Tentang Aku dan TUHAN

Zakeus - Pemikiran Mencari dan Menyelamatkan

2010-11-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

Sejak kecil mungkin kita sudah pernah dengar kisah tentang Zakeus yang berlari dan memanjat pohon demi melihat Yesus. Dia seorang pemungut cukai atau pajak yang di masa itu sangat dibenci masyarakat karena dianggap pengkhianat terhadap negeri dan kaumnya.
Walaupun Yesus dikelilingi banyak orang, tapi Dia tahu usaha Zakeus untuk melihatNya. Itulah yang membuat Yesus meminta Zakeus turun dan membawa Yesus ke rumahnya agar bisa menginap dan selama mengajar di lingkungan itu.
Mungkin bagi sebagian besar masyarakat di lingkungan itu tindakan Yesus aneh dan nggak masuk akal. Karena di masa itu pemungut cukai atau pajak ditolak dan diasingkan oleh masyarakat karena sering bertindak curang dan cenderung serakah.
Tetapi Yesus tahu betul apa yang dilakukanNya. Yesus mengatakan kepada orang-orang yang berbisik-bisik bahwa tugas Yesus sebagai juruselamat adalah mencari dan menyelamatkan yang terhilang.
Orang-orang yang dianggap baik merasa terpukul, tetapi kata Yesus alasanNya datang ke dunia adalah untuk mencari dan menyelamatkan yang terhilang.
Mungkin kalau tiba-tiba Yesus ada di kota-kota kita di hari Minggu, besar kemungkinan Yesus hanya sebentar di gereja. Sebagian besar waktunya bercengkerama dengan orang-orang yang dianggap nggak dikenal oleh warga jemaat karena tersisihkan oleh sistem kemasyarakatan. Contohnya para gelandangan dan pengemis, anak-anak jalanan, ibu-ibu yang jadi orang tua tunggal sejak muda tanpa tahu siapa bapak dari anak-anaknya, para pengangguran dan para manula yang nggak punya pensiunan, pokoknya semua orang yang sepertinya nggak ada harapan lagi.
Yesus datang ke dunia bukan untuk orang-orang yang sudah kenal dan dikenal Allah. Tapi datang untuk orang-orang yang dikenal Allah karena belas kasihanNya tapi nggak mengenal Allah. Yesus juga datang bukan untuk orang-orang secara jasmani sehat dan kebutuhan pokoknya terpenuhi, tapi untuk orang-orang yang nggak berdaya secara jasmani karena kebutuhan pokoknya nggak terpenuhi.

Overflow of a God Filled Heart

2009-06-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew Murray, a truly great man of prayer, once said that before he prayed, he often said, "Lord, melt my cold heart. Break my hard heart and prepare it for Your touch."

Oh that we would be willing to approach the Father in that way. And when we come with such a heart, the Holy Spirit will meet us as our Helper and prayer Partner, enabling us to approach the throne of grace and touch the heart of God. For He promises as we draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to us : "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8).

You will know when He is present as your heart begins to break and the coldness begins to melt. Suddenly your empty words become life giving.

God wants fellowship with you. He doesn't just want words and formulas. He longs to answer that prayer that comes from your heart. You see, prayer is your heart listening to and talking to the Lord.

Listening to the Lord is the key to power in prayer : "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools... Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God ; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth : therefore let thy words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).

Be ready to hear the Holy Spirit's voice as you enter into God's presence. Real prayer is not filled with meaningless phrases but is the result of a heart filled with the abundance of God's presence.

Therefore, prayer is the overflow of a heart filled with God.

Taken & Adopted from Benny Hinn

Listening with Your Heart

2009-05-05T04:37:00.001-07:00

Just before Jesus returned to heaven, He told His apostles not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for “the Promise of the Father” that He had spoken to them about (Acts 1:4). He said, “For John truly baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:5).

The Lord’s instructions were somewhat difficult for the apostles to understand. They knew well the fellowship of Jesus and how to enjoy a relationship with Him, but had no concept of what it meant to be baptized with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit takes you beyond hearing with your ears and helps you listen with your heart.

“God is speaking, but we must ask ourselves ... are we listening ?”He gives you the understanding that comes from listening with your heart (spiritual hearing), in addition to the knowledge that comes from listening with your ears (physical hearing).

I like what A.W. Tozer said in his book The Pursuit of God: “God is speaking. Not God spoke, but God is speaking. He is by nature continuously articulate. He fills the world with His speaking Voice.”

God is speaking, but we must ask ourselves…are we listening ?

Breaking the Bonds

2009-03-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

If you truly desire to see a loved one saved, take their place before God.

Do you know what it means to stand in someone else's shoes ? You must identify with their transgressions, their problems, their misery. Only then will you be able to realize what a horrible pit your loved ones are in.

You may say, "Wait just a minute. I once walked in all of those bondages. But now I am free, and I won't go back !"

You don't have to return to sin, but if your son or daughter is bound to the world, you must take that bondage and break it in the name of the Lord.

Jesus took your sin upon Himself and destroyed it. And today He is asking you to take their position in prayer. Jesus took your sin upon Himself and destroyed it. And today He is asking you to take their position in prayer. Step into their place and take authority over their present state. Cast out the spirit of the world that is in your loved ones.

Don't worry about sinking under the heavy burden because God has promised special protection for you. The Word declares, "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears ; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border" (Jeremiah 31:16-17, NKJV).

As you intercede, your family members will come back from enemy territory. You are breaking the strongholds of the world, Satan's will, the lust of the flesh, the mind, and the wrath they are under.

"Lord, I stand in for them," you say. "Father, in the name of Jesus, because of the blood, I am asking you to loose them from the will of Satan !"

I will never, ever forget praying for my mother. I wept and sobbed for her. Some nights I would physically sweat for hours, agonizing over her soul.

