Tag Archives: Christianity

Reassurances by Our Redeemer

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Many situations come to mind nationwide, worldwide, and in our own lives that we bring to the Lord in prayer. And we continue to pray for people to put their faith in Jesus, our Savior and Lord. For those who have done so, God sends encouragement; and His goodness, faithfulness, and promises are their anchor.

Just a few months ago, this Word from the Holy Spirit was received by minister and evangelist Jerry Savelle. This has been shared with his ministry partners (jerrysavelle.org) and also by Pastor George Pearsons of Eagle Mountain International Church (emic.org)

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

A Word from the Holy Spirit:

Do not fret and do not fear;
I still plan to give you a supernatural year.

It’s not over and you will not fail.
Didn’t I tell you that the gates of hell shall not prevail?

Rest in Me and I’ll see you through,
and I’ll bring to pass all that I said I would do.

So thank your Father in Heaven that you have a choice.
You can choose to fear or you can choose to rejoice.

So rejoice and do not cease.
This is how you tap in to My supernatural peace.

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Be blessed to contribute to the ministry, and view touching videos at http://www.samaritanspurse.org of a young orphaned boy from Lesotho, South Africa, who received a shoebox gift that impacted his heart and life, children of the Pacific Islands receiving such gifts, and other stories of Christian love at work throughout the world.

Powerful Prayers for Peter

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Herod began to persecute those who believed in Jesus, it’s told in the twelfth chapter of Acts. James was martyred by the sword and Peter was seized, though there had been no criminal facts.

The church was offering up constant prayer for Peter–imprisoned by Herod Agrippa, the king. So in the dark of the night, God sent an angel to visit Peter there, who was asleep despite everything.

Four squads of soldiers had been assigned to him; and he was chained as he slept that night. A soldier on each side of him and guards were there, who were keeping the prison door barred tight.

Suddenly, the angel of the Lord stood by Peter, and a light shone inside the prison cell. The angel struck him on his side and raised him up; and from Peter’s hands, the heavy prison chains fell.

At the angel’s instruction, Peter dressed quickly to follow him–though it all seemed to be unreal. They went past the first and second guard posts. “This must be a ‘vision,’” was how it made him feel.

They came to the iron gate that led to the city, which simply opened to them of its own accord–then went out and down one street, and the angel departed. What a rescue from an angel of the Lord!

Peter came to his senses, realizing it had actually happened–he’d escaped Herod and leaders of the Jews. He proceeded on to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where they’d fervently prayed for this news.

Peter knocked at the door of the gate to the house, and a girl by the name of Rhoda came to see who was there. In her joy at hearing his voice, she ran to tell the others it was Peter, and that God had answered prayer.

They just couldn’t believe her, so Peter had to continue to knock, until they opened the door themselves to see… that God, indeed, had heard their prayers for Peter, and had sent His angel–to miraculously set him free!

At dawn, back at the prison, there was a commotion among the soldiers, as to how Peter’s captivity was defied. After a search was endeavored, Herod ordered the soldiers’ deaths; but the Bible records that he, too, soon afterward died…

“But the word of God grew and multiplied!”

P. A. Oltrogge

(From the account in Acts 12)

The Resurrected Lord appears at the Sea of Galilee

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After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples several times–for instance, once at the Sea of Galilee. In the group were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, two other disciples, and the sons of Zebedee.

Peter announced he was going to go out to fish; and they all decided they would join him, too, on the boat. They fished all night but caught nothing; and in the morning they saw Jesus on the shore as they were afloat.

They didn’t realize this was the Master when He called to them as “friends,” asking if they had fish aboard. “No,” they said–but then took His advice, that a shift of the net to the right side shouldn’t be ignored.

When they did as He said, they came into such an abundance of fish that they weren’t able to haul in the net, which caused them to remember a previous miraculous catch–an incident they could never forget.

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, spoke up first, saying, “It is the Lord!” They all were overwhelmed and excited. Peter, in his eagerness, threw on his tunic, and jumped into the sea for the shore–so unable to wait to be reunited.

The others followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, with which Jesus had just blessed–such a great haul. A fire of burning coals with fish and also bread was ready on shore, where the Lord wanted to dine with them all.

Jesus said that they should bring some of the fish just caught–153 large fish in all, and yet the net wasn’t torn. “Come and have breakfast,” was His warm greeting to His disciples there on that joyful and, to them, miraculous morn.

Have you fished all night, are you not expecting to see the Lord show up, do you think miracles are few and far between? Well, He’s the resurrected Lord, and is “ALIVE forevermore!” We can expect to see miracles yet like none we’ve ever seen!

