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Showing posts with label broken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broken. Show all posts

Thursday, March 31

What The Devil Fights To Keep Us From Knowing

"Sharing the great news about Jesus Christ is much easier than you might think!"--Keith, Brenda, and the TTM Team

In these times when wickedness is abounding, we as believers in Jesus Christ have in our possession something that can overcome the work of the devil in the lives of those around us... our testimony!
           Write down the things that Jesus Christ has done for you personally. That is your testimony. Make copies and begin passing them out to your friends. Send them to those in your social media circles, in your workplace, in your family, and even to those who you may have been a bit too intimidated in years past to share it with.

           With each passing day the door of opportunity we have to show God big in the eyes of those who see Him small is closing. If we are going to take advantage of what little time we do have, to lead those who are bound by the chains of poor life choices to Jesus Christ, and to help them onto the path of being made "one" in Jesus Christ by the leading of The Holy Spirit, it is going to take every one of us sharing "the word of our testimony."

           John reveals this vital three-part combination in one of his passages, Revelation 12:11, "And they overcame him (the devil and his minions) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." The written and spoken accounts of our cherished encounters with God are our testimony, whether He knocked us off of a horse as He did Saul, or moved on the heart of someone to slip us some money just as a bill came due. Our testimony is a story that can provide to the skeptics the substantive evidence of an unseen God.

           In a paragraph or two, write down your story, and send it to everybody you know!   Remember, YOU may be the last opportunity somebody has to hear the great news of Jesus Christ!

           Paul The Apostle teaches us ...

"That if you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, Whosoever believes on Jesus Christ will not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of The Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9-13)."


Let's keep Pressin'IN y'all!
Keith, BrendaLee, and The TTM Team


           To those who have given up houses, lands, relationships, jobs, and their very lives to diligently pursue oneness with God, and resist all manner of distractions to fulfill God's plan for you, we dedicate this message to you. To those who haven't invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, right where you are, pray to God this prayer, rest in His presence, and watch what He will do...

"Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and The Lord of all lords, I give my entire life over to You. I come before You, to confess to You that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, and those that I am not even aware of. I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and I ask You to please take me, right now, and begin the process of changing me and molding me to be like YOU. Father, I ask You to please redeem the time that has passed and allow me the opportunity to become exactly who You predestined me to be, even before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life, and everything I have, to You now. Thank You for receiving me as Your own. All this I pray in the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Amen."  And AMEN!!!

WELCOME HOME!

           If you have prayed that prayer, we want to congratulate you for making the greatest decision that you'll ever make! By accepting Jesus Christ, or rededicating your life to Him, as your personal Lord and Savior, you have begun the wonder-full process of being grafted into the family of God, and we welcome you "Home" to God's Family. We would also like to invite you to contact us so that we can send you information that will help you begin growing in your relationship and daily walk with God. We would encourage you to begin attending a Holy-Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.


           You will want to begin reading The Holy Bible daily, whether you understand it or not. Always remember, God's written Word in The Holy Bible is like no other book that has ever been written! When we rendezvous with The Person of The Holy Spirit as we read what God has written there, it becomes stored in our heart for The Holy Spirit to access it to bring to our remembrance.  You will find that the Scriptures will become applicable to whatever you are going through, at any given time!

           There are wonderful Bible teachers on television and on the radio that can, especially early in your walk with God, help you to begin receiving good teaching and encouragement right away. Although very informative, these programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. At times, the transformation process that you have now begun will be difficult, and you will be tempted to go back to your old ways of living your old life. It will be during times like these that hanging out with strong Christian friends and mentors will be crucially important. There really IS strength in numbers!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! And, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN!

