NEW, Mini-Series Weekday 2 of 20

*Giving a boost to our day and life, with this 10-minute Weekday Blog*

Our 2nd Blog Mini-Series, each Weekday in JULY!

Thank you for joining us as we
continue this JOURNEY...
digging into the 2nd - 3rd CHAPTERS of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Day #2 of 20-day Blog mini-series #2
Chapter TWO, "In Christ Jesus our Lord"

    
"In Christ Jesus our Lord"
           How is the life of Christ lived in us? Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5) Think about what Jesus said, "without Him" we can do nothing. According to Webster's Dictionary (1828), "without" means "on the outside, out-of-doors, lacking." "Within" on the other hand has the opposite meaning. Webster's defines "within" as "on or into the inside, indoors, inside the body, mind, etc."

           You see, Jesus was not merely saying that, if we do not hang out with Him sometimes or throw a prayer or two His way from time to time, we will not be able to do anything. He was actually saying that, if we are not "in" Him, we can do nothing! Now, to be in Christ, we must be one with Him (see a good example in John 17:21-23). It should be obvious that there is a huge difference between standing next to someone occasionally and being one with them continually. However, this reality is one that many professing Christians today would consider heretical. This is no surprise, because many people who lived in Israel during the time of Jesus' earthly ministry thought so, too, and some sought to put Jesus to death for that very reason.

Question to ponder:

What are some of those common, every-day things that come to mind, just when you are getting into the Scripture or quiet time with God?  _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

"At times in my life, when I was stepping out in faith to accomplish something *with* God, I found myself letting my old thought life, from my old flesh nature, dictate to me to depart from the ONLY thing that can help me break loose of my old flesh nature – studying the Word of God. You may know what I'm talking about but, if not, pull out your Bible and start reading, and watch what happens. If you listen to the thoughts and voices that begin to come, you'll notice how they start working to get you away, and separated, from Christ Jesus and His Word. You likely will hear some commonly-heard thoughts about common, every-day things that come to your mind, trying to get you out from the intimate presence of God. I have learned that this whole process of dying to our old flesh nature and its ways, in order to pursue oneness with God and the wisdom of His Word, is indeed a fight. It is a fight we must win at all costs. Anything of great worth requires great effort to obtain it, and is worth fighting for! There is nothing more worthy in the universe than God, and doing whatever we must do to become 'one' with Him. Remember the Bible verse, 'Take every thought captive'? In the Name of Jesus Christ, pull down every thought that would try to exalt itself above God in your mind. Read God's Word, study what He begins whispering into your spirit, ask the Person of the Holy Spirit to help tutor you, and let it begin transforming you in EVERY way, especially in doing and being all of what He created in you to do and to be!".

 We encourage you to pull up the Scripture of what Jesus said to Father God in John 16:21-23. As you read and meditate on it, remember that NOTHING is more WONDERFUL than working *w-i-t-h* God to fulfill the plan He has created for our lives."

"That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us ... And the glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are One...." (John 17:21-23)

*See you tomorrow, and please make sure to invite your friends who are lost or who just need encouragement too! God bless you!*

________________________________

Find this blog mini-series message, and more on the topic, in our book Keep the FAITH Keep Your VISION based on crucial, real-life matters for each of us. To ask questions, make a special donation, request a large quantity of books, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.

We pray God bless you greatly as you have greatly blessed us and the entire Toward The Mark, Inc. Family!

Your friends & servants in Christ,

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

           Take me back to the top of this post.

           Take me to *DAY 1* of this 20-day mini-series.

           Take me to Keith's Journey through Chapter ONE of *Keep the FAITH*.

           Take me to the LAST DAY of Keith's Journey through *Chapter ONE*.

           Take me to "Rattlesnake Revelation" post.

           Take me to "Honoring Gold Star Patriots" post.

           Take me to "The Love of God" post.

           Take me to "Fiery Trials of My Broken Vessel" post.

           Take me to "Magnetic Mantle...Why cats..." post.

           Take me to "Valentine's 5-Step Prep" post.

           Take me to "Run TO the Roar!" post.

           Take me to "Overcoming Intimidation" post.

           Take me to "The Heart of Thanksgiving" post.

           Take me to "The Invisible Man" post.

           Take me to "The Abomination of Misrepresentation" post.