P. A. Oltrogge

(from John 21:1-14
and reference to Luke 5:1-11)

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.’” Revelation 1:17-19

The various versions of the Bible have Jesus calling out to His disciples in this account in different terms.  “Children” is written in the King James Version–which they were, beloved children of God.

In the Gospel of John, we read of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Of course, all of His disciples were the recipients of His unmerited love, as we also are today!

Rains can’t endure; God’s mercies are sure…

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After the rain, the sun will come out...
Of the Lord's faithfulness, we must not doubt.

Rain is most often a life-giving thing...
May the "rains" of life be faith-strengthening.

P. A. Oltrogge
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; 
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!  
Bless the Lord, O my soul, 
And forget not all His benefits:  
Who forgives all your iniquities, 
Who heals all your diseases, 
Who redeems your life from destruction, 
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 
Who satisfies your mouth with good things, 
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  

Psalm 103:1-5 

Psalm 25:6; Psalm 40:11; Psalm 89:1; 
Psalm 107:1; Psalm 136:1-26; Psalm 145:9

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:21-23 RSV

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith
produces endurance."  

James 1:2-3 NASB

"Then He spoke a parable to them,
that men always ought to pray and not lose heart...."

Luke 18:1

Jesus said:

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house
on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."

...from Matthew 7:24-29

(Scriptures NKJV, or as noted)

Reflections from the Master Designer

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Faces—you see them everywhere you go,
having two eyes, a mouth, and a nose, although
each one is different except for a twin—
Then personalities differ, despite being such close kin.

Just look at your arms, your feet, legs, and knees.
You’re wonderfully made, and I’ve found it to please
My creative ability—and you won’t come unglued,
for I formed you in the womb and your life then ensued.

And inside each person I have given a soul;
to carry out My plans, each life has a unique role.
If you need further evidence, just consider your own hand—
with its fingerprints designed for you by My command.

Each snowflake is made to have an intricate pattern,
and assorted planets are out there, like Mars or like Saturn.
The oceans with waters I’ve given are vast—
trees, mountains, and flowers by My hand were cast.

You see, the heavens are telling the glory of God;
My handiwork’s proclaimed therein—yet it’s odd
that some in this world want to say My existence
should be denied or challenged with strong resistance.

“Man alone is master,” they proclaim, but deny
that trusting in a greater Master is really the heart’s cry.
And for those who say this world has merely evolved,
they haven’t yet realized around Whom it’s revolved.

Reflected as in a mirror, My image became more clear
when I sent My Son, Jesus, as the Redeemer from sin and fear.
He spoke to everyone of the Father as you can see in My Word;
and from Genesis to Revelation, I’ve desired it all to be heard.

P. A. Oltrogge

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.” Psalm 139:13-15 NASB

“All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:3-4 NKJV

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:17-18 NKJV

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person; and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJV

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'” Luke 2:10-11 NKJV

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 NASB

See “About the Porch”

Standing in Faith by Standing in Praise

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Sometimes we may feel imprisoned, in need of a breakthrough because of an unwise decision. At such times we must look in faith to our Redeemer, with praise being the master key of precision.

Of course, some problems are unforeseen, and we had nothing to do with how they came about. But filling the Lord’s ears, night and day, with His praises, will bring release and break persistent doubt.

Paul and Silas were shut inside of a prison–praise to God was their only weapon of choice. Then God sent an earthquake to set them free, because they had chosen, wisely, to rejoice!

They went from being jailed to being guests in the jailer’s home and recipients of his care. The jailer had become their brother in Christ–what an answer to their praises and prayer!

So if, today, you hear of troubling situations in this world and wonder what you can possibly do…after prayer, keep praising our Lord Jesus Christ, who is mighty to save and ever Faithful and True!

P. A. Oltrogge

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1 NKJV

“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens.” Psalm 113:1-4 NKJV

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:12 NKJV

Account of Paul and Silas imprisoned in Acts 16

Search the web for Philip Renner, worship music

Jesus’ Life, Death, and Resurrection Matters

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Who or what really matters, according to God’s heart? Answering that question is the most important place to start.

The redemption of every person’s soul matters to Him above all. He sent His Son to save the world because of mankind’s fall.

God, being just and holy, couldn’t overlook the sins of man. By bearing the penalty for them on our behalf, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s plan.

In ministry, He spoke of God’s love and that we should love one another–and that every born-again Christian becomes our sister or brother.

