Teens Who Abstain

Teens who abstain from sex share some characteristics, according to government-supported research at the Heritage Foundation. The National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health identified eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement:

• Future orientation, with a focus on long-term goals
• Willingness to postpone current pleasures for larger future rewards
• Perseverance, as in the ability to stick to a task or commitment
• A belief that current behavior can positively affect the future
• Impulse control, including ability to control emotions and desires
• Resistance to peer influence
• Respect for parental and social values
• Sense of self-worth and personal dignity

Abstinence also is associated with better physical and mental health across socioeconomic groups, according to a summary of the study in U.S. News & World Report. And those youth who make abstinence decisions are far more likely to attend and graduate from college than those who are sexually active. [citizenlink.org]

You Can Live Sin Free

The only real freedom is in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ve been born again, the old man inside you, the one that had been held captive by the devil and made a slave to sin, has died. The power of sin over you has been broken forever!

“[Your] old man is crucified with [Christ],” Romans 6:6 says, “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth [you] should not serve sin” (KJV). And not only are you free from sin, but if you’ll walk in the righteousness Jesus has given you, you’ll rule over it.

In the kingdom of God, righteousness is the scepter (see Heb. 1:8). It’s what gives you authority. It is imputed to you the moment you’re born again, and it makes you victorious over the world, the flesh, the devil and every enemy that comes against you.

That’s why the devil will do anything to get you to lay righteousness down. He’ll do anything to convince you that you’re still under the bondage of sin.

He’ll tell you that it’s just not normal for a human being to live above sin. “Oh, everybody sins,” he’ll whisper. “After all, you’re only human.”

No, you’re not! You’re a reborn child of almighty God. You have God Himself inside you. Even though it’s normal for natural men to sin, it’s not normal for you.

I’ll tell you why the devil tries so hard to convince you that you’re still subject to sin. It’s the only way he can keep you under his control.

He’s not afraid of people (even believers) who are living in sin. But he shudders when a man or woman starts living day by day in obedient union with the Lord. When that kind of person speaks to the devil, he runs (see James 4:7).

Freedom from sin is the whole basis of the great salvation God has given us. “Salvation” is a very big word. It includes much more than going to heaven and missing hell. What it actually means is “health, wholeness, deliverance, well-being, safety and soundness.”

But without freedom from sin, we wouldn’t have any of those things. Sickness, poverty, death—all the curses of sin—would still be in force. It’s only because God has broken the power of sin over us that we can walk free.

If you’re shaking your head thinking: I don’t feel very free. It seems as if the devil still has his hooks in me and I don’t know how to get loose, listen to me. You are loose.

The Word says: “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:8-11, NKJV).

When this Scripture comes alive in you, you can lay down any sin and never go back to it again. Let the truth of it sink into your heart. Sin has lost its grip on you. It can’t come back unless you decide to let it come back.

Look at what Ephesians 2:5 says about you: “Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him]” (The Amplified Bible).

You’ve already experienced the greatest resurrection of all. You experienced it the day you were born again. That’s when you passed from death to life. That’s when sin and death lost their hold over you—the day the old man died and the new man came to life.

So if you’ve been living beneath your privileges, it’s time to pick up your scepter of righteousness and shake it in the devil’s face. It’s time to kick sin out of your life and start living free.

by Gloria Copeland

Hater

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall.

They are very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever good enough!

When you make your mark, you will always attract some haters…

That’s why you have to be careful with whom you share your blessings and your dreams, because some folk can’t handle seeing you blessed…

It’s dangerous to be like somebody else… If God wanted you to be like somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they have…

The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don’t know my story…

If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!

We’ve all got some haters among us!

Some people envy you because you can:
a) Have a relationship with God
b) Light up a room when you walk in
c) Start your own business
d) Tell a man / woman to hit the curb (if he / she isn’t about the right thing)
e) Raise your children without both parents being in the home

Haters can’t stand to see you happy.
Haters will never want to see you succeed.

Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be on our side.

How do you handle your undercover haters?

You can handle these haters by:

1. Knowing who you are & who your true friends are *(VERY IMPORTANT!!)

2. Having a purpose to your life: Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and still be unfulfilled.

A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be. Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you.

