Cast Off Works Of Darkness; Put On The Armor Of Light

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This is a historic time of opportunity to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday as we reach out with the Love and Gospel of Jesus Christ and win souls for God’s Kingdom...

"... for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armor of Light (Romans 13:11-12).”

We would like to begin with thankfullness for Jesus Christ teaching His disciples in God’s written Word, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 5:14-16)."

How thankful we are for such incredible works and answered prayers we have witnessed of God, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit in our lives, both here in America and in the world! Especially considering everything the Three-in-One Holy Trinity has done through President Trump over this first 18 months as our Commander-in-Chief, we are counting our blessings. What a privilege we have gotten to work together, with Them, to fulfill God's passion in the Earth. We cannot thank our Father enough for giving us Donald J. Trump, his wife and family, and each of his talented cabinet and team members.

In just the first year-and-a-half of Mr. Trump serving his second non-consecutive term, being our 47th President since January 20th, 2025, God has begun miraculously restoring U.S. Constitutional order and the rule of law in America unlike any other time in our nation’s 250-year history. We thank and praise God for providing His divine wisdom, guidance, knowledge, direction, and protection on President Trump and his team. We eagerly anticipate all of what He has in store for the rest of this 250-year Birthday Celebration year of 2026 and beyond, in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Americans must have God and His written and spoken Word in order to be healed, redeemed, and made whole. This is especially true given the assaults of the anti-America, anti-Christ, anti-Constitutional presidencies of 2008, 2012, and 2020. As a ministry team and family our priority is to boldly reach out to people whose hearts and lives have been broken, many who have suffered much, even losing their loved ones, during the last administration's lawless objective to maim and destroy America. We have got to bind together, united, and pray for President Trump and his team in Washington. We pray that God will continue to anoint them with the ability to restore what so many of our American brothers and sisters have tragically sacrificed as a result of greed in the wicked hearts of federal and state politicians in government leadership.

During this time of restoration, we, the people, will remain steadfast as Christians in a Christian nation that began in 1776, 250 years ago this July 2026. We have pledged, and we pledge afresh, and will continue to pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ and "to the Republic (for which our American flag stands), one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for ALL"... by shining The Light of God's Love to all who we come in contact with!

As unruly as things may appear to be, stemming from the lawless chaos of the former administration especially, we must keep our focus on getting wisdom, truth, and understanding from God and His Word, and allow The Holy Spirit to cleanse and heal us of the heart-break, fatigue, and harmful effects of countless offenses and intentional damages inflicted on our citizens of America. This is a historic time! We must sieze upon the opportunities we have right now for reaching others with the Love and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armor of Light (Romans 13:11-12)."

LET THE MIRACULOUS TESTIMONIES OF GOD'S GREATNESS BE IN OUR LIVES AND ON OUR LIPS! No matter what our adversary brings on us along the way, we will rejoice and be glad because we have "put on" Jesus Christ, Who IS the "Armor of Light".

Our wonder-full Toward The Mark family is passionate to fulfill the part God has for us to fulfill in these last days before Christ Jesus returns. Only by the Love of God in us are we able to win the hearts of those swept away in the tide of God-less-ness, even choosing to live opposite to God’s Word, Will, and Ways. Let's make it our collective goal for the coming months to reach out to and befriend as many people as possible, especially those outside of our social circles.

Let's share with other people, everywhere, our testimonies of faith in Jesus Christ as The Holy Spirit brings them to light in us. Tell them about each time when God answered our prayers, always walking and talking with us, and working things out in mysterious ways as only He does in our life. The results to come will bless both us and them, as our hearts become filled with gratitude, compelling us to offer up thanksgiving to The LORD for His very presence, for His being, and for every thing that He IS and does. ”

Let’s Celebrate our 250-Year Birthday of America shining The Light of The LORD Jesus Christ...
"For God, Who commanded The Light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give The Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)."

Remember also, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7)."

WATCH our "When It Comes To Sharing Your Faith" videos on the Toward The Mark INC channels online.

Thank you for hearing our hearts and our hearts’ passion for God, His written and spoken Word, and His People. We pray that this message fanned the flame in your heart to "reach for God" in greater ways than ever before.

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

Your friends in this final hours' harvest of souls, with eternal gratitude to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ,

& the TTM Family

Take me back to the top of this blog post.

Take me to “The Impossible Miracle” post.

