I'd like to spend this day with you

"Many times in Scripture we read that God would "be with" individuals: he walked with Enoch and Noah; he was with Abraham and Isaac; he was with Joseph in slavery and in prison. He formed a nation so he could have a people to be with: 'Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them' (see Exodus 29:45-46). The lonely soul is poor. The 'with-God' soul is rich. The reason God made you is because he wants to be with you. And we don't have to wait. It's as if each day God is saying, 'I'd like to spend this day with you.'"
~John Ortberg, When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box

YOU "Are Not a Burden To The World!"

YOU "Are Not a Burden To The World!"


You are not a Burden to the world. Whether YOU think so is purely up to YOU!

YOU are not obligated to embrace "what the World is throwing away!" YOU are not obligated to feel that in order to be embraced by the Universe "you must first prove that you don't cost much or that you're not valued much!"

You are not obligated to "decrease your value in order to be taken along for the ride!"

You must recognize your Divine Value to the Universe. God paid so much for YOU. Live "what He paid for!" BE what He paid for. Think "what HE paid for!"

God has designed for the Universe to show its appreciation of YOU by way of the awesome feelings of love, creative ideas, and thoughts of benevolence you have towards the expansion of others within YOU! The Energy of the Spirit will "allow Himself to" become one with your feelings, thus creating what we call PURPOSE! No, my friend. You are not a burden to the world and neither should you think so. Your Life is so necessary, so relevant, and so Powerful.

Now, how you "feel" about YOU "is totally up to YOU!" I cannot waste time telling YOU how to feel about something "that YOU are choosing to feel a certain way about!" How YOU feel "is your choice!" And how the Universe responds to YOU is "it's choice!"


Dr. Undrai Fizer

GREAT QUOTES on "SURRENDER"

GREAT QUOTES on "SURRENDER"

"The Cause of the weakness of your Christian life is that you want
to work it out partly, and then have God help you. That cannot be.
You must come to be utterly helpless, to let God work. He will
work gloriously." ~ Andrew Murray

"To DIE TO SELF, or to come from under its power, IS NOT AND
CAN NOT BE DONE by any active resistance we can make
against it OR by our own power of nature. The one true way of
dying to self is the way of patience, meekness, humility, surrender
and RESIGNATION to God." ~ Andrew Murray

"We Can not please God by what we do for Him in our own human
effort, we can only please Him by surrendering and letting Him work
in and through our lives." ~John Mulinde

“I will die for my God. I will die for my faith. It's the least I can do
for Christ dying for me.” ~ Cassie Bernall, Columbine High Martyr

"We must be careful not to choose, but to let God's Holy Spirit
manage our lives; not to smooth down and explain away, but to
stir up the gift and allow God's Spirit to disturb us and disturb us
and disturb us until we yield and yield and yield and the possibility
in God's mind for us becomes an established fact in our lives,
with the rivers in evidence meeting the need of a dying world."
~Smith Wigglesworth.

God is Not in Control

God is Not in Control By Robert Ricciardelli
Presuppositions are not absolute truth
The title may shock you, but let me explain. There are many believers that have fallen into a deterministic world-view. This view presupposes that all things regarding His people have already been determined, and that He is in control of all things. This presupposition directly opposes the reality of what the Word of God actually teaches us about the Father. If we say that God is in control of all people, then we are saying that God causes all the suffering and pain in the world. If we suggest, as John Calvin did, that “Nothing happens except what is knowingly and willingly decreed by Him,” then we are implying that God is the cause of all things, including war and disease.

The reality is that God is not controlling all of His creation, all the time. According to the bible, God has all authority, and in Matthew 28:18, He has given that same authority to Jesus, who has the power to “subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21). For now, Jesus reigns, but does not control all things, but there will be a day, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There is an “open” view that sees that both God and man have choices yet to be determined. If that were not the case, then prayer could not move a God who had already made up his mind in all matters. We can see in scripture how God changes His mind at times because of the intercession or behavior of His people.

Providential Personal Intervention
While we understand that God does not control everything, we must also understand that He still has a will, as well as all authority to do as He wills for His purposes. Father in His love and desire for mankind will intervene in anyone’s life and for any reason of His choosing. So although He does not control all things, He has the choice and authority to control or change anything He desires.

