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Showing posts with label sorrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sorrow. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 31

This Lost and Dying World Needs You...

Do you know how I know that God has put something in you that is crucially important to the fulfillment of His plan for all of creation? You're HERE!


I (Keith) once had a very sobering revelation of what it would be like to stand before the almighty, all-loving God without having finished the things for which He had put me here on earth to do. To say the least, just the thought of not finishing and being abundantly fruitful, made my heart sick! There I was, standing before the all-loving God, "Love" Himself, not having been fully "about" my Father's business while on earth. I had not multiplied my talents, nor used the abilities God had given me for His purpose, for glorifying His matchless Name.

I can remember being overwhelmed with grief, not from being condemned by God, but from a deep regret and sorrow I felt from within me, the likes of which I had never known. I found myself wishing I could just have a second chance to go back and work WITH GOD to use the gifts the way HE had planned for me to use them. I had used my talents for my own purposes, rather than God's; I had wasted too much time. I can now tell you, without a doubt, that when my time on earth is done and I stand before God I will have given everything I had within me and "DIED EMPTY!"

Before our college football games at Ferrum, we used to say to one another, "Leave it ALL on the field!" Now, with all of our strength, we encourage you to do the same, while you still have the game ahead of you! Overcome the intimidation, fear, and procrastination, and get on course to finish what God has so richly programmed you to fulfill from the foundation of the earth. Before it is too late, get the things that God has richly deposited in you, out, into the hands and hearts of others who need it. Don't take the books, the music, or anything else God has planned for only you to complete, to your grave! This lost and dying world needs you to "keep your head in the game!" This lost and dying world needs you to "leave it ALL on the field!"



For more about fulfilling God's Plan, more like this message and with more details, email us your request for your copy of TTM Magazine. When you do, mention our special offer to include in your mailed package a special copy of our book, "Letters From The Front" and twelve of our most requested teaching messages, in their entirety, contained inside our "Letters From The Front" book. We will be glad to send your copy along with your TTM Magazine request, and also a copy for your friend(s) and loved one(s), all for your donation of any amount that The Lord puts on your heart to give to support this work. We appreciate you and your joining us here on our Pressin'IN TowardTheMark blogspot.





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This blog post, along with each of our original podcasts, music and video recordings, books, magazines, and other resources in our ministry collection, is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Family of Sponsorship Partners. If you would like to become a part of the TTM Family, your monthly financial support of any amount will help toward fulfilling God's call on our lives to make Holy-Bible-based messages available to the churched and un-churched individuals alike. You are invited to partner with us in working with God to fulfill His desire for everybody to know Christ Jesus as He IS... The Way, The Truth, and The Life... personally. We will remain steadfast to "... 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 help toward providing effective, practical outreach tools for ministering the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ.

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Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
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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!



            Our sincerest hope is that you are encouraged as you take in this blog. We'd like to invite you to take advantage of even more messages of encouragement, for you and your friends and family members, specially available now in one of our most-requested Toward The Mark books entitled, "Letters From The Front." We want to personally invite you to get your personal copy today.

            Our book  LETTERS FROM THE FRONT is a special collection of 12 of our most-requested teaching titles:
Sin Makes Ya Stewpit
The Cart's Before The Horse;
The Crisis of Eroding Integrity
The Fruit's at the End of the Limb
Too Quick to Compromise
The Rarest of All Breeds
Please...Stop Stinkin'
3 Keys to God-Pleasing Faith
Let It Go!
Understanding the Fear of The Lord
Into The Secret Place
Give to Give!


This collection of twelve teachings, when taken to heart, will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations... click here to e-mail us your request.


Would you write and let us know how this message has fanned the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His Ways, and God's Plan for your life? If you would like to request a special order of "LETTERS From The FRONT" or another of Keith Shealy and Toward The Mark's resources, mention "COMPLIMENTARY COPY PLEASE" for an extra THANK YOU book copy that we will be happy to include with your order. Also, 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 are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who, without their friendship, financial support, and faithful prayers this work would not be possible!

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Thursday, January 25

WHAT is the ROOT of all EVIL?

"If we do not stay continuously focused on our pursuit of *becoming one with Our Father* through Jesus Christ, the very things that have poisoned secular society will pierce our own hearts, costing us the TRUE riches of Life!" -- Keith, Brenda, and TTM Team


The Apostle Paul wrote about the struggle against the temptation of material wealth, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:9-10)." Note that Paul did not write, "Money is evil" or, "Money is the root of all evil" as many wrongfully suppose. Rather, it is clearly written that...
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: (1 Timothy 6:9)."
The Apostle continues with this instruction, "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:11)." The attitude of the heart towards material gain is the source of evil, not the material wealth itself. According to Paul, the victory over the allure of riches begins, quite simply, when we *FLEE*. Of course, once we FLEE, there is more to it after that.
We are also told to, "... follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness... (Philippians 4:8)." Thus, when we are following after The Person of The Holy Spirit of Truth, we position ourselves to receive all Truth and also "... righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness... (Philippians 4:8)"! Herein is True Wealth to be found.
For True Wealth is The Character of The Lord Jesus Christ! "For godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6)." Thus, in order to live a fulfilled and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty, we must continually live in the sweet Presence of Jesus Christ, with His Word growing ever more fruitful in our heart.  It is only in that way that we can be transformed to be like Him.