"Lord, how do I rescue her from this bondage ?" I cried.

"You don't rescue," He answered, "You pray and I will rescue."

A short while later, Jesus appeared to my mother and said, "I am your Savior." She was being drawn to Christ. When you step into the place of those you love, you will see the chains of darkness break.

Your Responsibility

A woman said, "I don't know what's wrong with my son. He hasn't been to church for the last year." That's the time to take action and break all of the five chains we have discussed. Don't allow Satan to wrap one of them around his neck again.

Father, you are responsible for your daughter's salvation. Son, you are responsible for your mother's salvation and her total deliverance from Satan. They can't help the position they are in. They are bound and you are free. Will you rescue them from the chains of hell ? Will you help to give them liberty ?

Remember this : Because you have power over Satan, you also have power over the will of your unsaved loved one. Because you have power over Satan, you also have power over the will of your unsaved loved one.

You can break the will of the devil because "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

You are not being asked to rescue the entire world, but just to claim redemption for those you love. If every Christian would bring his or her family members to Jesus, most of those living on earth today would be saved. Think of it !

taken & adopted from benny hinn

The Great Earthworm Race

2009-03-10T04:20:00.001-07:00

There's nothing more pathetic than a lost earthworm. Trust me. I know. My daughter Annie and I were walking down the long dirt road from our house to the street to pick up the paper Saturday morning when we spotted it.

The unlucky earthworm had crawled from the lush green grass at the edge onto the sandy surface of the road. You could trace his progress in the sand. He seemed headed across the road when he swerved. Maybe it was the slight rise and fall of the surface that threw him off, I don't know. But all at once he began to crawl in irregular circles. When we found him, the poor thing was thin and dry, covered with tiny grains of sand, in utter despair. Round and round he wriggled as the sun rose higher hastening the hour when his arch enemy--car tires--would find him naked and exposed. Swish, grind, and that would be all.

"Let's rescue him," I said to Annie. She gently lifted his grainy form from the road and deposited it gingerly in the safety of the tall grass at the side. What a way to begin a day. It makes you feel good deep inside to rescue a worm.

But there were others. Scores of others. Worm after hapless worm had made his way from the safety of the grass to the trackless desert of the road. Occasionally we'd find a fat, juicy worm just beginning his brave journey, blissfully unaware of the dangers ahead. Little did he know....

But we were there for them. I would look for the tell-tale circling track in the sand. "There's another," I would shout, and Annie would rush to the rescue site to lift yet another victim to safety. What would explain this great worm exodus ? As we worked together as a finely-tuned mercy team, a theory began to unfold. There must have been some worm of a disk jockey on a late night station who had offered a prize for the worm who made it to the other side. That must be it !

But who would receive the prize ? We began to look for that one worm winner who possessed that stamina, courage, and unerring sense of direction required for this daring expedition. Did this one make it, I would wonder as I traced his trail in the sand. No, here he starts to curve around. Invariably, one after another, the worms would lapse into circles, aimlessly crawling, going nowhere--rapidly at first, then slower and slower as their precious resources drained away.

We were almost back to the house when we found him, the worm who had bet against the odds and won. We traced his trail from one side of the road to the other. But no, he was within inches of the grass on the far side when he veered and began heading the wrong direction, back to where he came from, the 'Wrong Way Carrigan' of the worm world.

I tell you no lie. It actually happened, though I can't vouch for the disk jockey part. But enough of grainy, bedraggled worms.

As Annie and I joked and rescued our way back to the house I thought of people I know. Where are we on our journey ? Where are we going, anyway ? Do we have a life goal, a destination, or are we just wandering ?

A verse came to mind as I acted as chief worm-spotter: "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8). If only those worms had air support--someone with perspective to radio down their position--they could make it.

And I thought of how desperately we need a Guide to show us the way across, a Rescuer who will pick us up, hopeless and lost though we may be, and gently deposit us on the other side. 'Rescuer', you know means about the same as 'Savior'. Jesus is that Rescuer. He knows the way.

Are you tired of going round in circles, fighting fatigue and the fear of being squashed flat ? Lift your weary head one more time and utter a faint worm-prayer. And then watch for your Rescuer. Look up ! Look up !

taken & adopted from christian articles

The Holy Spirit Lifeline

2009-03-07T23:20:00.000-08:00

Jesus Christ is a child of the Spirit. And just as earthly parents love their little baby, so the Holy Ghost loved the Lord. Have you ever seen a proud father hold a newborn in his arms, squeeze it tight, and love it ? I think we forget that the Holy Spirit has emotions too. He loves what He has created ; that's why He wants to place His arms around you.

Can you see God the Father in heaven saying to the Spirit, "Take my Son and make Him flesh" ? It was the miracle of miracles. The Holy Spirit took that seed and placed it within Mary's body. But not only was He the Father of the Lord, He was also the one who anointed Him.

Picture, if you will, God the Father sitting on His throne in heaven and Jesus on earth healing the sick and performing miracles. And what about the Holy Ghost ? He's the channel, the contact between both personalities. Now the Father picks up the phone (as if He needed one) and says, "Holy Spirit ?"

Jesus was dependent on the Spirit ; He was Christ’s lifeline to the Father."Yes, Sir," says the Spirit as He picks up the receiver.

God says, "I want you to lead Jesus into the wilderness because I'm going to send the devil to test Him."

The Spirit says, "Yes, Sir," and rushes to Christ. "Jesus, come along with Me," He says.

Do you see how the Holy Spirit is the contact between both personalities ?

Or picture this. Jesus is walking past a man who is very sick. Again, the Father picks up the phone and says, "Holy Spirit ? Stop Jesus ! Tell Him to halt right where He is."

The Spirit says, "Okay. Jesus, stop."