Take me to “Dynamite Really Does Come in Small Packages” post.

Take me to "How to Receive a Prophet's Reward" post.

Take me to "...God's Mighty Wave of Truth Over America..." post.

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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason the two of us, Keith and Brenda, stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Our prayer, along with the entire team of this ministry, is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that we share through Keith’s written and recorded accounts. 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 on-board TODAY!

CLICK to give a tax-deductible gift securely by:

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. 
We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

We INVITE You to...
see and share more from Toward the Mark:

~ "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook;
~ "We’re Pressin’IN Toward The Mark” on Blogger;
~ "Keith Shealy's Between The Lines TTM Podcast” on Libsyn;
~ "Sharing with you Secrets God Whispers to us" on the website;

...HEAR FROM GOD!


...HOPE AFTER ABORTION!

...TRIUMPH!

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" is available now.
                    Send e-mail request.

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 our Father's 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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The Power Of The Tongue -- Speak LIFE

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It is Out of the Abundance of a Person's Heart that the Mouth Speaks

Where godly integrity is absent, death is inevitable!  You may ask, “Why do you say that it's the lack of integrity that is ‘deadly’?” In reply, let me draw your attention to the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”  Believe me, no statement has been or could be further from the truth!  While sticks and stones in the hands of the wrong people can break bones, words spoken in the wrong way can cause even worse damage to a person’s heart!  Consider the following Scripture verses.  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverb 18:21)  “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” (Psalm 57:4)  “There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” (Proverb 12:18)

In the Ten Commandments, God says, “Thou shalt not kill!”  Don't be deceived into thinking that this command applies only to physically stabbing or shooting somebody to death.  On the contrary, as Jesus, Himself, said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, (as defined in Vine’s Expository Dictionary to mean: “utter contempt, empty, intellectually rather than morally, empty-headed, vain, fool, a godless moral reprobate") shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

You see, you don't need a knife or a gun to commit murder! All you need to do is sow the wrong word seed into the life of a person and, if not rooted out, death will soon follow. Luke teaches us that, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

There is a great example of this, during the Second World War, as our troops were fighting to gain control of the islands in the Pacific theater. The Japanese unleashed a rather unconventional and very deadly weapon. They used a number of English-speaking Japanese women, collectively dubbed “Tokyo Rose” by the Americans, to broadcast messages intended to undermine the American war effort. As the American troops were listening to their radios, “Tokyo Rose” would break in and read from a script that the Japanese military thought might inflict the greatest psychological damage. For example, she would say things like: “Boys, while you are suffering for a lost cause in these hot jungles, your wives and girlfriends are back home in the arms of other men,” or, “Your government does not care about you! That’s why they have sent you here to die in this fight that you can never win!” Like my own grandfather, anyone who was there can tell you that these “fiery darts” inflicted emotional torments that resulted in many physical casualties.

Deadly word seed, if not rooted out, will yield a death crop wherever it is sown! “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Contrary to the beliefs held by many, this verse pertains not only to our sowing money seed when the plate is passed in Church, but is also equally applicable to word seed we sow.

If you sow good seed, you will reap a good harvest. Sow weed seed and what do you get? Weeds! It IS really that simple. Practicing godly integrity where our speech is concerned will always minister life to the hearer.

Check out a statistic I learned from a Pastor friend of mine some time ago. He shared with me that he read the results of a study explaining where, on average, it takes seventeen positive words of encouragement to negate just one harshly spoken word (discouragement) in the life of a person. He said that, in some cases, it will take even more than that, if the person ever recovers at all. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverb 18:21)

We all have a wonderful opportunity to turn the tide of destruction in the lives of those around us!  We need to truly understand this:  LIVES OF PEOPLE CAN EVENTUALLY BECOME WHAT WE SAY, so ...  SPEAK LIFE!

  For more, check us out on Facebook: 

  

  For even more, get our book, "Letters From The Front."  

Thank you for joining us for this important message that we hope and pray God will use to help you, and everyone you know and share it with, to ...

 Keep PRESSIN' IN!

Your friends and co-laborers 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, decades ago, 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, The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Gospel Jesus Christ preached.