           To help you grow in your journey, as Jesus prayed in the garden, to becoming one with our Father in Heaven, we have teaching resources that, if taken to heart, can help lead you INto oneness with Christ Jesus. We will be glad to offer you a selection of our books, music CDs, individual Teaching Messages, more from our library of Pressin'IN Blogs, Between The Lines TTM podcasts, social media videos, quotes, and posts, and much more; just  e-mail us. Also feel free to write a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

            And remember, no matter what, Keep PRESSIN' IN...  learnin', and growin' *with* our Lord and Savior.  You might consider using our book  LETTERS FROM THE FRONT, the special collection of keys to defeating hindrances that have kept many of God's servants from walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ died to give us! Twelve life-changing teaching chapters:

;
Sin Makes Ya Stewpit!
The Cart's Before the Horse
The Crisis of Eroding Integrity
The Fruit's on the End of the Limb
Too Quick to Compromise
The Rarest of All Breeds!
Please...Stop Stinkin'
Three Keys to God-Pleasing Faith
Let It Go
Understanding the Fear of The Lord
Into the Secret Place
Give to Give


  To help you further your fight to victory through the battles that confront every one of us in these turbulent times we live in, get your copy of our book, " LETTERS FROM THE FRONT." In this collection of 12 letters written from the front lines of battle fought in the spiritual, natural, and theater of the mind, Keith's Scripture messages will build your faith and help you reach God's full potential for your life.
"LETTERS FROM THE FRONT"
available by
e-mail request any time 24/7
.


We pray God uses this message, and all of our resources, to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus and Father God's wonder-full Word, Will, and Ways in this life. If you have any questions about our work, or if you would like to make a special tax-deductible donation, place a special order for any of our books, magazines, or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please  e-mail us. Also feel free to write a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
May God bless you greatly as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by their faithful prayer and monthly financial support!
Your friends and servants in Christ,
         
    
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.

We couldn't do this without the help of our friends!
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of 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)

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

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: 



  "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Podcast Channel
     Hear Special Request (Podcast): *FOCUS*



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 or money order made out to:
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!



"Blessed be The LORD my Strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me (Psalm 144:1-2)."
Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2022 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply | Visit TowardTheMark.com website |  Connect with TowardTheMark on e-mail.



Friday, May 31

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

"The Word of God says, 'Believe!' But how? Make up your mind: fear or Faith; fear or Freedom.  We all choose to believe in something.  If you 'fear', it's like a disease that is both preventable and curable."


"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us." 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9....



Our senior pastor, Pastor Clay Davis, now 80-something years young (our best estimate from nearly 40 years of clues we've gathered), is also our friend and mentor for how to walk in restful faith with The Triune God.  He is a tremendous example of how we can reach to the very heart of the matter of fear and overcome it.  We asked Pastor Clay to tell us how he would explain is the best way to deal with fear that comes to rob us of life, and what advice he would offer others, no matter if they are in the church or un-churched.  We enjoy listening to our beloved elder and family pastor as the "preacher in the church pulpit" though he now shares his wisdom with us from his living room recliner.

Pastor Clay told us how he had received a certain birthday greeting card, with a tractor on the front, that said, "I wouldn't say you are old but..." (inside) "if you were a tractor tire you would be lying on your side, full of petunias."  Then, there was another "friendly" expression, when he said he was told that he lied so much about his age that someone would have to cut him in half and count the rings in order to know just how ole he really is!  In Pastor Clay's wonderful way of expressing how he really feels about his age he said, "God blessed me with a lifelong marriage to my (late) God-fearing wife, with four successful children, twelve incredible grandchildren, retirement, good friends around me, and many other blessings; I am not afraid of growing older."

Many folks, Pastor Clay explains to us, consider "the 'O' word", OLD, to be almost worse than "the 'F' word", FEAR!  Those are people who can't see tomorrow or what it may hold.  They begin to conjure up the unknown things that foster fear.  And fear ushers us right into the shadows of worry and stress.  Webster says that a "shadow" is something that only allows partial illuminations because of some opaque (unclear) object.  Shadows or clouds around us keep the "Son" from shining, leaving way for a fear of the unknown.

Jesus said to the ruler of the Synagogue, in Mark 5:36, "Be not afraid and only believe."  This is all-inclusive, regardless of money, man, sickness, sorrow, ....
... Jesus says, "Fear not!"
... God says, "Fear Not!"
... The Holy Spirit says not to yield to evil spirit imaginations.
As Pastor Clay would say, "That scores three to one; GOD WINS. The Word of God says, 'Believe!' But how? Make up your mind: fear or Faith; fear or Freedom.  We all choose to believe in something.  If you 'fear', it's like a disease that is both preventable and curable."

