The Bible Love Letter from God ...

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This Pressin' IN Toward The Mark blog post is written to aim our sights on God's Holy written Word, The Holy Bible, provided to all of us so that every person can seek God by investing themselves and their time inside of it. The Holy Bible, The Holy Scriptures, God's written Word, is so much more than “a book”. It is a collection of "Love Letters from our Father” and our LORD and Savior Christ Jesus, written by the leading of The Holy Spirit. This “The Bible Love Letter from God” message is our re-take of the “Love Letter from Your Father… in TWO Parts” blog post. We wrote both posts to proclaim how we have read, re-read, studied, and met with The Holy Spirit in the pages of God's Holy Scriptures, each time waiting as long as it takes to "hear" the voice of The Holy Spirit.

Now, to expound on the way we get to enjoy hearing the teaching, the voice, the words of comfort, and the leading of The Holy Spirit of Jesus, we’ve put a detailed instruction together. As we pray you will find for yourself what you may not know already, let’s get INto The printed Scriptures and rendezvous with The Holy Spirit there to experience the real “Life” He is always ready to bring... just like God repeatedly promises in His written Word - The Holy Bible.
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, The LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon The LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31)."

Thank you for joining us for another fun and encouraging journey as we, once again, set out to show GOD big in a world that sees Him small. We're writing about something that's really cool – one of our favorite subjects, “Love Letters from our Father” about the collective group of Love Letters God has had written to us through His apostles, prophets, and scribes down through the years - The Holy Bible... where we find “Home” i-n The Holy Trinity. There’s nothing like it! “Love Letters from our Father (God)” in The Holy Bible help us to, over time, "become one" in Him, through Christ Jesus, by the leading of The Holy Spirit.

Now letters can be a funny thing. We can tend to leave them lay on our desk where things can pile up around them, and they can disappear kind-of like our Holy Bible can. As an example, Brenda was in her closet the other day and told Keith about a big box of letters she forgot about up there. It is a box full of letters that she held on to during her military career, 20 years in the Air Force. While she was working her different assignments across the country and around the world, sometimes deployed away from home, sometimes in the foxholes, the closest thing to “home” she could put her hands on was a letter.

If you don't know who we are, don't know where we've been or what we're about, we'd like to share with you that, since she was a little girl, Brenda dreamed of serving in the United States Air Force. Now, with a 20-year career of serving our country under her belt, she in deed followed through with that dream. She used her skills in BioEnvironmental Engineering, Military Personnel management, and ambassadorship as she sang and danced with premiere music groups world-wide. Keith often commends Brenda for being one of the rare few who had a vision as a young person and actually saw it all the way through. Most of us don't know a whole lot of people that have kept with their visions they’ve had since they were a kid. One of them that we do know is Keith’s dad. And, actually, if somebody in your life is going to be steadfast at keeping that vision, and walking it through, it's good if it's a parent, and you get to see that.

When Brenda found those letters in that box, she saw them as a reflection of how the “Love Letters from our Father” are represented in The Holy Bible. A lot of people seem to look at The Holy Bible as “a book of do's and don’ts” but we look at it, especially these days, as a wonder-filled “Love Letter” that God provided for us to have and to live by. The Scriptures, The Holy Bible, has been preserved and passed down through all of The Old Testament and The New Testament history, which is longer than any book has ever lasted... over 3,600 years. It is definitely miraculous, only by God’s superintending Ways, that The Holy Bible, The Scriptures, God’s written Word to us, has been preserved and provided for the world to have, to study, to read, and most of all to be able to use as “a place of meeting with The Holy Trinity”. Because of God and His apostles, prophets, and scribes, we can read the “Love Letters from our Father” printed in The Holy Bible that is available to almost everybody in the world in almost every single language. We must cherish the “Love Letters from our Father” in our Holy Bible in our hearts, much like Brenda cherishes the letters she received from loved ones while she was working away from home.

Now, let’s get into some of the main reasons that we wanted to sit down and write “The Bible Love Letter from our Father” message for this blog post. Being able to get alone with our Heavenly Father to receive His Word of prophecy and wisdom for us, this is a most wonder-full reason for reading The Bible. In The Holy Bible, The Holy Spirit comes to meet with us. We ask Him to come and define God’s written Word for us as we read it with Him, together. He also defines what our Heavenly Father has for us, personally, at the very time we are reading it. God's written Word, The Holy Bible, is for intimacy, quality time, between us and our Father.

