

do in the end. (Because you won’t feel so bad for hurting someone’s feelings! And you KNOW

that the Lord is proud of you.)

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

Is there someone in your life who has been treating you very bad? I know it’s tough, it happens

to a lot of people. Don’t let that bully get you down. You don’t need that! Pray for him/her and the

next time that they insult you don’t throw another insult back. But bless them. (Just don’t get hurt

in the process)

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, I thank you for the wonderful example that you gave us. I want to live like Jesus lived and not curse someone like they have done to me. Give me patience and courage and keep me safe. In Jesus’ name, amen.

**************

#91

<>< FROM THE TEXT ><>

Luke 21:9-10

“But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified, for these things must

come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” Then He said to them “Nation

will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

Matthew 24:6

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these

things must come to pass but the end is not yet.”

1 Samuel 17:37

Moreover David said “the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of

the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,

yes I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Matt 18:21-22

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and

I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven

times, but up to seventy times seven.

~~~

=) THINK IT OVER =)

As the Untied States along with many other countries go to war with Iraq we need to be

backing them up in prayer. And as the war proceeds we need to take Jesus’ advice: Do

not worry! God is with the men and women who are fighting the war and He is going to be

with us as we wait to see the outcome. God is the only one who knows what is going to

happen and we need to trust him. The verses from Matthew and Luke are just examples:

we’re not saying that this is the end of the world. But we are saying that we need to be

alert! We need to be ready for when Jesus comes back.

Jesus tells us that wars have to happen!

Remember how many wars happened in the old-testament times? A LOT! And God promises

his people in the book of Isaiah that he will be with them during the wars that were going on,

and he will do the same for us! So fear not! God is with you 24/7 and will take care of you

through everything!

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

Is the news creeping you out? It sure is creeping me out, so you know what I did? I stopped

watching it! Don’t let the news-asters get to your mind and infect it with fear. Because that is

what saten wants, he wants fear to be planted in your mind to make you weak, to make you

hallucinate. And don’t let that happen.

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord I thank you that you have everything under control. I know you are going to protect

me in this time of war. Please be with the soldiers that are fighting the war against Iraq, and

comfort the families of them as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~~~

*************

#92

=) THINK IT OVER =)

This week we’re talking about 2 books in the Bible, 1 & 2 Timothy. We think it’s important

for you guys to be familiar with what some books in your Bible are about, which is why we’re

going to give you a basic overview of Timothy.

First of all they were written by Paul. Actually the two books are made up of letters written

from Paul to Timothy. The letters teach us about false doctrines, public worship, developing

mature leadership, things you need to become a good pastor, and practical advice for

elders and widowers. Timothy was basically written as a leadership manual for churches.

Secondly we wanted to explain a little about Paul and Timothy’s relationship. They were

obviously great friends, but I think it was more of a father-son relationship. Paul called

Timothy, “my own son in the faith” (1^st Tim 1:2) and “my dearly beloved son” (2^nd Tim 1:2).

It is also rumored that Paul was the one who helped Timothy become saved.

We recommend that you actually read both Timothy’s, but if you’re not up to it right now,

then here is an overview about what each book is about:

1^st Timothy

I. Prologue (1:1,2)

II. The church of God (1:3-3:16)

A. Its doctrine (1:3-20)

B. Its worship (2:1-15)

C. Its leadership (3:1-16)

III. The ministry of a pastor (4:1-6:19)

A. His walk (4:1-16)

B. His work (5:1-6:9)

IV. Final words 6:20,21

2^nd Timothy

I. Exhortations (or speeches) to Timothy 1:1-4:8

A. The lesson of loyalty

B. The lesson of endurance

C. The lesson of orthodoxy

D. The lesson concerning apostasy (which means abandoning a faith, a political party,

one's principles, or a cause)

E. The lesson concerning the ministry

Based on Paul’s words in this verse [1^st Timothy 2:14] how old do you suppose Timothy

was? Obviously, people weren’t taking him seriously because they thought he was too

young to know anything important. Do you suppose he was twenty-one? Eighteen?

Younger? Actually, Timothy would have been between thirty-five and forty years old!

In Bible times, people under forty were considered to young to have gained “true wisdom”.

1^st Timothy 5:23 – No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s

sake and your frequent infirmities. – Can you imagine being told to drink wine for a

stomachache? In New Testament times before antibiotics or other medicines were

developed, wine was used as the cure-all. If you had wounds that needed healing, you

poured wine on them. If you needed a sedative or painkiller, you drank wine. [The last

~~~

*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&*

We challenge you today to GO READ 1^ST AND 2^ND TIMOTHY. They are really good

books and there are many helpful tips on living your life. Paul had the gift of

encouragement and I know that as you read him encouraging Timothy you will be

encouraged as well!

~~~

(-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-)

Dear Lord, I thank you that you gave Paul such an awesome gift, and that I am able

to read what he said to Timothy and possibly apply it to my life as well. I pray that

you be with EVERYONE involved in the war. Bless them and comfort them and their

families. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~~~

*************