He speaks into the phone and says, "Father, what should He do ?"

"Tell Him to heal that man," says the voice of God.

Jesus immediately lays His hands on the man, the power of the Spirit flowing through Him, and the man is miraculously raised up.

Here is what is vital for you to remember - and when you comprehend this it will lift the veil from your eyes regarding the role of the Holy Ghost : On earth Jesus was nothing less than a total man. He did not have 'revelation knowledge' without the voice of the Spirit. And He could not move unless the Holy Spirit moved Him.

Have you ever wondered why, when Jesus passed by, some did not get healed ? Why didn't He pray for them ? Why didn't He reach out and touch them ? It is because the Father did not ask the Holy Ghost to request that Jesus do it. Christ said, "That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do" (John 14:31). Jesus was dependent on the Spirit ; He was Christ's lifeline to the Father.

taken & adopted from benny hinn.org

Lifting Hands in Worship

2009-02-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

To classic Pentecostals lifting the hands in praise and prayer is second nature, flowing from a tradition decades old. But to the new convert or non-Pentecostal just entering the Charismatic movement, the custom may be new and awkward. Most traditional Protestants have only seen the minister lift his hands to give the benediction or blessing upon the people. Questions follow: Why lift hands to worship and pray ? What does this practice mean ? As we explore the twenty-eight verses in the Bible on this subject we will find answers to these questions.

Lifting hands to the Lord in the Bible expresses two distinct ideas : supplication and blessing.

Lifting Hands in Supplication

A gesture common to many cultures is stretching forth the hands to implore another person to help, to give something, or to come. An example is found in Isaiah 65:1-2: "I said , 'Here am I, here am I,' to a nation that did not call on my name. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people" (Proverbs 1:24 ; Job 30:24 ; Jeremiah 4:31 ; Lamentations 1:17).

In a similar way, hands are extended for prayer in the direction of God's dwelling. Dedicating the temple, Solomon "stood before the altar of the Lord ... and spread forth his hands toward heaven ...." (1 Kings 8:22 ; cf. vs. 54 ; 1 Chronicles 6:12, 13). He also asks God to honor prayers made toward the temple: "... Whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by any man or by all thy people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house ... hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and act ..." (1 Kings 8:38- 39 ; cf. 2 Chronicles 6:29-30). David calls out, "Hear the voice of my supplication as I cry to thee for help, as I lift up my hands toward thy most holy sanctuary" (Psalm 28:2 ; cf. also 134:2). Most often, however, hands are lifted up to God in heaven.

Hands express the inner man. Desperate for some response from God, David says, "I stretch out my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee like a parched land" (Psalm 143:6 ; cf. vs. 8). Hands mirror the soul stretched out to touch God, "... for to thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (vs. 8 ; cf. 25:1 ; 86:4).

Lifted hands must not mask sin. Worship offered to God while still practicing iniquity is an abomination (cf. Ps 40:6-8 ; 50:7-23 ; 51:16-19 ; Is 1:11-18). Defiled lives must be cleansed by repentance : "When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean ...." (Isaiah 1:15-16; cf. 59:1-3). Rather we are to lift up "holy hands without anger or quarreling" (1 Timothy 2:8). The prophet Jeremiah admonishes the Israelites mourning the destruction of Jerusalem, "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord ! Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens" (Lamentations 3:40-41, KJV).

The lifting of the hands so characterizes prayer in the Bible that it becomes a metonymy, a symbol for supplication without the need to identify it as prayer. For example, Jeremiah urges, "Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children ..." (Lamentations 2:19 ; Psalm 44:20 ; and perhaps Lamentations 1:17). To lift the hand to God means invoking His help.

Lifting Hands in Blessing

Yet hands are not only lifted in supplication. They are also lifted to offer a blessing to God.

The custom of the laying on of hands underlies the use of hands in blessing. The laying on of hands was understood to confer or impart something. One's sins, for instance, were transferred to the sacrifice through laying on of hands (Leviticus 1:4 ; 16:21-22). More often, however, the hands conveyed a gift or blessing. Ordination bestowed authority, consecration, or special gifts (Numbers 27:18-23 ; Deuteronomy 34:9 ; Acts 6:6 ; 13:3 ; 14:23 ; 1 Timothy 4:14 ; 1:18 ; 2 Timothy 1:6). The Holy Spirit Himself was sometimes conveyed by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17-18 ; 19:6). Jesus commonly imparted the blessing of healing through His hands (Matthew 8:1-3, 14-15 ; 9:20, 25, 29 ; Luke 4:40 ; etc). Jacob pronounced a blessing on Ephraim and Manasseh by laying on his hands (Genesis 48:14-15) and so Jesus blessed the little children (Mark 10:16). To bless an individual, the person laid his hands on him. To bless a group, hands were lifted and extended over them, as in the priestly blessing (Leviticus 9:22) and Jesus' blessing of the disciples at His ascension (Luke 24:50).

Lifting of hands in praise to God derives from this understanding of imparting a blessing. David lovingly calls to his faithful God: "So I will bless thee as long as I live ; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name" (Psalm 63:4). Temple worshipers are exhorted, "Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord ! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord !" (Psalm 134:1-2). David sees such heart worship as the kernel of more formal worship: "Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice !" (Psalm 141:2). Lifting the hands to honor and bless God expresses love for Him (Job 11:13 ; Psalm 68:31) and His commandments (119:48). When the covenant is renewed in Jerusalem after the Exile, the whole congregation participates: "Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God and all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' lifting up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground" (Nehemiah 8:6). Even nature blesses the Lord: "... The deep gave forth its voice, it lifted its hands on high" (Habakkuk 3:10).