It's really cool that we're talking about our Father because there's a huge difference between “our dad” and “our Father”. I love my dad greatly, but The Love of my Father is even greater because my Father is God. Your Father is God. And, if you're reading this and you want to hear from your Father, we hope that you'll take from this message the way you can obtain the ability to hear The Voice of your loving Father speaking to you. It is a fact that your Father, God, is always wanting to talk to you. And The Holy Bible “Love Letters from our Father” plays a key part in “our communication”. The military used to use the term “communiques”. What is that? A communique is a written letter from one office wanting to correspond with another, often containing “personalized” and “confidential” messages. That's what The Bible is, written “Love Letters from our Father” containing personalized messages between God and us, personally.

Keith has always enjoyed watching old World War II movies. He and his dad had that quality in common. Often, in old war movies, you’ll have a scene where you hear somebody in the camp scream out “Mail call!” Everybody lit up because they were hoping to receive some mail, especially a personal letter from back home. For those individuals who were deployed, receiving those letters loved ones sent in the mail connected them by allowing the bonds to stay in place between them and their family. That is just what meant so much for Brenda and her loved ones. And she remembered it clearly when she ran across that box of letters from friends and loved ones back home... letters from her parents, sister, children, and precious family, as well as notes and letters she saved that she had written to her children when they were little.

Maybe you, like Brenda, have kept a collection of personally valuable letters too. Or maybe you didn’t keep personal letters and you wish you had. Brenda explains how, when she has low times in her life, when she has doubts about love or hope in her life, she would open those letters and remember how others care for her and how she loves and cares for others. Wow; How appropriate that we are doing this message about The Holy Bible, the greatest book of letters filled with The Love of God, “Love Letters from our Father” relaying to us His tender loving care and where we relay to God our care by simply w-a-n-t-i-n-g Him enough to spend time with Him there!

We think of The Holy Bible as “communication” from our Father, God. Our Father relays His instruction to us, but His Love for us is relayed to us first and foremost. He uses The Bible to also relay to us His correction as well as His direction about the boundaries we best set up in our Life so that we can stay “between the lines” so to speak. Especially think on how much we can learn about God by the way that He moved in the Lives of His people in The Bible that committed to Live by His blessed boundaries. Because of their love for God and His ways, the people and their testimonies tell us everything we need to know. Each time we start reading a few pages of the accounts written by God’s people, we wish we had all day to stay there reading and learning with The Holy spirit! It makes us wonder why our Bible so often sits on the shelf so long that it collects dust. Why aren't we in it more often?

More important than a million love letters from our parents, our brothers, sisters, friends, or anyone else in our lives, God’s written Word, The Holy Bible provides for us “one big Love Letter” from God that is a collection of the most blessed gift of all -- “communication” between us and Him! The Holy Bible messages are what God has had on His Heart for His children – us! These are the things He wants us to know so that we can have a full Life -- a Life filled with one-ness in Him in The Spirit. That is exactly what The Holy Bible is.

A lot of times we don't know what we don't know… until we find out. The Holy Bible is not “just a book”. So, when we begin to read The written Word of God, listening for The Holy Spirit to speak to us, things we hadn’t even thought about before suddenly “pops off of the page”. All distractions removed, noise and clutter removed, and it's “just us and God”... there we are positioned to hear His Word. We are set to expect to really hear Him tell us what He wants for us to know. It's a time for Him to talk with us and us with Him, a sweet exchange that nothing else compares to! We'll talk about this until the day God takes us Home because The Bible is God's “place of meeting with us” that is indescribably priceless to all who love Him and w-a-n-t Him and His Will for our lives.

God’s written Word is “the only book” that becomes “a place of meeting” when we open it to read God’s letters written to us with Love. This is why God has gone to great lengths to make sure that The Bible, The Scriptures, were protected and preserved down through history, “His-story” in the world for over 3,600 years. And, as a side-note here, something that’s got to be said because we don't hear it enough: “The Holy Spirit comes to meet with us in the pages of The Holy Bible, to bring to us God’s Word for us, personally.”

