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Showing posts with label impact. Show all posts
Showing posts with label impact. Show all posts

Thursday, July 21

NEW, Mini-Series Weekday 14 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 in to 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 #14 of 20-day Blog mini-series #2
Chapter THREE, "Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
    
"Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
            One important method of studying The Word that was mentioned earlier is "comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Thus, The Word of God is to be used to interpret The Word of God, and again, this is one example of the principle of the testimony of two or three witnesses establishing every word. However, this application of The Word must be done under the guidance of The Holy Spirit, because The Holy Scriptures are not open to human interpretation at all; there is no leeway in this. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of The Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by The Holy Ghost. " (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Question to ponder:

How would you describe the way God identifies with you, and cares for your needs and well-being?   _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

          "Saul of Tarsus was not only consumed with evil tasks in destroying the followers of Jesus Christ, but he had been given the money, written permission, and troop support to pull it off. Although the High Priest and his ruling party had been able to manipulate Rome into doing their dirty work for them, having Christ crucified, they made a monumental mistake! They underestimated how deeply Jesus Christ had impacted the people of the region! And, now, the Person of the Holy Spirit had come to continue carrying the Truth of The Gospel of Jesus Christ to people near and far, all over the world. It would be Saul's lack of knowing and understanding this fact that, ultimately, led him to the life-altering encounter he had with The One Who confronted him, face to face, similar to how I stuck up for my brother at the bus stop (in yesterday's comments).  

          When I was a young boy, I used to camp out with a few of my friends in my neighborhood. One evening, just as the sun was starting to set, the guys and I launched out on one of our deep-woods adventures, exploring some new terrain. Before we realized it, we had gotten ourselves trapped in a thick brier patch, standing and stuck in it, waist-deep. Of course, having left our hunting knives back at the campsite, we were forced to kick our way through those thick briers until we could reach a clearing. So, now, sporting jeans with thorns and holes all in them, and drops of blood running down our legs, we all came to the conclusion that we would never again go somewhere without making sure to carry along our hunting knives.  

          When you find yourself in a painful, no-escape, 'prickly' situation, confronted by a commanding force that leaves you basically powerless, you begin to get the picture of what it means to 'kick against', as Jesus said, 'the pricks'. In essence, what Jesus was saying to Saul was, 'Because you have chosen to persecute Me, by choosing to fight against My children, now you have to deal with Me!'  If you find yourself trapped, in any way, by sin, you will know just how painful life can be when you are running contrary to the life-giving ways of Jesus Christ. We encourage you to seek, until you come to find, the Wisdom and Understanding in The Word of God, but never forsaking The Person of The Holy Spirit.  And, as you do so, you will be removing yourself from being among the people who will surely be 'destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge...' as Hosea 4:6 clearly explains. What are you waiting for? There's no better time than n-o-w. Selah."  


Knowing this first, that no prophecy of The Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by The Holy Ghost.  
(2 Peter 1:20-21)


*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!



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: 

      

      

      

      

      

      
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

Thursday, April 30

April--Month of Honoring the Military Child

**APRIL** is a special month of HONORING THE MILITARY CHILD… being STRONG… RESILIENT… RECEPTIVE to change… ACCEPTING of others who may or may not be like them… and MISSING MANY OF THE VERY FREEDOMS for which their family member in uniform has dedicated their life to fight for and preserve.
 
W e are grateful for this dedicated time of the year when we take a closer and focused look into the eyes of some of the BRAVEST guys and girls in AMERICA – our MILITARY B.R.A.T.S. Just like the parent in the family who wears the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, or Coast Guard uniform, the Military Brat is impacted by the: =>frequent moves to new assignment locations;=>unpredictable changes in the home, community, family of faith, and school situation;
=>changes in friendship circles; 
=>sacrifices of the very freedoms for which the parent in uniform fights to defend; and
=>ever-unique demands the military lifestyle brings.


With the service and sacrifice of the family member in uniform, there are countless children who deserve to be honored as well for: "Growing up a Military Child (aka: Military Brat)" (VIDEO).
I’ve heard Keith say, time and time again, that transparency is a lifeline for those who are going through difficult times and suffering. One of the devil’s most effective tools for bringing division and great despair into the lives of people who suffer, both young and old alike, is convincing the sufferer that “nobody else is struggling, or has ever struggled, as I am; it’s just me.”  God’s Word says that there is NOTHING new under the sun. With that in mind, I offer this blog from my heart, hoping that others who relate to struggles like ours, will be encouraged that they are not alone, and that they are appreciated for the important part they play, as they serve in support of fellow Americans and of other peace-loving nations around the world.

     




Writing a letter to each of my military kids & grandbabies this month, I found the photos I've shared above to be just a few that stir my emotions, always bringing me to both laugh and cry.  The memories still are fresh in my mind, taking me back to the countless stories we wrote in letters, to the scrapbooks I made to be sure our many memories were saved, and to the sweet yet sad phone calls we shared that stirred our hearts while my children and I had to be apart.  I couldn’t wait to get back to hug and kiss them each time, to hold them on my lap and read stories with them, to swing them on the swings and have lunch with them at school, just to be next to them, to enjoy time with them, for as long as I possibly could.

My little boy would tell me how he would sleep with the light on, so I could see to kiss him goodnight if I came back while he was sleeping. I remember when my little girl called and said how she learned to do a cartwheel for the first time. Doing gymnastics in the yard was our thing, and I was missing it, big time. I’m glad she continued, telling me details, because I was overwhelmed being far away from her, and I couldn’t talk just them, for a few moments.

All three of us struggled to stop our tears, whenever we had to say another goodbye.  With everything we did together and everywhere we enjoyed as a loving little family, we did our best trying not to think about our next separation coming up. The crying and sad times, and our going in different directions, never ever got easier, no matter how long or short our separation would be, or how many or few miles apart.

I kept every “I luv you Mommy” letter, every drawing and every picture my kids mailed to me from afar. And I know they kept mine, especially the scrapbooks I made and sent, reminding them I am forever there, with them in my heart every time we were apart. All of those times I heard Ethan or Sierra say, “You’re the best military mommy in the world,” the truth was THEY were the best military kids in the world, and I love and appreciate them so!!!!
Thank you so much for allowing Keith and I this opportunity to share our heart with you. We pray that this blog message will, in many ways, encourage you to support and uplift our military sons and daughters, not just in the month of April, but every month of the year when the opportunity shows itself to you.

What a privilege it is for all of us to “press Toward The Mark” of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, together as we share with one another our heart and passions in life. We would like to encourage you to comment and share this blog, and your own experiences as well, with transparency. God bless you and your family.
If you have any questions or would like to share a special military experience with us, or prayer request, please send us an e-mail or note by mail at the address shown below.
Your friends & servants in Christ,


This message, as well as each of our Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful 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 for the churched and un-churched alike 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!