We INVITE You ... check out and share more resources from TTM for helping build your trusting, resting, and waiting i-n God's Word, Will, and Ways: 

~    Between The Lines Video podcast on the TTM channel

~    Keith and Brenda's BETWEEN THE LINES Podcast channel

~    BetweenTheLines Podcasts on our TTM podcast channel:  

~    TTMSingingSgt on Twitter

~    Secrets God Unveils on the TowardTheMark website 

~    Take me back to the TOP of THE POWER OF THE TONGUE blog

Help fan the flame in the hearts of those who are looking to increase in their faith, courage, and bold strength through Christ Jesus!  Give your tax-deductible gift today and help make more messages and resources like this possible!  Become a crucial part of The Family of Toward The Mark, Inc. Sponsors, whose every gift is appreciated and helps!

Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2021 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply | TowardTheMark.com

BITE YOUR TONGUE... BEFORE YOUR TONGUE BITES YOU!

"BITE YOUR TONGUE... BEFORE YOUR TONGUE BITES YOU!" --Keith, Brenda, and the TTM Team

"...every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36)."

Perhaps one of the wisest life lessons that my Dad taught me as a young aspiring tree fort builder was... 

         "When you are cutting wood for boards, ALWAYS measure twice and cut once." In other words, not stopping to thoroughly think through the decisions we make, before we make them, can result in costly mistakes that we cannot take back. I can't begin to remember how many expensive boards that I have wasted by not taking the time to stop and "think through" my measurements before making a cut, resulting in costly damages that I, sadly... could not get back."

           Like the boards, the same simple life lesson applies to the words we speak. If we don't stop and listen for the person of the Holy Spirit to give us God's Wisdom (the correct measurements) for the words to say, before we say them, we not only risk misrepresenting God but we also run the risk of our words misleading or even damaging the hearts of others, words that we, sadly... cannot get back.

           "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle (Proverbs 18:19)."

           Jesus Christ warns us, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bring forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matthew 12:35-37)."

           Speak life!

Keith, Brenda and TEAM TTM

           Because there are so many people today who do not attend a local church or have truly dedicated Christian friends to hang out with Brenda, our Partners and I would like to present you with an opportunity to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life. Also, for those of you who, for whatever reason, have drifted away from Him, we invite you to return home where you belong. Below, we have configured a prayer of salvation that is easy to understand. Now, right where you are, read and repeat out loud each line of this prayer. Giving your whole heart to Jesus Christ is the "most important" and "the best" decision you can and will ever make in your lifetime!"

           Invite Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, right there where you are, by praying this prayer to God, then relax and watch what God does...
... "Dear 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 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.

            We advise you 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!!! 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, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN... learnin', and growin' w-i-t-h our Lord and Savior.  You might consider using Keith and Brenda Shealy's book XII SMOOTH STONES, the special collection of 12 life-changing 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.

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. 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: 

~  "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook 

~   "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter 

~   "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
     (Podcast) Latest Show: PRESSIN' In #83... Ordinary Men become Extraordinary Dads!

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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!

           Take me back to the top of this post.

           Take me to "Are You Ready to be Offered?" post.

           Take me to "Bring God a Sacrifice of praise" post.

           Take me to "God, why am I here?" post.

           Take me to "Murder by words?" post.

           Take me to "The BEST Fruit on the Limb" post.

           Take me to "We've Got to Let 'Stuff' Go" post.

           Take me to "Don't Take Your Gifts to the Grave" post.

           Take me to "Salvation is Every-Day Life" post.

           Take me to "Emergency Warning to Professing Witches" post.

           Take me to "Passionate Pursuit of Singleness" post.

           Take me to "We'll Miss You, Dad Shealy" post.

           Take me to "75 Years Ago: Pearl Harbor & Fleet Admiral Nimitz" post.

           Take me to "Our Military Vets Out of Sight...Out of Mind?" post.

           Take me to "Where to RUN When Trials Come" post.

           Take me to "Caught Up With Jesus" post.

           Take me to "True Leaders Speak Life" post.

           Take me to "Greatest Hindrance to Significance" post.

           Take me to Keith's MINI-Series of *Keep the FAITH* book, Chapter TWO.

           Take me to "Rattlesnake Revelation" post.

           Take me to "Gold Star Families Gave ALL" post.

           Take me to "Love of GOD" post.

           Take me to "My Broken Vessel's Fiery Trials" post.

           Take me back to "Magnetic Mantle...Why Cats Should Have Kitties".

           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.

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

Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2017 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply | (757)251-2440 TowardTheMark.com | Resources@TowardTheMark.com

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