In a series of complex passages we see the concept of hands uplifted in prayer merged with lifting hands to impart. In Egypt, Moses stretches out his hands to God to end the plague of thunder and hail (Exodus 9:29, 33). In the wilderness battle with Amalek, as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands the Israelites were victorious, but when Moses' hands grew weary the Amalekites gained the advantage (Exodus 17:11-12). Yet in each of these passages "the rod of God" seems to be in Moses' hand (9:22-23 ; 17:9). While prayer seems to be indicated, we also see hands imparting God's deliverance. Moses' hand becomes the hand of God to bless and set free His people much the same way Jesus' hand loosed those Satan had bound (Luke 13:10-16).

Lifting Hands Then and Now

From the Old Testament scriptures it is obvious that believers commonly prayed and praised while lifting their hands. The First Letter to Timothy assumes the practice among males in Christian assemblies as late as 60 A.D.: "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling" (2:8). A Christian sarcophagus carving depicts person with hands lifted in prayer, attesting that the practice was characteristic of Christian prayer in the Third Century A.D. Yet it is strange to find no references to lay lifting of hands in prayer in Rabbinic writings. Jewish writers explain the cessation of this prayer form in the synagogue as a reaction against the prevalence of the custom among Christians. The practice of lifting the hands survives today in Western Christian and Jewish traditions primarily in the priestly or pastoral blessing of the people.

Pentecostals, however, have revived the ancient practice of lifting the hands in worship because they have sought to emulate the Biblical models. In contrast, childhood instruction to fold little hands in prayer (probably to keep them out of mischief) finds no antecedent in Scripture.

Our hands are reflective of our being. Many of us, like the proverbial Italians, cannot talk without our hands. As people begin to yield their hands in expression to God, there often is a corresponding release in their worship.

Our own culture suggests meaningful gestures which communicate these various expressions. Palms lifted up might express openness, invitation, surrender. Reaching out signifies entreaty, supplication, and dependence. Hands extended palms out may symbolize extending a blessing to God much as a minister's benediction with hands stretched over the congregation imparts a blessing to them.

We must never allow lifting our hands to become an empty form; they are to express the inner being to God. As we use our hands to bless God may there be a fresh release of expression from our hearts in prayer, worship, and love to God. "Thus will I bless thee while I live : I will lift up my hands in thy name" (Psalm 63:4, KJV).

How to Spend an Hour in Prayer

2009-02-05T03:01:00.001-08:00

"An hour ? How could I pray for an hour ? I'd run out of things to say !"

Praying for an hour is like sitting down in a restaurant with a friend, rather than ordering a cheeseburger and chocolate shake at the drive-up window. Somehow, as you sip coffee together, you find a lot of things to say. And, it's a whole lot more satisfying than a wave and a "Hi-how-are-you ?"

But if talking to God for that long seems intimidating, it's probably because we're still learning just to share ourselves with Him as we would with a friend.

But if talking to God for that long seems intimidating, it's probably because we're still learning just to share ourselves with Him as we would with a friend.

The following suggestions are designed to help you take courage to try spending an hour with the Lord. After the hour, probably after the first 15 minutes, you won't need this outline. You'll find there's plenty to talk about without prompting.

Start by bringing along some things to discuss with Him : your Bible, a hymnal, a world map or globe, perhaps a church directory and yours or your church's current prayer list. Then find a place where the two of you won't be disturbed.

Preparation

1 min. Beginning Prayer. Ask God to help you spend this time profitably with Him. Ask His guidance. Give yourself to Him for this hour.

4 Min. Confession. Spend a couple of minutes going over with Him recent sins which weigh on you. But don't dredge up old ones. Read 1 John 1:9. Ask His cleansing, then accept it by faith and thank Him for it. He is far more willing to forgive than you are to ask.

Praise And Thanksgiving

9 Min. Adoration. Sing to the Lord using a hymnal or some choruses you know. Come on, lift up your voice in praise ; there are just the two of you. Now start to thank Him for His goodness to you and your friends. There is a special sense in which God "inhabits" (KJV) and is "enthroned upon" (NIV) the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). As your heart begins to adore Him, you'll sense His presence more deeply.

Petition

9 Min. Pray About Life's Difficulties. Use this time to talk over with the Lord your own personal struggles. Discuss with Him your relationship with your special loved one or spouse, your family, your hang-ups, your financial needs, your studies or job. But don't stop here. Be sure you go on to praying for the needs of others.

Intercession

9 Min. Pray For Friends, Relatives, Neighbors, Fellow Workers. Don't just read a list of names to God, but talk to Him about their lives and needs. You can boldly ask Him for their salvation because Jesus died for them. Ask God to bring Christians into their lives, to alter circumstances, and to give you opportunities for witness and sharing in depth.

12 Min.Pray For Your Church and its needs. Call on Him for a deep renewal of love for God. Pray for your pastor and church leaders. Intercede for the Sunday school children and the youth, the families, the singles and the widows, the sick and shut-ins. Call on God for an increase in giving so the church doesn't have to struggle so much. Pray for the Christian organizations working with the college students, the children, the homeless in your community, with servicemen and on college campuses. Then intercede for those you know in special need.

8 Min. Pray For Our Nation, that God will guide our president and legislators, our justices and judges, our governors and mayors, our police and firemen. Pray for righteousness in government and a public policy sensitive to the needs of the oppressed here and abroad.

8 Min. Pray For Other Nations, for the work of Christ throughout the world. Intercede for unreached peoples, call on God to send laborers into His harvest. Pray for missionaries, for third-world pastors and churches, for the people of God who are suffering persecution. Pray for peace. Ask God to give food, shelter and hope to the hungry.

Total = 60 min.

Sixty minutes already ? I've just got started !

A Few Suggestions

Here are some ideas that'll help you pray more freely. First, be yourself. Why wouldest thou pray like Brother So-and-So? Talk to God like you'd talk to your best friend.

