2011

This year is MY YEAR : )

This is my year of unlimited breathrough.
This is my year of favor.
This is my year of many accomplishments.
This is a year that GOD has ordained blessed for me.

I am so excited for what GOD has in store for me and many other people in the body of Christ. I believe that God is going to work in a mighty way and there will be growth in the lives of many people. A wave of maturity and wisdom will zoom our way and I am very estatic!

However, a way for us to greatly mature is to stay connected in the Word. The Word of God is very strong and unfortunately many people do not know how to read it. I've had the same problem because, I am a growing Christian, and I sometimes get stuck on 'where' to read 'what' in God's Word.
So I found this amazing short guide on the way you could possibly read the Bible:

(ALL CREDIT IS GIVEN TO http://www.surfinthespirit.com/ :) )

The Bible is its own best teacher. The Bible however is not arranged like an encyclopedia. You cannot go to chapter 1 and read everything about God and go to chapter 2 to read everything about Jesus, etc. Remember when reading the Bible the verses and chapter breaks are placed in the scriptures by man. It is better to read by paragraph, these too are man-made but they do conform better to the original language than verses. Some ground rules need to be set up first:

• Pray first before opening God's word. Ask for guidance and to be able to accept what is written and to be able to apply His will to your life.
• Never, never read the Bible trying to prove your belief on any subject. It is only human nature to take ideas out of context.
• When you are reading and come across something that does not make sense, reread the paragraph or chapter again. If you still do not understand, write down the problem area and continue onward. You may discover the answers later in your reading.
• Do not read large amounts of the Bible in one setting. Take breaks often. Or stay with about 4-6 chapters a day.
• Start with the New Testament, people who start with the Old Testament almost never read the Bible all the way through. The New Testament is what is binding on us today not the Old. We need to follow God's will for us today not what was intended for the Jews.
• Forget everything you have ever heard about Jesus, God and the Bible before you start reading the Bible. Don't take what you want it to say with you first.

Now with those in mind, let's lay out the way to read the Bible to let it build on itself:

1. Read "Mark." (It is written in chronological order.)
2. Read "Matthew." (It goes into better detail of some events and adds more about Jesus.)
3. Read "John." (It contains a lot of the life of Jesus not before read, especially his last two weeks before the crucifixion.)
4. Read "Luke" then "Acts." (Both written by Apostle Paul's traveling companion Luke. Acts is a continuation of Luke. It describes the early church and contains the examples of New Testament conversions.)
5. Read "Galations." (It deals with the reasons why we do not follow the Old Testament Laws in a more simplified way than does Romans or Hebrews.)
6. Then read the rest of the New Testament starting at Romans and going to Revelation.

Your voyage through God's Word will take about 5 weeks. It will be the best traveling you can ever take. You will laugh and you will cry. It has everything that makes a very good book, and lots more. It can teach you the most important things for this life and the one to come.

(ALL CREDIT IS GIVEN TO http://www.surfinthespirit.com/ :) )

Grace

Ephesians 2:8-10 

 

 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr62eWnkr4g

Corinne Bailey Rae

To be In lonliness Solitude :-)

A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening.

       -Soren Kierkegaard

Nowadays time flies by within the blink of an eye and no one seems to notice. People seem to follow a routine schedule without ever seeming to remove themselves from the busyness of life, and the constant fast paced motion. As human beings we need time to reflect; time in meditation; time in solitude. In life solitude is very much needed. Especially in the Christian faith, solitude is a great way to meditate and spend time with our Lord. Solitude is different from loneliness because it is a conscious decision to be alone and spend time nurturing our inner-most being with peace. In a society that is always on the go we shouldn't portray that same attitude when we take time to commune with God. I've sometimes found myself rushing prayer as if it's a one-way conversation. Well...I was wrong. Prayer is communicating with God; conversing with Him. In a conversation there are times to speak and times to listen. Solitude is fellowship in one's spirit. When in solitude keep silent and let God speak to you; unhurriedly.

Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.

Richard J. Foster

Be still and know that I am God.

Pslam 46:10