Powered By Blogger
Showing posts with label source. Show all posts
Showing posts with label source. Show all posts

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!






Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2018 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply | (757)251-2440 TowardTheMark.com | Keith@TowardTheMark.com

Wednesday, April 2

Working WITH GOD--Fulfilling HIS Dream

~ Guidelines for Working WITH GOD ...
                           and Fulfilling HIS Dream~

            We are living in a time where satan is working through self-serving church-goers to condition the general population to avoid, at all costs, anything that resembles the church of Jesus Christ. This is where we come in!

          The only correct way to serve both God and His people is to approach *the work of the ministry* in the same way as Christ Jesus... with an all-consuming love for everyone, no matter who they are, what they can do for you, or what they have done in life - good or bad! We must walk in His same kind of selfless love for others, meaning we are dead to our own selfish wants and desires!
         
          Because the general mindset in the church today is that the pastor and his staff should do all of the work of the ministry, the equivalent of "a welfare state" has been created. This demonic revelation that has been forged in the minds of many Christians – that the giving of their tithes and offerings somehow releases them from service – has greatly diminished the Church’s effectiveness where spreading the love of Jesus Christ is concerned. Don’t buy it!!      

          Imagine if the gardeners in the Church did not connect their garden hoses to the Water Source. The result would be barren fruitlessness. God said, "For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and carved them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
           
          If you know folks who have made a bold stand against the things of God, wrap the things of God in love and give it to them with a smile. I have found over the years that the phone company, the USPS, and the world-wide web provide three of the most effective means by which we can daily spread the love of Jesus to people.
         
          It is time that we all throw off any preconceived misconception of what ministry should be, gird ourselves with the towel of loving service, and be counted among the ranks of the “Selfless Servants!”
         
          “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

~ Email us and let us know if this has blessed you. Also, follow our "Between TheLines" podcast every Monday, and Wisdom-packed Wednesdays at "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" Facebook page, & place a ministry donation for your TTM Resources today.  We look forward to learning more Scripture-based truths with you, and being encouraged with you, as we conquer the devil and his ploys, and live a whole, fulfilled, truly happy life in Christ Jesus. ~