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! (Selah)

      And, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN...  growin' *with* our Lord and Savior.

      Consider using Keith and Brenda'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: 





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. 

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!






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Saturday, October 11

INto The Secret Place...

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore."  Psalms 16:11


"Did you know that there is actually a place you can go where your inadequacies will totally melt away, where your sorrows are turned into joy, and that is the only place where you can find out what you were put on this earth to do?  This 'wonder-filled' place is the presence of God." - Keith
The following verse in Psalms gives us one of the most profound instructions in all of the Bible concerning the importance of pursuing and living in the presence of God. “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1)
In order to better understand what this means, let’s take a moment and break this scripture down. The first statement, “He that dwells in the secret place of the most high” means the one who makes his home, or lives in the presence of God. The second part, "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” means to live our lives in the place where God protects, heals, provides, teaches, frees, changes, and so much more. In God’s presence, and only IN God's presence, will we reap and enjoy the benefits that come with Him and being in relationship with Him.
It is crucial at this point to note that our entrance INto The Secret Place is a result of diligently seeking God with our whole heart, for the secret place is reserved for those who love Him and are thankful to Him for Who He is more than for what He does, or can do, for us. We must "abide" or "live IN" God!
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abides in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. (John 15:4-8)
The primary reason there are so many disillusioned people in our churches today is simply because they practice "periodic visitation" much more than they do "permanent residency." Everything God does is for the purpose of establishing ongoing relationships, having one-ness, with each one of us - a Father/son or Father/daughter relationship.
When we allow ourselves to become more focused on God's miracles or His deeds than on God Himself, we have allowed ourselves to be separated or severed from our source of life; and we will wither and die as Jesus teaches us. Paul, in his letter to the Romans addressed that very thing when he said, “They worshipped and served the creature more than The Creator.(Romans 1:25) This is in fact the birthplace of idol worship and dead religion. This is where style becomes preferred and sought after more than substance, where more attention and effort is placed on seeking signs and wonders, or on doing things a particular group’s way, than on pursuing God Himself.
Herein lies the root cause of the Church’s declining effectiveness in our communities! Paul, dealing with this same problem in Corinth said, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:16-18) We are to be separate from everything and everyone that would keep us from being separate unto God. Never forget, sin is anything that separates us from God! This includes miracles. God does not intend for miracles to distract us from Him.
Never before have so many kinds of distractions, including miracles, made it so difficult to stay focused on the Lord. Deceptive armies of anxious spirits are laying siege to the minds of anyone who succumbs to their temptations, and their major objective is our complete and total separation from our loving Father.
Whether through the media, those closest to us, substance abuse, trying to do too much too fast, the love of money, being bound by the chains of indebtedness, striving for material possessions, or just the hustle and bustle of everyday routines, the battles to steal, kill, and destroy our relationship with our God and King have never raged hotter. Jesus Himself said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.(John 10:10) Satan knows full well that his days are numbered and that anyone who presses their way INto The Secret Place will be one less notch that he can carve into his gun stock. Satan hates anything and anyone who brings pleasure to God, and will spare no expense in doing whatever it takes to separate us from Him. If we are going to develop and maintain the ability to live our lives in the presence of God, we are going to have to master the art of "staying focused on Him" as a lifestyle.
There is a little saying that goes, “Pursuit is the proof of desire.” Luke put it this way, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.(Luke 12:34)  In other words, what you truly want, you will pursue. My Dad used to say, “Keith, isn’t it amazing how people, no matter how poor or busy, seem to always find the money and/or the time they don't have to do what they really want to do.” It’s just a fact – without the “want to” we will never find our way INto The Secret Place. At any and all cost, we must stay focused on God. Paul addressed this when he said, “Pray without ceasing.(1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Contrary to popular belief, this is possible!
Always remember, there is nobody or nothing worth your relationship with God! Peter admonishes us “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.(1 Peter 4:7)  We must be clear-minded and self-controlled so that our communication with God is never interrupted! Failing to reach the secret place is only caused by allowing our focus on God to be broken. We must stay focused!
Have you ever given any thought to why the Scriptures would say, "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4a)?  As I was praying about that, the Holy Spirit whispered something to me that I hadn't thought of before.  What I saw was that, in order for the people to understand what Jesus would be saying concerning the Kingdom of God, Kingdom protocols, etc. there must first be a point in time when kingdoms were established in the earth.  So, when Jesus came preaching of the Kingdom of God, the people were able to understand what He was saying.  Before we can dwell with God, we must learn this most important Kingdom protocol by which God designed the Kingdom of Heaven to operate.  God’s Word is clear when He directs us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Any deviation from this crucial Kingdom protocol, will result in our stopping short of a close, loving relationship with God and, as Jesus prayed in the garden, oneness with our Heavenly Father – us in Him and Him in us.
Now, are you ready to make your pledge to enter "INto The Secret Place"?  Print the declaration below, sign it, and put a copy in your wallet or purse, on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and everywhere you look, to help keep you constantly reminded to stay focused on your Destination.


THANK YOU for downloading this weekly blog message today! We pray God will use it to bear tremendous blessing in your life!

You can find this message in its entirety, along with 11 others, in Keith's (printed or audio) book Letters From The Front available at TowardTheMark.com.



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