Get comfortable. The stiffer you feel, the more formal your relationship will be. Sitting is fine. If kneeling helps, do it. You might want to take an hour's walk as you talk with your Friend.

Next, try praying out loud, though not loud enough to disturb others. Being able to hear yourself pray really helps. You'll find that your mind doesn't wander as easily and that you can pray more fervently.

But don't feel you have to do all the talking. Discuss something with the Lord, then be silent for a time. Sometimes God uses these times of listening to implant His answers in our minds. Gradually you'll find that prayer can be a conversation.

Finally, don't worry about keeping to the times suggested here. It's only to get you started, to help you believe you actually can spend sixty minutes in prayer. You'll find God will guide you in your prayer time. Its not a program, it's a growing relationship.

Now, go for it. Before you put this down, set a time when you will spend an hour with Him. You can't learn to pray from reading any more than you can learn to swim from a textbook. It's time to get into the water.

Adopted and Modified from Joyfull Heart

Consuming Fire

2009-01-04T02:43:00.000-08:00

a song by tim hughes

there must be more than this
o breathe of God come breathe within
there must be more than this
spirit of God we wait for You

fill us anew we pray
fill us anew we pray

consuming fire fan into flame
a passion for Your name
spirit of God fall in this place
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way with us

come like a rushing wind
clothe us with power from on high
now set the captives free
leave us abandoned to Your praise

Lord let Your glory fall
Lord let Your glory fall

stir it up in our hearts, Lord
a passion for Your name

The Spirit of Truth

2009-01-02T23:27:00.001-08:00

The Holy Spirit has a specific assignment from God to communicate and impart what is true and valid.

The Lord Jesus described Him as "the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him ; but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:17).

Not only does He teach truth, He is truth.

Holy Spirit will teach us the truth about the Bible. The Lord Jesus declared, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13 ; see also 1 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Holy Spirit will teach us the truth about ourselves. David was so refreshingly honest when he asked the Lord, "Who can understand his errors ? Cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12).

No one can fully discern his or her own errors, but as we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow His prompting, areas in our lives that are invisible to us will be refined and sublimated by the Holy Spirit.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Adopted and Modified from Benny Hinn

Does Your Church Run a Spiritual Sweatshop ?

2009-01-02T01:06:00.001-08:00

If you were an employer, would you run a sweatshop ? You know -- the kind of place where you get workers on the cheap, pay them as little as you can, and force them to work long hours overtime without any compensation at all, just to keep their job ? Of course not !

As an employer for part of my life, I've felt the weight of this responsibility. Employees must be paid fairly, justly, and on-time. God is watching. When I read, "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven." I know that it speaks not just to slave owners, but also to Christian employers.

God himself says, "I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages." But I have the feeling that when we get to heaven, many of us will have to answer for God for doing that very thing. Read following this carefully.

Whom are church members responsible for employing ? Ministers, pastors, priests, and the like. Firmly established in the New Testament is the principle of paying these people for their service in the work of the Lord. The Apostle Paul instructed, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,' and 'The worker deserves his wages.'" Jesus told his disciples not to be ashamed to earn their living from the gospel, "for the worker deserves his wages."

Priests and Pastors

Ever since the time of Moses, God has appointed a special class of workers, workers who were to take responsibility on behalf of the entire people of Israel to make sure that worship of God is carried on continually, appropriately, effectively.

You probably remember pictures from Bible story books of the high priest, dressed in special clothing, standing in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, making atonement for the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement. Along with the high priest were many 'regular' priests who tended holy things and helped the people who came to worship. They taught God's way to the people and helped them find forgiveness for their sins. They didn't choose this ministry for themselves, but God called them to it.

And God not only appointed these workers, he set up a way for these priests and Levites to make a living. Whenever someone brought a sacrifice to the Lord, the priest who assisted in the offering was to receive a designated portion so his family would have enough to eat. When people brought their first-fruits offerings to the tabernacle (and later, the temple), the priests received a portion so their families would have food in their homes. You can imagine how a priest's wife rejoiced when her husband brought something special for the family. And God, too, rejoiced that these men dedicated to Him would be able to feed their families.

But it wasn't always harvest time, or a festival when many people came to the sanctuary to bring a special sacrifice. There were some lean times for priests and their families. However, God provided for those times, too.

Tithing to Support the Ministry

From the very earliest days, God instituted a tithe (which means ten per cent of one's income) to support the priests and other specially-called temple and tabernacle workers. Each Israelite was asked -- no, commanded -- to give ten per cent of his income (usually in kind, as grain or animals, but in cash if that was more appropriate) to the priests to support their families. "I give to the Levites," God said, "all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting." What God didn't give the Levites -- which he gave all the other Israelites -- was their own land to work. The Levites' inheritance was the tithe rather than land.

This tithe was considered sacred, even before it was given. If an Israelite kept part of this tenth for himself and his own family instead of giving it to God and for God's service, it was considered robbery of God himself. Withholding the tithe was nothing less than theft from the Most High, a grievous crime of greed and sinful selfishness.

So the people brought a tenth of the wheat or barley crop they had grown that year, to be stored in special storerooms in the temple so the priests and their families would have enough food during the winter months. If the Israelite was a shepherd rather than a farmer, he would bring animals which would be given to the priests' families to provide wool and milk and meat. If he were a shopkeeper, he would probably give his tithe in cash, since that was the way he received it. God commanded the people, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."

Without food to feed their families, the priests, no matter how dedicated they were, couldn't serve the Lord with their time. Instead, their best time would be consumed with making a living, and the work of God would be neglected.

Spiritual Decline and Revival

This actually happened, more times that we would care to think. In the reign of King Hezekiah, for example, worship had fallen into neglect all over the land. People worshipped false gods. The temple building was in disrepair, roofs leaking, doors sagging on their hinges, plaster crumbling. Just a few priests in the whole nation were able to serve because the people had stopped tithing. Those who had been called to serve God full-time had been forced to do something else so their families wouldn't go hungry.