People ask over and over, “Brother Keith, you've heard the voice of The LORD; How do I get to hear the voice of God? What am I not doing that you’re doing?” Keith explains it in the way The Holy Spirit best leads him into it, basically using the following eight steps:

• You get your printed Bible out;
• You find a quiet place where you can relax;
• You make sure the phone and electrical devices are off;
• You make sure there is no TV noise or other distractions in the background;
• You open The Bible in your hands and, as you are relaxing, begin to pray and ask for The Holy Spirit of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to please come and meet you there;
• You ask The Holy Spirit to read with you and interpret for you what God had in His Heart when He entrusted these words to His apostles and prophets to write down in these passages;
• Then, as you relax and read, you focus on listening for The Spirit to upload what God has for you in that hour;
• And, remember, “But they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).”

Once you experience “meeting” with The Holy Trinity in the pages of The Bible, you will see for yourself the indescribable blessing that comes in your time of reading “with Him” and you’ll only want more! There’s no better way to read a letter from someone who loves you than having it on printed pages you hold in your hands. God knew this and set the example for us to follow; He wrote us a Love Letter we call The Holy Bible. Our Father did that for us "as a gift". Now we get to read His written Word and follow after His example by sitting down and writing personal letters “as a gift” to bless others.

To read more about the personal notes Keith and Brenda gathered in “meetings” of the heart with The Holy Trinity over recent years, click to read the “Love Letter from your Father… in TWO Parts” Pressin’IN Blog post. Then consider writing your own “Love Letter from your Father” to read over and over, and to print copies you can send to friends and loved ones by mail. Be encouraged to write the following words on your heart, part of a Love Letter from Scriptures God has emphasized to Brenda from His written Word... and watch what God will do.

Hear God saying to you, today...

Dear child of Mine,

You may not know Me but I know you. I AM familiar with all your ways and everything about you, even the number of each hair on your head. For you were made in My Image.

Nobody in the world knows when you are lying down or rising up to the deepest parts of your being like I do. I AM with you every place where you sit. I understand your thoughts, whether big thoughts or small.

In Me you live and move and have your being, for you are My Offspring. I knew you even before you were conceived.

I chose you when I planned Creation. You were not a mistake, for all of your days are written in My Book. I determined when you would be born and where you would live.

You are fearfully and wonder-fully made. I knit you together in your mother's womb and brought you forth on the day you were born.

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know Me; I AM n-o-t distant and angry, but I AM the "Complete Expression" of Love. And it is My desire to lavish My love on you, simply because you are My child and I AM your Father.

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could, for I AM The omnipotent Father, your Heavenly Father. Every good gift you receive comes from My Hand. For I AM your provider and I meet all your needs.

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope because I Love you with an Everlasting Love. My thoughts toward you are countless as the sands on the seashore.

And I rejoice over you with singing! I will never stop doing good to you, for you are My treasured possession. I desire to "establish you" with all My Heart and all My Soul and I want to show you great and marvelous things.

If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart, for it is I Who gave you those desires to begin with.

I AM able to do more for you than you can possibly imagine, for I AM your greatest encourager. I AM also The Father Who comforts you in all of your troubles. When you are broken-hearted, I AM close to you.

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to My Heart. One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.

I AM your Father, and I Love you even as I Love My Son, Jesus. For in Jesus, My Love for you is revealed. He is The Exact Representation of My Being. He came to demonstrate that I AM for you, not against you, and to tell you that I AM n-o-t counting your sins.

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. His death is The Ultimate Expression of My Love. I gave up every-thing that I love that I might "gain" your love. If you receive The Gift of My Son, Christ Jesus you receive Me, and nothing will ever separate you from My Love again.

Come Home and I will throw "the Biggest Party" that Heaven has ever seen. I have always been your Father. I will always be Father.

My question is, will you be My child? I AM waiting for you.

When you draw close to Me, I AM drawing close to you.

I love YOU!
Eternally yours, your Father,
God

Halleluia and Amen!! “The LORD gave The Word and great was the company of those who published it Psalm 68:11.” We encourage you to publish "the word" God lays on your heart also, writing it on letters to send out to those you know, love, and who need an "encouraging word" from God's Word.

