If you have been mad at God for a long time, ask yourself "why"? Whatever happened or did not happen, did God really cause it? God so loved this world that He sent His only begotten son, Jesus, to die on a cross, so that we might be reconciled to Him. Is this the kind of God who puts sickness on a child? Why would God do that? The Bible tells us in Matthew 7: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” How much more does our Heavenly Father know how to give than our earthly parents? When God gave us His son Jesus, there was nothing else comparable with that gift.
Wait you say, I have done t0o many things in the past. I have sinned greatly. How can I start fresh? If you are a child of God, then all things have become new and you are a new creation. If you are not a child of God, why not choose to be one? Do you want to continue living the life of sin that has left you broke, disgusted and down, or do you want to lead a life of greatness following the Way of Jesus? The choice between Heaven and Hell between life and death, between victory and defeat seems easy. Choose life.
The Bible describes Mary pondering the things she had been told in her heart. Mary, the mother of Jesus, would suffer as her son suffered. There was great rejoicing in Mary's life as well when Jesus arose from the grave and came and met with her and the disciples. Everything Mary pondered came true. We serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. Perhaps God has told you of wondrous things to come: ponder them in your heart. This Christmas have a Mary Christmas. Remember that God can use you to accomplish great things. Sometimes great things are acknowledging the person begging for money on the side of the road. Helping feeding the homeless is pretty amazing. Giving coats you no longer wear can be a great thing to a person with no coat facing a freezing night.
I believe if you are reading this, then God has lead you here. I believe you have greatness in you! I believe that your heavenly Father placed greatness inside of you. God will use you, if you allow Him. What a time we live in. Remember it was said of Esther that for such a time as this she was born. I say with great certainty you were born for such a time as this.
Prayer and fasting will produce incredible results in your life. It will produce incredible results for this nation, for your city, for your friends, and for your family. Fasting is a restriction of food for a spiritual purpose; however, there are many ways of restricting food and several books on the subject. God will lead you to the one that is appropriate for you. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from fasting, then I am sure God will show you an alternative if you seek Him.
Imagine that you are entering an air-conditioned restaurant after being outside on one of the hottest days of the summer, and the first thing you reach for is a glass of ice cold water. Do you feel that water satisfying your thirst? Water quenches our thirst better than any other liquid could. Now imagine you are in the desert without the wonderful substance known as water. You are feeling the intense heat of the sun with no shade to be seen. At some point you will not be able to continue without water. Why am I talking about water? It might be because my family wants me to start drinking more of it! Water is necessary in the natural realm, but the "living water" Jesus spoke about is necessary in the spiritual realm. When we are experiencing this thing called life, sometimes it feels too much for us and we become stressed, depressed, disgusted, and downcast.
What is the greatest fear of most people? Death. What if I told you that you no longer have to fear death? Does it sound to good to be true? What else do I have to sell you maybe some desert land and call it ocean front. I tell you truly that you do not have to fear death or anything else. Jesus through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Jesus delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The Bible tells us, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God". The Bible continues, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father"
Imagine you are alive in 1941 and Japan attacks your nation. Imagine the different emotions you must be feeling: anxiety, doubt and most certainly fear. At that time the war had been proceeding in Europe and America was watching. Many people did not want to join the war: they were called isolationists. After the attack on Pearl Harbor we were drawn into the battle. President Roosevelt gave a speech to the American public and told them that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. How true those words were and are today. We are blinded with a media assault of nothing but fear. We have certain church leaders whose central message is fear. Hollywood likes to join in as well as professors claiming destruction is at our doorstep.
Imagine for a moment you are a prosecutor and a woman has just been brought before the people who had been caught in the act of adultery breaking the Law of Moses. You may think to yourself, how can I lose this one to the public defender? The punishment for the crime of adultery is stoning. There are people and plenty of stones to throw. Then imagine the religious leaders want to test this radical named Jesus, and they ask Him what should be done with this woman. Jesus does not respond quickly as is His custom, but rather begins to write on the ground. Again the accusers want an answer. Jesus sees this woman with great compassion. Jesus knows the law and what it requires death by stoning. Jesus also makes a statement at another time that He did not come to destroy the law but rather to fulfill it.
Finish Strong Never Quit 
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