Then, loving our enemies was another command that Jesus taught. Praying for them and showing them His love is how they’re to be sought.

An awakening to Christ, the Lord, comes by the Holy Spirit’s touch. For all people to know and love His Son is what matters to God so much!

All lives and souls matter–this was proclaimed at Calvary’s cross. You mattered so greatly to God that He gave His only Son, the highest cost.

P. A. Oltrogge

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:35-36

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6

After discussion with Zacchaeus, Jesus said that salvation had come to his house, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (from Luke 19)

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth….” Job 19:25

(Scriptures NKJV)

“In That Day” and in Jesus’ Name

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“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24

What did Jesus mean when He said “in that day…”?
Well, He was telling His disciples that He would be going away.

He was going to Calvary, and He was going to die;
but He would be raised from the dead and ascend on high.

There, in heaven, He would sit down at His Father’s right hand;
and a new day–a New Covenant or Testament would become their brand.

He had met the needs of many and His disciples each day the same;
but when He was gone, they were to start praying to the Father in His Name.

That Name would take the place of Him personally doing God’s will–
Miracles, signs and wonders, through that Name would be available still.

That our joy may be full, Jesus said, “Ask, and you will receive” —
We are “IN” “In that day.” His power’s here, through those who believe!

P. A. Oltrogge

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’

“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”
Mark 16:15-20 NKJV

This post was inspired by a devotional written by Kenneth E. Hagin, founder of Rhema Bible Training College, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

What do you see?

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54FDA510-8244-44F3-B39D-A39C833121B3

by J. Vetter
Guest Contributor

Covering my right eye, I forced my left eye to see.  At first, all I could see was mainly darkness.  Attending a healing/miracle service, I aggressively believed for a miracle for macular degeneration in my left eye.

At my last eye exam, I was troubled.  My left eye had gotten worse, and I could barely read any letters from the chart on the wall.  This pushed me into believing God with a new intensity for healing.  I knew Jesus was my healer, but I had been waiting on Him.  The day of my exam, I sensed Him saying, “I am waiting on you.”

Scripture tells us that David pursued and recovered all (in 1 Samuel 30).  Often, I believe we can be too passive.  If a thief came to your home, you wouldn’t open the door and say, “Take whatever you want.”  Well, sickness and disease are thieves, and we have God-given authority to kick them out.  God’s Word declares, “I give you authority…over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”  (Luke 10:19)

So I began to believe for restoration.  Scriptures about Jesus being the light of the world came alive, and others, such as Psalm 119:130, “The entrance of Your Words gives light;” and John 1:5, NIV, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”  Darkness always refers to our enemy.  In 1 Peter 2:9, we are called “…a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light….”  When the fear came to my mind that I couldn’t pass my driver’s test eye exam, I didn’t agree with it.

The night at the healing service, the pastor encouraged us to test what we believed for.  I looked at the large screen and covered my right eye.  The worship leader’s face was all dark. However, I believed that no good thing will my God withhold from me (from Psalm 84:11).  I began to worship the Lord for His power and grace to heal me.  Each time I checked, the worship leader’s face was becoming clearer.  Light was overcoming darkness!  After perhaps twenty times, suddenly I could see his face.  Instead of doubting that this would last, I quickly got up to go to the front to testify.

I recalled another time when I was healed of a stiff neck and right shoulder pain in a similar meeting.  I didn’t want to speak on the microphone because there were so many people there, and my thought was that it was just too insignificant.  But then, a woman shared that she was healed of the same thing.  The speaker said, “That’s great, but the healing was called out for someone else.”  At that point, the pain was beginning to come back, so I was on my feet in a flash.  The minute I began to testify, the pain left!

After that meeting, I ran into a man who lived on my street.  He was astonished as he’d never been to a healing service before.  His need was regarding back pain, so my testimony encouraged him on his own healing journey.

It has been a year since I received the healing for my eye; and so recently, it was time for my annual exam.  Well, praise God, this time, I was able to read the last line on the eye chart!

______________________________

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the Lord has made them both.”
Proverbs 20:12

“The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.”
Isaiah 32:3

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.”
Matthew 13:16

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'”  John 8:12

(Scriptures NKJV, unless otherwise noted)

Restoring Health/Hope

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Morning prayer at http://www.govictory.com has been reporting answered prayers on coronavirus cases, as well as other health concerns, M-F, 8:30 Central Time.

Also, if you’ve not seen it, this recent Christian television programming regarding the pandemic and a caring doctor deserves to be considered and shared:

http://www.daystar.tv/videos/restoring-health-hope