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Showing posts with label sheep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sheep. Show all posts

Monday, August 28

Nothing Is Able To Separate Us From The Love Of God

... which is i-n Christ Jesus!

    In the Bible book of Isaiah, we find the wondrous declaration The LORD made concerning His people, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands (Isaiah 49:16)." The LORD engraved us on the palms of His hands and, because He has done so, Christ Jesus gave us the most remarkable promise, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand (John 10:27-29)."

        Many, many times in Scripture we find God saying, "Fear not, for I am with thee." To those who are being cut down, despised by others or by their own old nature, and dealing with lying attempts to prevent them from fulfilling the high calling of God, the answer God gave to Gideon, incredible as it is, will be most sufficient, "And The LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto Him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And The LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man (Judges 6:14-16)."

        We need to realize the absolute Truth that God is our loving Father and His Love is what encompasses us as His protection, His provision, His comfort, and His making a way for us where there is no way. All we have to do is to "want" Him and His Love as much as He wants us to have oneness with Him and His Love. With this "oneness" we live within the realization that NOthing is impossible with The LORD God, Who will never leave us nor forsake us. Therefore, we too can declare in the words of the Apostle Paul, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)."

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

        Your love and prayers mean more than you know, both to us and to those we reach with The Gospel of Christ Jesus and The Gospel He preached. We pray that The Lord returns to you 100-fold reward for all of the caring, sharing, and faith-fullness you pour out!

We are grateful for the wonderfully fruitful opportunities The Person of The Holy Spirit is blessing us with, to glorify the Great Name of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, opportunities we simply could not take advantage of if not for the passion and support of our TTM partners to magnify Jesus Christ by sending us into this final hour's harvest! On behalf of the two of us, and those we are reaching, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking part in our work, friendship, and all our family of faith has been doing to encourage and reach this end time's generation with The Gospel of Jesus Christ... and with The Gospel Jesus Christ preached! 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)

Keep PRESSIN' IN!


We INVITE YOU...
 see and hear, follow and share, more from Toward The Mark, Inc.:

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





























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!


  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 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 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.

Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2023 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply |
 Visit TowardTheMark.com website |  Connect with TowardTheMark on
e-mail



Thursday, June 8

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)

Keep PRESSIN' IN!



We INVITE YOU...
 see and hear, follow and share, more from Toward The Mark, Inc.:

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

The Shealys and Toward The Mark Videos on Vimeo


"Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook













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!


  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 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 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.
Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2023 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply |
 Visit TowardTheMark.com website |  Connect with TowardTheMark on
e-mail




Thursday, September 7

Smiting God's Shepherds Scatters the Sheep

"Satan works through lukewarm church members to attack, fatigue, disable, and even kill off leaders God is using to impart His Word, His Wisdom, and His Direction into the lives of His Children..." --Keith, Brenda, and the TTM Team

Remember what Zechariah said: "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. (Zechariah 13:7)"

         Satan knows that an effective means of crippling the next generation involves destroying those whom God has called to impart His Word, His Wisdom, and His Direction into the lives of our young people. Just how does satan "smite the shepherds" of God's flock? One especially effective method satan employs is to work through self-seeking members of our congregations to slowly, methodically, and painfully destroy godly supervision in the lives of the next generation. By making harsh or critical statements against the leadership here and there, and directing bitter opposition against certain plans that leadership believes God has for the flock, congregational members are enabling satan to ultimately thereby littering the countryside with spiritual babies who are unable to properly raise up the next generation.

           This situation has been growing bigger and getting worse for many years; and now the plague of poor parenting, both natural and spiritual, has been thrust upon today's "God-called" Church leaders. The task of literally having to re-parent a growing number of those in their congregations and communities is massive.

           This torrential wave of "illegitimacy" has taken a heavy toll on many of God's shepherds. Combine that trouble with the rampant demands, and unreasonable expectations, congregational members place on God's shepherds - as well as the continuous scrutiny of church boards, committees, and anyone else who feels that they are divinely entitled to voice their so-often damaging opinions - and the load becomes unbearable.

           In just the past five years, we have seen an exodus of wonderfully-anointed pastors leaving the ministry in an attempt to salvage both their families and, in many cases, their own mental well-being. If ever there was a time that we, as the body of Christ, needed to fast and pray for our leaders, it is now! "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  (1 Timothy 2:1-2)"

           Because there are so many people today who do not attend a local church or have truly dedicated Christian friends to hang out with, we and our TTM Partners 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, truly, 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: 



  "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
     (Podcast) Now Playing: Between The Lines... Be Fear-LESS in a Fear-FULL World!


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!





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

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