But Hezekiah had a heart for God, and he wouldn't accept things as they had been for generations. He started restoring things to the way God wanted them. The scripture says that "he ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord."

And amazingly, the people who had been stingy towards God began to tithe. The scripture records, "As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the first fruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced." All summer long as harvest continued, they kept bringing in a tenth of their crops to the storage rooms in the temple until the head priest reported to the king, "Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people." The result was a tremendous revival in the whole nation. People started turning back to the Lord, and this era in Israel's history has been remembered as one of the nation's high points.

But it happened again. In Nehemiah's day, the people neglected giving to God's work, and worship had once more fallen to low ebb in Israel.

"I learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service [of worship] had gone back to their own fields," Nehemiah wrote. "So I rebuked the officials and asked, 'Why is the house of God neglected ?'"

As a result of Nehemiah's blunt question, people began to give again. People who perhaps had never given God a full ten per cent of their income began to tithe. "All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms," the scripture reports.18 And as a result, the whole spiritual climate of the nation was transformed. God says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."

You can see the pattern. When people tithe, there are enough resources so that called ministers can give their time to serve as leaders in worship and faith, and the whole nation prospers as a result. When people, even people claiming to love God, make excuses for themselves and don't bring their tithes into the house of the Lord, they invite a curse on themselves and their land, and stand under God's judgment for theft. Too strong ? Not a bit. Read Malachi 3:6-10 to see exactly those words.

Tithing in Our Churches Today

Things haven't changed a great deal to our day. In Christian congregations all over our land, people who pride themselves on their faith in Jesus Christ bring a $20 bill every Sunday and place it in the offering plate each week and feel good about it. But let's look at it closely. Let's say the family receives $25,000 per year in gross income, or $35,000, or $45,000. What would a weekly tithe -- 10% of those salaries or wages -- amount to? Get your calculator and figure it out. If you divide $25,000 by 52 weeks you get an income of $480 per week. A tithe on $480 is $48 per week. The weekly tithe for a family making $35,000 is $67.31; for $45,000 it is $86.54 per week.

Let me ask you plainly: Do you tithe ?

I hope I haven't made you angry. People get angry when you talk about giving their money to the work of the Lord. Really angry !

How dare you ! What do you mean I'm robbing God ? I can't afford any more ! Don't you know I have bills to pay ? Don't you know that the interest on our mortgage and credit cards and car payment is eating up any money we have left ? Don't you know that this tithing stuff is an Old Testament law! We're in an age of grace, not of law. Don't be legalistic ! Show me one place in the New Testament which says I ought to tithe !

Law and Grace

Well, for starters, about the only thing Jesus commended the Pharisees for was that they tithed. In many areas they were petty, self-serving, self-righteous, and Jesus is scathing in his rebuke. But they did give ten per cent of their income -- and ten per cent of each of the herbs in their gardens -- to God's work, and Jesus commended them for it. He said they should continue to do that, but without neglecting mercy and love.

Although in a sense all Christians are a "priesthood of believers,"21 spiritual leaders such as pastors (spiritual shepherds) are clearly the spiritual descendents of the Old Testament priests. "Don't you know," says the Apostle Paul, "that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."

So just as the tithe was practiced in the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian church to give offerings for the poor and to support their leaders: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income...." And what is an amount keeping with one's income ? Do we need a new revelation ? Throughout the Bible, the standard of giving "in keeping with one's income" is ten per cent.

But we believe in grace not law, people say. Yes, and to give less under grace than under law is a dis-grace! It hurts God, since it directly disobeys his instructions. It hurts the church, since it hinders her work. And it hurts pastors and their families, since it places squarely on their shoulders the financial burdens which should have been borne by the whole congregation.

Yes, I know. I'm a pastor, and have been for twenty-five years. At times I've been on the receiving end of wonderful generosity from some of God's choice servants. And I've also come to understand all too well the scriptures which sadly report: "The Levites and singers responsible for the service [of worship] had gone back to their own fields." Many, many pastors and their spouses have had to get outside jobs in order to stay in the ministry and still put food on the table, buy clothes for their sons and daughters, and make repairs on the family car. I know many pastors who have to work two jobs in order to make ends meet, but are serving God anyway, even though there isn't enough food in the 'storehouse' to meet their needs.

And I know people in their congregations who attend church every Sunday but don't tithe. Oh, yes, they give something. But they don't tithe. Whereas their monthly contribution might be $100 or $200, their true tithe -- ten per cent of their income -- would be double or triple that. (However, many earnest Christians, when they begin to understand about tithing, are able to bring up their giving level to a full tithe in two or three years through sacrifice and determined obedience.)

Church Leaders and Their Giving

Some of the same people who give only a fraction of what God commands -- "spiritual skinflints," to be plainspoken about it -- serve as board and committee and trustee members, and say to your pastor, "We're sorry, but we just can't afford to pay what you need this year." Those people speak for you -- after all, you in all likelihood voted them into office -- and have a lot to do with deciding whether or not your church is paying your pastor enough to live on. So on your behalf, some of your church leaders (and I hope I'm not speaking of you yourself) may be oppressing the workers by withholding from them their rightful wages. And since you elected them -- and perhaps even voted to approve the budget -- you become a party to their sin.

Does tithing affect the ministry of the modern-day priests and Levites ? Yes, it does. Does lack of tithing cripple God's work today in the same way it did in Old Testament days ? Be assured that it does. Do stinginess and cheapness and excuses still thrive among church people and church leaders. Sadly, yes.