Begin to read The Holy Scriptures slowly, with focus, with determination, as you listen quietly with your spirit's ear for The Holy Spirit to arrive. Read slowly and intentionally focus on God's written Word written on the pages. As you read, listen intently for His whisper into your spirit, personally... waiting to "hear Him" no matter how long He takes. If you truly w-a-n-t to hear God's Word for you, "spoken" to you, The wonder-full Holy Spirit w-i-l-l come and deliver The Word God give Him for you, and with gladness, personally.

Someone said to us once that God speaks by way of His "still, small voice". We have found that to be a very accurate description of how He sounds when He speaks to us. We would also add from our personal experience that, once you hear Him begin to speak to you in your spirit, you will begin to continually listen for Him with ever-growing zeal! Selah.

We thank you for joining together with us for this message from out 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.

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!

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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 are recounted in each and every written and recorded project of TTM.

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)

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A little Guy with GOD is Bigger than ALL the Giants Combined

With God, We WIN; With-OUT God, We Don't Stand A Chance 

        There is a crucial factor we must point out and realize about David in his pursuit to face Goliath. David did not suddenly decide to go against the giant. David was most certainly accused by his older brother of being presumptuous or prideful by declaring that he would defeat the Philistine. But, truly, he was not being presumptuous or prideful at all. God had fully prepared David for this encounter, and David knew it! This is why he could be so confident in going forth against Goliath. It is also why he was able to overcome the grave doubts of Saul, the king. "And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth (1 Samuel 17:32-33)."

In this passage, David indicates his willingness to fight the Philistine, and Saul responds with a very rational sounding answer. For truly, in the natural, David's offer was preposterous! He was but a youth, a shepherd boy, while Goliath had been trained to be "a man of war from his youth." Yet, David knew that God had prepared him for such a time and explained how this had occurred.

"And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and The LORD be with thee (1 Samuel 17:34-37)."

David knew how to fight! He had faced the lion and the bear, but not alone! The LORD had delivered David from both. Consequently, he could confidently and reasonably expect that God would deliver him from the Philistine. And that is what he told the king. After hearing David's words, the king accepted David's offer, and then did a curious thing.

"And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed (tried it) to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him (1 Samuel 17:38-39)."

Saul tried to get David to wear Saul's own armor into the battle, but David refused, saying that he had no experience with them. Furthermore, David knew that God had given him skill with the sling, and he had had many hours of solitude as a shepherd to hone that skill. Finally, David had already seen Goliath arrayed in his armor and knew that he could be brought down with the sling, David's weapon of choice.

It would have been presumptuous of David to go forth wearing Saul's armor. In fact, it would have been a fatal mistake! For then the battle would have been fought on Goliath's terms in the flesh, and the giant would have won that fight.

To demonstrate the error of presumption through a counterexample to David's triumph, consider the occurrence from the time of Moses after God had miraculously delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and from starvation in the wilderness. At this point in their journey the children of Israel were preparing to invade the Promised Land, and so Moses sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan to bring back information that would help in the invasion.

Ten of the spies brought back an evil report of giants in the land. "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:32-33)."

After hearing this report, the children of Israel refused to believe that God would be with them in the battle against the giants of Canaan. And consequently the people rejected the following words of the two faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb. "Only rebel not ye against The LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and The LORD is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade [threatened to] stone them with stones (Numbers 14:9-10)."

Having fear of the giants and lacking faith in God, the Israelites wished that they had died in the wilderness, and they even began preparing to return to the bondage of Egypt (see Numbers 14:2-4). As a result, God promised them that they would die in the wilderness even as they had wished! "Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith The LORD, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; (Numbers 14:28-29)."

After the Israelites heard that, however, they had second thoughts! The scripture records that "the people mourned greatly (Numbers 14:39)." Moreover, they began preparing to invade the land, but they were warned to not go forth into battle presumptuously. "Ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from The LORD, therefore The LORD will not be with you (Numbers 14:43)."  

Despite the warning of the fact that "those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before The LORD (Numbers 14:37)", the Israelites went presumptuously into battle with the Canaanites. The LORD was not with them, and they were badly beaten.

Subsequently, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the nation was again at the brink of invading the Promised Land. It was at this juncture that Moses made a point to relate the account of this incident from the failed first invasion to the children of the people whose carcasses had fallen in the wilderness according to the Word of The LORD. In his conclusion of the account, Moses said these words, "Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against The LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that The LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. And The LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of The LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah (Deuteronomy 1:41-44)."