Let's follow that thought for a moment because there are many people we know suffering through fear, growing older being just one of their reasons.  There are folks who fear what was said yesterday that they cannot take back today.  Then, perhaps, some have fallen into fear from making a mistake today that will lead them to "face the music" tomorrow.  Fear, worry, and undue concerns cause high blood pressure, ulcers, and all kinds of other problems in our body that also come to erode our mind!  Pastor Clay gives a perfect example of this, by telling this story:

"

I am reminded of one of my favorite characters in the Bible, the man with the withered hand.  Let's call him 'Clay'.  He was a basket-case, hiding behind his clothes while he was engulfed (in the spirit) in the shadows.  He was deformed, sickly, an introvert, inwardly ugly, feeling unimportant, somewhat abandoned, and was nearing the end of any hope of ever being accepted by others and considered 'normal'.  In the third chapter of Mark where Jesus went into the Synagogue, the Pharisees were waiting, as always, to trap Him in something He would say or do that could be considered unlawful on the Sabbath day.  Jesus ignored them and, in compassion, called out to the man in the shadows, 'Come out.  Come on, I see you hiding there.'

Jesus seized the opportunity to reveal His Love to those who would choose to accuse Him, even if He knew they would not accept it.  Jesus already knew the heart and dilemma of the shadow-man's broken soul before Him.  Jesus simply said to the man, 'Come out of the shadows and stretch out your arm.'  Wow!  Can you imagine the silence and the anticipation?  The man could perhaps stretch out a good hand, or perhaps even a leg.  But, no, not this ugliness that has never been useful or even able to be moved.  But the man had to feel the Love and Authority in the Voice of The Master.  In that instant of God-given faith, the man reached out to Jesus.  And Jesus reached out to the man and made his arm WHOLE!

In a split second, a new man stood before the crowd.  If the man had said 'no' or walked away, or said, 'not now, maybe later', none of the freedom or anything would have come to happen.  Jesus was really saying, 'Stretch forth your shortcoming, your illness, your troubled finances, your doubts, your fears, your ...(whatevers)!'  Jesus asks us daily to step forth and walk in His Word.  Does that mean we won't have problems or situations?  Absolutely not!  Will He take our hands and walk with us every step of the way?  Absolutely, yes!  He will!  This is a promise He has never broken in the past, and He will never break ever.

In October of 1970, I stepped out of the shadows when I heard His Voice in my heart saying, 'come to Me.'  I have never looked back!  I heard the call from Matthew 11.  'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and I will give you rest.'

"

Are you born again?  Then rest in Jesus.  Are you unsaved?  Step out of the shadows and rest in Him.  How, you ask?  Tell Him you love Him, repent of the sins in your life, commit yourself to Him, and He will do the rest.

Until we take our last breath and we hear our heart beat for the last time, we must make up our mind that we will overcome fear and become one with God in Christ.  If we will repent for our sins and accept the greatest sacrifice and gift that was paid by God's Only Son, Jesus Christ, then we move "out of the shadows" and into "The Light of the world" and to ultimate freedom for eternity with our loving Father in Heaven. 
 
We pray God bless you greatly in carrying this message in your heart. Our thanks for taking part in this, and all that is made possible by the faithful support of our loving Toward The Mark, Inc. Family of sponsors!

Your friends & servants in Christ,

Thank you for joining together with us for this message from our hearts! We have posted it to help fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full ways, and His plan and purpose for us in this life. To ask questions about our work and organization, to make a special tax-deductible donation to help in this work, to place a special order for our special offer of "Keep the FAITH, Keep Your VISION" or another Keith Shealy and Toward The Mark book or CD, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click here to e-mail us, or write a letter and mail it to the address on our website, which is also provided below.




CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.
Every gift is appreciated and helps.

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!



We INVITE YOU...
 see and hear, follow and share, more from TowardTheMark:






Keith and Brenda "Between The Lines" Podcast on TTM's Libsyn Channel









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