Although He does not control us, we can say that He is always in control of our lives regardless of what we go through for “all things work together for good to those that love God.” God is certainly in control of specific situations, especially in the lives of His beloved who have received Him as Lord of their lives. However as an all- inclusive statement, it is wrong to say, “God is in control.” We can say however, “God is always in charge, and can use His authority and power whenever He chooses.” We have wonderful examples throughout the bible of God interrupting the lives of His chosen people, and some real notables in the lives of Paul, Moses, and Job.

Providential World Intervention
God does not control the world, for if He did, He would not ever need to intervene. People continue to choose to live their own way without acknowledging God, and yet the sun continues to rise and fall for them every day. Nevertheless you cannot read much of the bible without taking notice that God does in fact interact and intervene with the world and in the affairs of humanity. He also is preparing the world for His Kingdom glory that Jesus will rule and reign over for all eternity. This is why He taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, and thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.”

We pray for God’s will to be done on earth because presently His will is not being fully accomplished. So we pray and lead obedient lives as instruments of His mandate for all the earth, and for all creation. Until the fullness of His Kingdom in Christ, most of the world will continue to remain out of control, while God uses us in His providential will to bring many to the revelation of Himself. But when Christ arrives in all of His glory, He will command all things into submission to His will, and all of creation will bow to His Majesty.

Opposing Views Being Sorted
Deterministic and openness Christ followers do agree that God does have a predetermined plan that He will execute and accomplish. However, they disagree on how detailed that plan is, and how forceful He chooses to execute it. The deterministic Christian believes that God controls everything down to the smallest of details, while the openness believer sees God inspiring, guiding, directing and even forcefully intervening at times.

Our Life Choices Matter
We must realize our freedoms within the parameters that God sets, and truly have an open world-view. God continues to watch over us, respond to us, and desiring to work with us.

Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.”

God told the people to repent until he decided what to do with them. This scripture along with many throughout the bible proves that Father God has not predetermined all things, but wants our involvement. The above scripture alone is in direct opposition of the deterministic and classical view of God.

We are not simply pawns in the hands of God; we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are not left for chance or some predetermined outcome. We have a free will, Christ has set us free to be free, and we have an opportunity to partner with the Living God.

Our prayers matter, for our God listens, and the prayers of the righteous through Christ brings forth 4th dimension heaven to a 3rd dimension earth. You are essential to Father’s plan, the church is essential, and the gates of hell will not prevail against us. Let’s work with the Father together, transform the world, and forge the future now. Arise saints of God, for this life and for this day, and let’s live, move, and have our being in Him.

"When I am Weak, Then I am Strong"

"When I am Weak, Then I am Strong"
by Robert Fitts

The apostle Paul had a problem! He came to a time in his walk with Jesus that God had to send him a problem and it was something he did not want, but something God knew he needed, but Paul pled with God in prayer that He would take it away.
The amazing thing about this problem is that it was something that could be called a gift and yet it was also called "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to "buffet" Paul.
He said, "For this cause (for the abundance of revelation that was given to him) there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure."
Then Paul said, "For this cause I sought the Lord three times that He would take away this thorn, but He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
When Paul heard that, he said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." By this we know that Paul's thorn was some kind of physical problem that could be called an "infirmity" which could be a sickness or some kind of physical weakness.
Now we know God's attitude toward sickness and disease is always to treat them as enemies and the works of the enemy. Jesus healed every disease and treated sickness and disease as enemies, but apparently in some cases, it is God himself who gives these thorns, or messengers of Satan to buffet for some good reason, at least for a period of time, but in every case his grace is sufficient for us to take us through to victory, for there is no indication that Paul lived the rest of his life with that thorn in his flesh.
As a believer, if you are suffering some kind of weakness or infirmity and you have reason to believe that it has been given to you by God for His purposes in your life, then you can glory in your infirmity as Paul did in his if you do have a word from God that it is for a specific purpose, such as Paul's thorn was. But if you do not have a word from God as Paul did that it was given by God to fulfill His purposes for you and for the Church of God, the Body of Christ, then rebuke the infirmity (weakness) and trust God to remove it. Amen? Amen!

--
Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com

HIS WILL IS NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT!