Thus, we see that instead of overcoming their fear, they were really guilty of rebellion and presumption. Their "boldness" was counterfeit, because God was not in it. So, even as David could not have overcome Goliath on his own and the Israelites could not overcome the Canaanites on their own, neither can we overcome intimidation by our own efforts, pride, or false hopes. We need the genuine boldness of righteousness that can only come from The LORD.

We pray that this brief exhortation fans into flames your passion for loving, trusting, believing, and following God wholeheartedly.  If you allow those flames to burn and increase in your life in Jesus Christ, your life will be better than our human minds are capable of perceiving... guaranteed!

          So, "How do I begin the process of 'running INto' the giants I face... with The LORD?"

"The LORD gave the word: great was the company of those that published it (Psalm 68:11)."

Your friends and servants in Christ Jesus,

    

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 channel, 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)

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We pray God uses this message, and all of our resources, to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full Ways, and His Plan and Purpose for you in this life. 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! 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.

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What does GOD think about abortion? Unraveling the web of deception...

Stop for a moment. Look inside at what God sees in the UNBORN. What is ABORTION, really?

Abortion. What did you think when you saw that word? Did you feel anything at all? It is such a powerful word, and people react to it in so many ways. Some get angry, but not always for the same reason. It makes some people sad, and indeed many are heartbroken over it. Abortion also provides mighty motivation as can be seen in the numerous prayer vigils, protesting, petitions, elections, court cases, and so forth that focus on this one subject. However, let us leave all of that aside and look at abortion itself. What is it really? What is it fundamentally? In other words, what does God think about abortion? For in truth, His view of abortion is the only correct position to hold. For instance, what does God call the unborn? Does He see them as fetuses, merely pieces of flesh that can be discarded at the whim of the mothers?

          To get a view of God's thoughts, take a look at Luke 1:15. There we read about John the Baptist before he was born. "For he shall be great in the sight of The Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with The Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." Observe that John the Baptist was "filled with The Holy Ghost" while still in his mother's womb! Further into the chapter, in verses 41-44, we see what happened when Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, went to see Elisabeth while she was still pregnant with John the Baptist. "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with The Holy Ghost: And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." John the Baptist, though still unborn, "leaped for joy" inside his mother's womb when he heard the voice of Mary! So the unborn can be filled with The Holy Spirit and leap for joy. Note also that the name "John" was given by an Angel to John's father before John was even conceived in the womb (see Luke 1:13). Thus, from these proofs we determine that God knows each one of the unborn by name, as a human being, each one as an individual person. And that's not all there is for us to know of what God sees! There is so much more.

            Consider what Romans 9:11 tells us regarding the twin sons of Abraham's son Isaac, saying, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil." Note that this Scripture tells us that the unborn are "children" and they are "innocent". Therefore, God sees the unborn as innocent children. Moreover, we find in Psalm 127:3, "Lo, children are an heritage of The Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Hence, in looking at God's view of the unborn children, we can also add these two descriptions, "a heritage of The Lord" and "His reward". So when someone speaks of an "unwanted pregnancy" they are actually saying that "the heritage of The Lord and His reward are unwelcome".

            Interestingly, these two elements are at the heart of one of the most important events in all of history, the birth of Isaac's sons, Jacob and Esau. Rebekah, Isaac's wife, was childless. Consequently, Isaac turned to The Lord in Genesis 25: 21-24, "And Isaac entreated The Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and The Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of The Lord. And The Lord said to her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb." Isaac's prayers were answered and Rebekah conceived and became pregnant. However, we also see that Rebekah was apparently having a difficult pregnancy, and so she inquired of The Lord about her condition. She was told that "two nations are in your womb" and "two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels". Two nations?! Two manner of people?! Yes, not only was God seeing babes, innocent children in Rebekah's womb, He was revealing to Rebekah the full potential of each child individually, even before she conceived them.

