News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

--Perseverance

'To cling to God and to the things of God--this must be our major effort, this must be the road that the heart follows.'

---John Cassian

~~~
'Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.'

---Louis Pasteur

Moving Forward Into the New Year
Devotional thought from the messages of Adrian Rogers

BIBLE MEDITATION:
Hosea 6:3 - "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." -

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

On this New Year's Eve, you may be wondering what is going to happen. Years ago, some men were on a leaky old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. One of them asked the captain, "Are we safe?" He said, "Well, the boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is taking on water. To be very honest with you, we may go up, or we may go down, but at any rate, we are going on."

And that's the way we are as we face this new year. Jesus may come; we may go up. We may die, and go down and then up, but at any rate we are going on.
--
ACTION POINT:
Reflecting on this past year, allow the Holy Spirit to invade your heart convicting and drawing you to Himself. Ask for wisdom, courage, and faith to continue on whatever happens this next year!

_____________________________

Pressing Toward the Prize in This New Year

Devotional thought from the messages of Adrian Rogers
--
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Philippians 3:14 - "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you want to win the prize that Paul talks about? He didn't want to fail. He strained with every inch, every ounce, every nerve, and every part of his body to win the prize. He had ambition. But it was more than just ambition, it was a holy ambition.

He said, "I want that prize and I'm going to have it. I'm going to be like an athlete who denies his own body worldly pleasures. I'm going to train like an athlete. I'm going to stay in shape for the Lord Jesus. I'm going to do all that is necessary that I may win."

ACTION POINT:
Friend, the Bible clearly teaches that we ought to be ambitious, but for the right reason. And that reason is for Jesus. In this new year, may God deliver us from pint-sized ambitions and small-time aspirations.

--Don't Give Up ~

'By perseverance the snails reached the ark.'

--Charles Hadden Spurgeon

'One does not sow and reap in the same day.'

--John Claypool

-Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly. But the bumblebee doesn't know it. So it keeps flying.~~

--Mary Kay Ash

-Where Is God in Hard Times?

"The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." - Proverbs 16:1 ~~
-----
Throughout the history of our faith, the question has often been asked, "Where is God when tragedy strikes?" And as often as that question has been asked, there's been no shortage of answers put forth by Christians and non-Christians alike. But even deeper than that question is the concern by some that God is aloof when hard times hit.

I just love what Corrie ten Boom, the great Christian who served the Lord during World War II and was a prisoner in a concentration camp, was once quoted as saying. She said, "There is no panic in heaven; only plans!" What a perspective from a woman who knew what suffering and tragedy was all about!

Has it ever sunk in that nothing takes God by surprise? When tragedy strikes our lives and takes the wind out of us, God remains steady. When sickness and death seem like they're winning and we're tempted to panic, God doesn't flinch. You see, while we're often taken by surprise, nothing takes God by surprise.

No matter how great the power of Satan appears to be in this world...no matter how it may appear that evil is winning, God's power is mightier than the power of our enemy. God is in control. This is our Father's world!

~~God is always in control. Trust in Him when times get tough because He's never taken by surprise, even when you are!~~

--Power Point/ Jack Graham

--When Your Life Caves In

“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” - Mark 13:26

When we come to a place where we don’t understand what’s happening…when everything seems to be caving in, there is Jesus. We always have the forgiveness of the Cross, the victory of the empty tomb, and the hope of Christ’s imminent return.

When we go to the doctor and he tells us we have a malignancy. When we hear that we as a couple are infertile and cannot bear a child. When we have to declare bankruptcy. When we are laid off work. When we read a note that our spouse has left. When a loved one dies because of a terrorist act.

We have a Savior…and we have a choice to believe or not to believe! At that time we can begin to murmur, criticize, grumble, or despair. Or we can yield to the Savior and hear Him say, “My child, no matter what is happening, this is how much I love you. Look to the Cross. Look to the empty tomb. Look for Me. I’m coming again.”= He's Coming Again --Peter Antonio
<http://youtu.be/UkL97h6C6rs>
--Adrian Rogers~~