           Take me to "Living Among Thorns" post.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith 35+ years ago to focus full-time on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible thanks to the faithful prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to invite you to join our family, and welcome you to become a special part of our regular sponsorship team TODAY!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are also available, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways: 

~  "Keith Shealy & Wisdom for Weekdays"  on Facebook  

      

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant"  on Twitter  

      

~  "Between The Lines Podcast"  by Keith and Brenda Shealy  

      

~  "VIDEO Versions of Between The Lines Podcast"  on Vimeo  

      

~  "NEW TowardTheMark MINUTE Podcast"  on our Libsyn Channel  

      

~  "Sharing with you Secrets God Whispers to Us"  on the website  

      

~  "I want to help TTM, Inc."  by giving a tax-deductible donation here:  

      

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

This blog mini-series, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152. 

Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2016 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply | (757)251-2440 TowardTheMark.com | Resources@TowardTheMark.com

Day 9, Paragraph 9 of Weekday Blog #1

*Starting our morning and day off great with the 10-minute Weekday Blog*

Our first DAILY blog, every Weekday in JUNE!

Thank you for joining us for this
ground-breaking JOURNEY...
through the 1st CHAPTER of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped
to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ
came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with*
Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Day NINE,
Paragraph NINE:

    
God, knowing so well our backwards way of thinking, calls us to repentance through the prophet Isaiah, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55:6-8).

Question to ponder:

What does it mean to “…let him return unto the LORD” in Isaiah 55:7?  _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

"I can remember early in my walk with the Lord just how much I enjoyed doing ‘word studies’. For example, we’re all familiar with the passage where Jesus says, ‘without me, you can do nothing….’ When I was reading and studying that passage of Scripture, the Holy Spirit began to illuminate to me the word ‘without’. The more I looked at that word, the more things started to come together. All of a sudden, I heard in my spirit, ‘What is the word without?' It dawned on me, then, that the opposite of the word ‘without’ is the word ‘within’. What the Holy Spirit was showing me was that Jesus was not saying that, if we ‘don’t hang out with Him’ we can’t do anything. What He was showing me, however, was that ‘without’ meaning ‘on the outside of’ Him (Christ) we can do nothing, reinforcing the passage where John 15:6-9 says, ’If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ... If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you… so shall ye be My disciples… continue ye in my love.’ Do you see how important it is that we have the Holy Spirit tutoring us in reading and understanding the Word of God? Where ‘...let him return to the Lord’ is concerned, meaning he chose to turn away from the Lord to go in the sinful ways of the world, we have another ‘word revelation’ that the Holy Spirit showed me about what ‘sin’ is. In many circles, the tendency is to think ‘sin’ refers to ‘sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll’. However, what the Holy Spirit whispered to me, concerning those things, changed my thinking from that point on. The Holy Spirit showed me that the 'sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll' are not ‘sin’ themselves, but are means by which wicked spirits lead us to turn away from God. So, what He was revealing to me is that ‘sin’ is turning toward sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, or anything else that separates us from God, building a wall or partition between us and God. Now, having said that, and listening for what the Person of the Holy Spirit will say next, let's look again at the Scripture verses from the Prophet Isaiah (below in bold). Selah. Praise the LORD!"

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."  (Isaiah 55:6-8)

_____________________________

This book is based on real-life matters that are crucial for each one of us to embrace in our life. To ask questions, make a special donation for a large quantity of books, or if you would like to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.

We pray God bless you greatly as you have greatly blessed us and the entire Toward The Mark, Inc. Family!

Your friends & servants in Christ,

Take me back to the top of this post.

Take me to the top of yesterday's post *DAY 8*, June 10th.

Take me to the top of yesterday's post *DAY 7*, June 9th.

Take me to this week's first post, *DAY 6* on June 8th.

Take me to the beginning *DAY 1* posted June 1st.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

~    "Keith Shealy & Wisdom Wednesday" on Facebook 

      

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter
~  "Sharing Messages God Whispers" on the website
~  "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy 

      

This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152. 

Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

INto The Secret Place...

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore."  Psalms 16:11

"Did you know that there is actually a place you can go where your inadequacies will totally melt away, where your sorrows are turned into joy, and that is the only place where you can find out what you were put on this earth to do?  This 'wonder-filled' place is the presence of God." - Keith

The following verse in Psalms gives us one of the most profound instructions in all of the Bible concerning the importance of pursuing and living in the presence of God. “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalms 91:1)

In order to better understand what this means, let’s take a moment and break this scripture down. The first statement, “He that dwells in the secret place of the most high” means the one who makes his home, or lives in the presence of God. The second part, "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” means to live our lives in the place where God protects, heals, provides, teaches, frees, changes, and so much more. In God’s presence, and only IN God's presence, will we reap and enjoy the benefits that come with Him and being in relationship with Him.

It is crucial at this point to note that our entrance INto The Secret Place is a result of diligently seeking God with our whole heart, for the secret place is reserved for those who love Him and are thankful to Him for Who He is more than for what He does, or can do, for us. We must "abide" or "live IN" God!

Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abides in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” (John 15:4-8)

The primary reason there are so many disillusioned people in our churches today is simply because they practice "periodic visitation" much more than they do "permanent residency." Everything God does is for the purpose of establishing ongoing relationships, having one-ness, with each one of us - a Father/son or Father/daughter relationship.

When we allow ourselves to become more focused on God's miracles or His deeds than on God Himself, we have allowed ourselves to be separated or severed from our source of life; and we will wither and die as Jesus teaches us. Paul, in his letter to the Romans addressed that very thing when he said, “They worshipped and served the creature more than The Creator.” (Romans 1:25) This is in fact the birthplace of idol worship and dead religion. This is where style becomes preferred and sought after more than substance, where more attention and effort is placed on seeking signs and wonders, or on doing things a particular group’s way, than on pursuing God Himself.

Herein lies the root cause of the Church’s declining effectiveness in our communities! Paul, dealing with this same problem in Corinth said, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18) We are to be separate from everything and everyone that would keep us from being separate unto God. Never forget, sin is anything that separates us from God! This includes miracles. God does not intend for miracles to distract us from Him.

Never before have so many kinds of distractions, including miracles, made it so difficult to stay focused on the Lord. Deceptive armies of anxious spirits are laying siege to the minds of anyone who succumbs to their temptations, and their major objective is our complete and total separation from our loving Father.

Whether through the media, those closest to us, substance abuse, trying to do too much too fast, the love of money, being bound by the chains of indebtedness, striving for material possessions, or just the hustle and bustle of everyday routines, the battles to steal, kill, and destroy our relationship with our God and King have never raged hotter. Jesus Himself said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10) Satan knows full well that his days are numbered and that anyone who presses their way INto The Secret Place will be one less notch that he can carve into his gun stock. Satan hates anything and anyone who brings pleasure to God, and will spare no expense in doing whatever it takes to separate us from Him. If we are going to develop and maintain the ability to live our lives in the presence of God, we are going to have to master the art of "staying focused on Him" as a lifestyle.

There is a little saying that goes, “Pursuit is the proof of desire.” Luke put it this way, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34)  In other words, what you truly want, you will pursue. My Dad used to say, “Keith, isn’t it amazing how people, no matter how poor or busy, seem to always find the money and/or the time they don't have to do what they really want to do.” It’s just a fact – without the “want to” we will never find our way INto The Secret Place. At any and all cost, we must stay focused on God. Paul addressed this when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Contrary to popular belief, this is possible!

Always remember, there is nobody or nothing worth your relationship with God! Peter admonishes us “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)  We must be clear-minded and self-controlled so that our communication with God is never interrupted! Failing to reach the secret place is only caused by allowing our focus on God to be broken. We must stay focused!

Have you ever given any thought to why the Scriptures would say, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4a)?  As I was praying about that, the Holy Spirit whispered something to me that I hadn't thought of before.  What I saw was that, in order for the people to understand what Jesus would be saying concerning the Kingdom of God, Kingdom protocols, etc. there must first be a point in time when kingdoms were established in the earth.  So, when Jesus came preaching of the Kingdom of God, the people were able to understand what He was saying.  Before we can dwell with God, we must learn this most important Kingdom protocol by which God designed the Kingdom of Heaven to operate.  God’s Word is clear when He directs us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Any deviation from this crucial Kingdom protocol, will result in our stopping short of a close, loving relationship with God and, as Jesus prayed in the garden, oneness with our Heavenly Father – us in Him and Him in us.

Now, are you ready to make your pledge to enter "INto The Secret Place"?  Print the declaration below, sign it, and put a copy in your wallet or purse, on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and everywhere you look, to help keep you constantly reminded to stay focused on your Destination.

THANK YOU for downloading this weekly blog message today! We pray God will use it to bear tremendous blessing in your life!

You can find this message in its entirety, along with 11 others, in Keith's (printed or audio) book Letters From The Front available at TowardTheMark.com.

Take part in providing these weekly messages with Toward The Mark, Inc. Click the PayPal button below to begin securely sponsoring this ministry by your ongoing 

Tax-deductible Contributions.

BECOME A PART OF OUR TTM FAMILY TODAY

For more Scripture-based truths to help as we "Press Toward The Mark," plug in to these additional resources:

~ "Toward The Mark Wisdom-PackedWednesdays" Facebook page;

~ "Keith's Between TheLines" weeklyPodcast channel;

~ "Secrets from God's Word" monthly message on the website; and

~ "TTMSingingSgt" on Twitter.