But as it was in Hezekiah's day, it can be also in our day. Revival can begin when God's people take heed to His word and begin to tithe. Ministry can flourish in our communities when believers begin to pay their pastors enough so they can do the work of God fully.

What Can You Do ?

What can you do ? First, examine your own giving pattern, and determine prayerfully to bring your giving up to meet or exceed the ten per cent tithing standard clearly taught in the Bible. Second, hold your church leaders accountable to offer your pastor a generous living wage so the pastoral family can live in a way you will be proud to be part of. You might print out this article and give it to your leaders. Don't expect your pastor to beg for enough to live on. Become an advocate for your pastor. Third, ask your church leaders to formally consider whether they need to re-evaluate the way giving is taught and pastors are paid in your congregation.

I know you and your church want to be part of the revival God desires to bring. Meeting the conditions for revival often requires soul-searching and repentance, and determining to remove the curses which we have placed upon ourselves and our churches by robbing God and depriving His workers of their rightful wages.

There's an old song, "Not the preacher, not the deacon, but it's me, O Lord, standin' in the need of prayer." Yes, revival must start with us. And when it begins in our hearts, then it has a chance of spreading to others in our churches. And from our churches to our communities, and finally to our nation and to our world.

Funny, how a little thing like oppressing workers and withholding their wages can have such disastrous spiritual effects on us as well as our churches. Maybe, by ending the practice of running a spiritual sweatshop, your church could be on its way to revival and renewal. It's happened before in the history of God's people, and it starts with a person just like you.

Our Teacher and Guide

2009-01-02T00:52:00.001-08:00

God's servants have discovered that one of the greatest benefits of walking with the Holy Spirit is that they don't have to make decisions alone.

They have a Teacher, a Guide and a Counselor to help them every step of the way.

He is more than an advisor. He is deeply interested in everything that concerns us, and He wants to be a partner in settling every issue in our life.

When the church at Jerusalem sent a letter to the Gentile believers at Antioch, they wrote something of profound importance. They said, "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us" (Acts 15:28).

They didn't make decisions on their own. These wise people knew to let the Holy Spirit help them.

The Spirit of God is a wonderful Companion, but He wants to become more than that to us. He knows the end from the beginning in everything we face.

Allow Him to participate in our decision-making. We could not find a better Helper !

People aren't Really 'Lost' ... Are They ?

2008-12-28T03:07:00.001-08:00

Friends gathered for the funeral of a 21-year-old who died in a motorcycle accident. They didn't seem to connect with Jesus' words that I spoke that day. They did connect, however, with the release of helium balloons that a family member had arranged after the service was over. That spoke to them. They weren't Christian believers, so far as I could sense. Nor, from all reports, was the deceased a follower of Christ. He died without knowing Christ. He was lost -- or was he ?

An Embarrassing, Outmoded Concept ?

"Lost" is an embarrassing concept that should be thrown on the scrap heap of bad doctrine along with "hell." Instead, Christianity should stress love.

At least that's what our culture tells us. The prevailing world-view in many regions of America holds several truths to be self-evident:
1. A loving God couldn't assign people to hell. Hell is a contradiction of Christianity's basic theme of love.
2. Therefore, there can be no hell in God's world.
3. Consequently our deceased loved ones must be in a heaven of some kind.
4. It follows that no one can be lost. Everyone will make it to heaven, except maybe really bad people like Hitler.

This point of view is called universalism. It's popular, even with many who call themselves Christians. But how do we know whether universalism is or is not a Christian view ?

What Did Jesus Teach ?

Christians go back to the teachings of Jesus himself as the absolute authority for what constitutes true Christianity. After all, he founded it. So let's focus on this single topic and inquire:
. Did Jesus teach that people can be lost ?
. If so, what does "lostness" consist of ?
. And how can people be "found" or "rescued," whichever is the appropriate concept ?

Locating the Word "Lost" in the Gospels

In examining the Gospels which record Jesus' teaching, the English word "lost" appears in 16 passages that comprise eight separate teaching settings. (For the purpose of careful analysis I'm displaying the key Greek verbs. Greek, of course, is the language in which the New Testament was originally written.)
1. Salt that has lost (mōrainō) its savor (in Matthew 5:13 and Luke 14:34; Mark 9:50, "become unsalty").
2. Lost (apollumi) sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6; 15:24).
3. Son of man has come to save that which was lost (apollumi, Luke 19:10 -- and Matthew 18:11 in some manuscripts).
4. Parable of the Lost (apollumi) Sheep which the shepherd searched for (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7).
5. Parable of the Lost (apollumi) Coin which a woman scoured her house to find (Luke 15:8-10).
6. Parable of the Lost (apollumi) Son, often referred to as the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:24, 32).
7. Gathering up fragments of bread so that none be lost (apollumi, John 6:12).
8. None of the disciples is lost (apollumi), but only Judas, referred to as the son of "perdition" (a related word, apōleia, John 17:12; 18:9).

I think we can agree that in #1 and #7 above, Jesus isn't talking about lost people, but the other six passages he most certainly does.

The Key Word: apollumi, "Lost"

To understand Jesus teaching about lostness, we must understand the Greek verb apollumi, "destroy." It bears three basic definitions in the New Testament -- and is used in additional passages besides the ones listed above:
1. To cause or experience destruction. In the Active Voice apollumi means "to ruin, destroy, kill, put to death." In the Middle Voice it means "to perish, be ruined." This encompasses dying by storm at sea, by the sword, killed by snakes, and especially of eternal death (John 10:28; 17:12; Romans 2:12). It is used most famously in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish (apollumi), but have eternal life."
2. To fail to obtain what one expects or anticipates, "lose out on, lose," as in lose one's reward.
3. To lose something that one already has or be separated from a normal connection, "lose, be lost," as in to lose one's life.

So how does Jesus use this word in the "lost" passages ? In the context of these parables he makes it pretty clear.

Lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6; 15:24)

The phrase "lost sheep of the house of Israel" is explained in the context of the conversion and repentance of Zacchaeus, the Jewish tax collector, who was despised for his excessive taxation. Jesus says about Zacchaeus:

"Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:9-10)

By "lost sheep of the house of Israel" then, Jesus is referring to Jewish sinners, that is, Jews who haven't yet repented of their sins. These people who believe in the Jewish faith, but who have strayed away, who are no longer following their faith, and who are in danger.

This understanding is reinforced by the Parable of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son represents repentant Jewish sinners who return to the Father's family, while the older son represent righteous Jews who don't need to repent. The purpose of this parable is to explain why Jesus took time to welcome, minister to, and eat with "tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 15:1-2). On an earlier occasion, Jesus had explained:

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32)

Parable of Lost Sheep in Matthew (Matthew 18:10-14)

In some manuscripts, at least, Jesus repeats this saying in the immediate context of the Parable of the Lost Sheep (18:10-14): "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11, KJV, Textus Receptus). This lost sheep "went astray" (planeō, "wander"). It goes off by itself in the steep ravines and gullies and becomes separated from the flock and the protecting shepherd. This "lost sheep" will be eaten by wild animals if left to itself. So the shepherd scours the hills until he finds it. In Matthew the "punch line" for the parable is this: "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost" (NIV, NRSV) or "perish" (KJV, apollumi, Matthew 18:14). This is the equivalent of saying, "God does not will" the perishing of any of them.3 The phrase "these little ones" here seems to refer to either children or disciples who are being lured by sin and temptation (Matthew 18:6, 10, 14). Jesus' teaching here sounds a great deal Peter's teaching decades later: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish (apollumi), but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

The point of this parable is finding and thus protecting sheep that otherwise would die from the elements or be ravaged by enemies. "Finding sheep" is obviously the act of rescuing or saving them.

Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin in Luke

Doubtless Jesus told his parables time and time again, sometimes stressing one point, sometimes another. As we have observed, in Luke's Gospel Jesus uses apollumi in the sense of lost/found in three related parables: The Lost Sheep (15:3-7), the Lost Coin (15:8-10), and the Lost Son (15:11-32). In each case something is lost, searched for, found, and rejoiced over. In two of the three parables, Jesus explains what the rejoicing in the parable stands for:
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (Luke 15:7, also verse 10)

In other words, the lost sheep and lost coin refer to a sinner who needs repentance, while the found sheep and found coin refer to a sinner who repents.

Not one (disciple) has been lost

Jesus uses the term "lost" twice in John's Gospel to state:
"While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled." (John 17:12; referring back to 18:9; 6:39)

Jesus, of course, is referring to Judas who betrayed him. It is pretty obvious that Jesus is talking about preserving a person for eternal life, which is the opposite of being lost in eternal death -- one "doomed to destruction" or in the KJV "the son of perdition."

Summary of Jesus' Teaching on the "Lost"

To summarize:
1. Jesus' use of "Lost." On a number of occasions Jesus used the word "lost" to refer to unrepentant sinners who weren't seeking to please God. He used the word "found" in parables to refer to sinners who had repented and turned back to God. When you look at the scripture texts, this is crystal clear.
2. Apollumi can mean "be lost" and, even more commonly, "perish, be killed." This Greek word is often used of missing out on eternal life -- both in the Old Testament Greek Bible (the Septuagint; Psalms 9:5-6; 37:20; 68:2; 73:27; 83:17; Isaiah 41:11) as well as in the New Testament (John 3:16; 10:28; 17:12; Romans 2:12; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 8:11; 15:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:10). New Testament scholar Albrecht Oepke concludes, "In view is not just physical destruction but a hopeless destiny of eternal death."

I conclude that "lost" refers to unrepentant persons who will miss out on eternal life unless they are "found," that is, rescued or saved and brought to a place of repentance and forgiveness.

Application

Jesus' teaching on lostness is unambiguous. Now it is a question of whether we want to believe it or not.

Do we follow our ungodly culture that has a strong motivation not to believe in hell and eternal lostness ? Or do we believe Jesus, the Son of the God, who reveals to us true nature of spiritual realities ?

If I have been accurate in explaining how the word "lost" is used by Jesus -- and I invite you to check me out to be sure that I have done this carefully -- then we followers of Jesus, we believers in Jesus' teaching, must embrace Jesus' concern for the lost -- those who are doomed to miss out on eternal life unless they are "found" or "rescued."

For too long many of us Christians have been embarrassed by the word "lost." For too long we have banished it not only from our vocabularies, but have dropped rescuing "lost" people from our church priorities. We have succumbed to group-think and in the process have gotten badly off target.

Let us recover Jesus' true heart towards the lost. To do this, first we must be willing to accept Jesus' own teaching that people are actually "lost" eternally without his salvation. Second, we must adopt Jesus' own passion to "seek and to save the lost." Only then can we be classed as "followers" in this crucial part of Jesus' mission. Only then will be truly loving to those who are lost.

Adopted and modified from joyfulheart.com

From Chaos to Peace in the New Year

2008-12-27T04:59:00.000-08:00

On his final journey to Rome, Paul was a prisoner on a ship with 276 passengers. After two weeks of storm-tossed seas, the apostle was the only person who knew the meaning of peace. As day was about to dawn, "Paul besought them all the take mean, saying, ‘This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing'" (Acts 27:33).

He not only urged them to eat for survival, but reassured them, "there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you" (Acts 27:34). In times of testing, only the peace from above can calm the storm.

Won't you allow Him to touch the chaos in your life with His deep and abiding peace today ? As you allow God to minister to you, His touch will overflow to your family, and your new year will be tremendously blessed.

Adopted and modified from bennyhinn.org