            In Proverb 6:16-19 we find, "six things doth The Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...." Is there any wonder that the list of these things that God hates most contains "hands that shed innocent blood?" As we have seen, the written Word of God tells us plainly that the unborn child is innocent. Consequently, if a person deliberately kills, or takes life away from, or terminates before natural completion of, an unborn child, then that person's hands "shed innocent blood". The defenders of abortion argue that abortion must be allowed in the cases of rape and incest. Let us ignore that argument for the moment and consider that tens of millions of babies (families?, peoples?, nations?) have been killed while still in their mothers' wombs. How many instances of those were for rape or incest? Is it one in a million, or one in a hundred thousand? Even if it is the latter, it means that for every pregnancy due to rape or incest, ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine babies are killed who were not for rape or incest. The fact is... we are not told what the real ratio is, and that's because the rape-incest argument is a fraud and a smoke-screen to stir up emotions, in order to hide the reality of the horror, the truth that is abortion.

            Imagine a small, close-knit community where everyone is secure. There is no crime, no deceit, and no cheating. The people there are well-fed and every need is met. Only Heaven can provide a better life. Now imagine this serenity suddenly shattered by the terrifying sound of death-dealing machinery. It is a surgical strike, designed to kill the inhabitants while leaving the infrastructure intact. Next, uniformed professionals come in, inspect the scene, then dismembering all they find in order to make sure the slaughter is complete.

            That, Gentle Reader, is Abortion.

            Special heartfelt thanks to our long-time friend, partner, and co-writer Mr. Bennie Nelson, and to all of our faithful partners without whom the works of TTM would not be possible. 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 fulfilling God's plan, we dedicate this work to you. In Christ, Keith, Brenda, and Team TTM.

            "But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire." (1 Thessalonians 2:17) "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full." (2 John 1:12)"

            If you have not invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior in your life, stop right where you are and pray this in communication with God, "Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and The Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as 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 ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, I pray, Amen."  And AMEN!!!

            WELCOME HOME!

            If you have just prayed this 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 wonderful 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 Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.

            You will want to begin reading The Holy Bible at least 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 and use in bringing The Truth to remembrance. You will find The Scriptures to be applicable to just what you are going through, at any given time!

            There are wonderful Bible teachers we would encourage you to begin to receive good teaching from, especially early in your walk with God. However, those programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. There will be times when 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 you turned away from to pursue God and His Will. During those difficult times, it will be especially, crucially important for you to have connections with strong Christian friends and mentors... It's a fact that there really IS strength in numbers!

            CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to be among the first to welcome you into the Family of God... right where you "belong", now and always! Selah and AMEN!

            Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.".

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

         You might consider using our book  XII SMOOTH STONES, special collection of 12 of our original, most-requested teaching titles:

No Matter What!	The Magnetic Mantle or Why Cats... Have Kitties;
Fire, Pressure, and Them Slithery... Snakes	The Ultimate Home Gym
Vampires In The Church	STOP...
The Great Deception	The Invisible Man
God Is So Much Bigger Than You Think!	Die Empty!
Building Godly Friendships	The Secret To A Happy Life

          This collection of twelve teachings, when taken to heart, will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations... "XII Smooth Stones" available at TowardTheMark online.

Would you write and let us know how this message has fanned the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His Ways, and for God's Plan for your life? If you would like to request a special order of our book "XII Smooth Stones" or any product from Keith Shealy and Toward The Mark, or if you have questions about our work, resources, or giving tax-deductible donations, please click here to e-mail us. We welcome you to also feel free to write us a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

May you be greatly blessed as God writes this message in your heart. We praise Him, with eternal gratitude, for our loving Toward The Mark Family without whose help and support this work would not be possible!

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. We are praying for you to be encouraged and edified by our written and recorded product accounts from The Gospel that Jesus Christ preached in our written and recorded products.

We couldn't do this without the help of our friends!
The blog message you have just read, along with each of our original podcast, music, and video recordings, CDs, books, magazines, and other resources in our ministry collection is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Family. If you would like to become a part of the TTM Family, your monthly financial support of any amount will help fulfilling God's call on our lives to make Holy-Bible-based messages available to the churched and un-churched alike. You are invited to partner with us in working with God to fulfill His desire for everybody to know Christ Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life...personally. We "... press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward helping to provide effective, practical outreach tools for ministering the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ.

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Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
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Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the vision and mission God has given to this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

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We INVITE YOU...
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~ "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook

~ "TTM SingingSgt" on Twitter

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

~ "Sharing with you the Secrets God Whispers to us" teachings on our website 

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