HIS WILL IS NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT!
a word from the Lord to those who are suffering



Being in the will of God does not make us immune to trouble. It often involves hardship and suffering, but the end result is always good. God said to Ananias right after Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus, "Get ready and go to Straight Street . . . and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he might see again. I have chosen him to serve me to make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake." (Acts 9:10-16) (TEV)



Paul later wrote to Timothy and said, "Those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Jesus himself promised that his will for would at times involve suffering when he said, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer! I have overcome the world. " (John 16:33)



Moses was in the will of God when he went to Egypt to set the Hebrews free from bondage but it got him into a lot of trouble with the leaders of Egypt as well as causing trouble for the children of Israel. The elders of Israel said to Moses, "We had it easier before you came onto the scene! At least the Egyptians provided us with straw for making bricks, but now we have to gather our own straw."



Moses was perplexed, "God, I've been obedient to do your will and yet you have not done your part. There is only confusion and hardship, and you have not delivered Israel at all."



Paul and Silas were in the very center of God's will when they followed the guidance they received from the Lord in the vision of the man of Macedonia who said, "Come over and help us." They went to Macedonia in obedience to God's direction and within a very short time they were beaten severely and thrown into prison. But they were not confused. They prayed and sang praises to God in the midst of the persecution because they knew that trouble did not necessarily mean they were out of the will of God. Nor does the fact that we are not in trouble necessarily mean we are in the will of God. Their confidence was well rewarded as we see in the outcome of their sufferings!



Jonah got into trouble because he ran from the will of God and wound up in the belly of a great fish before he finally realized that it is better to suffer doing God's will than it is to suffer in rebellion against His will.



Paul said, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."



Peter said, "Let him who suffers according to the will of God commit himself to God as to a faithful creator." Am I willing to suffer to stay in the will of God? God’s will often leads us by the way of suffering as we have seen in the instances quoted above. But the suffering that is inherent in obeying God will always lead to so much greater good that it is well worth the pain! The sufferings of Christ at his crucifixion is the ultimate example of that truth!



To refuse the suffering involved in fulfilling the will of God in our lives often leads to greater suffering. I am not including suffering caused by sickness and disease. I do not believe God’s will is that we suffer sickness and disease, but that, in such cases, we are to come to Him in full assurance of faith and confidence that it is his will to heal us. Jesus expressed God’s attitude toward sickness and disease when, in every case, with no exceptions, everyone who came to him for healing received their healing!



Jesus suffered a horrible scourging to bring healing to us. If I am suffering some form of sickness or disease, I am told clearly what I should do in the apostle James’ letter to the early church: “Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5:14-16) But the fact that there is often suffering connected with doing God’s will is evident in Paul’s list of things which he suffered:



“. . . in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I was adrift in the ocean; In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in sleeplessness, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness. Beside all these things, that which comes upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)



In spite of all these scriptures that speak of the possibilities of suffering, we are confident that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed to us, around us, in us and through us! And that glory is not just the glory that we will witness when we get to heaven. It will be revealed here on this field of battle at this present time! When you think of comparing the sufferings with the glory, meditate on that phrase. The suffering and the glory are not worthy to be compared!



So, if you are in the midst of a time of suffering right now, repeat it over and over until you believe it in the depths of your being, the greater the suffering, the greater, far greater is the glory that shall be revealed to you, in you, through you, and around you!












--
Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com

FRUSTRATED?

Can you relate to these words of a frustrated Christian? "The Bible was the dullest, most uninteresting book in existence. And the sense of depravity, the vileness and bad-motivatedness of my nature was terrific."

Sounds pretty grim, doesn't it? Those words were penned by Oswald Chambers during a time of deep soul searching that lasted over four years. He was struck with his own unworthiness and his own inadequacy to live the Christian life. It wasn't until he understood the words of Luke 11:13 that he experienced hope. Jesus said; "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Oswald Chambers finally came to the end of himself and believed that God the Holy Spirit could empower him to be what He needed him to be.

Do you feel inadequate for what God has called you to do, like Oswald Chambers? Begin to read what God has promised in the Bible and take Him at His Word. That means studying His Word daily and becoming intimate with what He has spoken to you. God can use you to do great things for Him if you'll trust Him and take His promises by faith.

Frank Coleman