3. By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and not human manipulation.

Fulfill your dreams! You only have one life to live…when its your time to leave this earth, you ‘want’ to be able to say, ‘I’ve lived my life and fulfilled ‘my’ dreams,… Now I’m ready to go HOME!

When God gives you favor, you can tell your haters, ‘Don’t look at me…Look at Who is in charge of me…’

Pass this to all of your family & friends who you know are not hating on you including the person who sent it to you.

If you don’t get it back, maybe you called somebody out!

Don’t worry about it, it’s not your problem, it’s theirs..Just pray for them, that their life can be as fulfilled as yours! Watch out for Haters…BUT most of all don’t become a HATER!

‘A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.’

Maya Angelou

JOY SUCKERS — DEALING WITH THE TOUGH ONES!

Dealing with the “tough stuff” can often cause you to wonder if the God who calls you really understands the challenges you are facing … and then, of course you remember, He is God and knows.

If you have been in ministry very long, you will soon run head-on into the “joy suckers.” I talk about the “joy suckers” challenge in many of my speaking assignments because, I believe, if you don’t learn how to endure and survive the “joy suckers,” you stand a good chance of becoming a calloused pastor or a recluse. Neither one are good characteristics for a shepherd.

A “joy sucker” is someone who is determined to create either discouragement or hardship on your ministry. “Joy suckers” take on all shapes and sizes, but, most often, they are negative in their outlook, disappointed with their family, in need of attention or enamored with their own power. Somewhere along the way, they have been allowed to get away with unacceptable behavior. Because they are not happy people, they are determined that others should not be happy either. So, they are critical, fault-finding and contentious. Close your eyes for a minute, and you will see every “joy sucker” you have ever served. Painful, isn’t it?

If you have seven or eight “joy suckers” in a small- to medium-size congregation, it can cause the fellowship to become dysfunctional as well. So, how do you deal with the “tough stuff” that can make the strongest pastor flinch?

a) You attempt to understand what is the cause of the negative spirit — why do they act the way they do?
b) You consider their family situation.
c) You gauge their level of spirituality.
d) You monitor their influence in your church (Is there a big family connection?).
e) Have you done all you can to talk through the concern with that person?
f) Do you pray for them?
g) Do they have a history of this kind of behavior?
h) What will it cost you to “confront” them?
i) Does leadership understand your challenge?
j) Is the contention severe enough that it renders your ministry ineffective?

Wow! Every church has “joy suckers,” and we all must develop our own method of dealing with them. If you let them run free, your church will never be all that God had intended.

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).

Be blessed and be a blessing. —HB London

The Church is…

- The church is the center for community mobilization and transformation.
- It is the heart beat of the “village”; the breath of truth
- The church is the standard bearer of morals and values for a civil society
- It is the center for true fellowship and love; compassion and help
- The church is teaching place for family unity, growth, and learning
- The church is the place where children are nurtured and cared for
- It is the plain for the sacred and the spiritual in ones life
- The church is the launching pad for civil rights, justice, and freedom
- The hospital for the sick, hurting, oppressed, possessed, and stressed
- The sanctuary of hope for a loss and dying world

DEBT-FREE CONFESSION

We, the Body of Christ, declare we have been carved out for an end-time expression of El Shaddai, the God of abundance and no lack. We are taught how to live independent of this world system and how to have dominion over it, therefore, in Jesus’ Name, we declare we are debt-free! The spirit of debt is destroyed over our lives and over this local church because of the anointing. We are the lender and not the borrower, the head and not the tail. We are blessed coming in and blessed going out. The Father daily loads us with benefits and causes His blessings to overtake us. Wealth and riches are in our house and we increase more and more. God has given us power to get wealth to establish His Kingdom here in the earth and millions are now hearing the gospel and receiving Jesus as Lord. We are plenteous in goods, for God has given us richly all things to enjoy. The blessing of the Lord has made us rich, adding no sorrow with it. We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ and Abraham’s blessings belong to us. We are Holy Millionaires and we walk in God’s wisdom, exercising sound judgment and stewardship over this wealth. We sow bountifully, therefore, we reap bountifully. We give and it is given unto us good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. We have the wealth of the wicked and we owe no man anything, but love! The devourer is rebuked for our sakes and he cannot destroy the fruits of our ground. All these promises are ours by faith and faith works by love, so we constantly walk in the light, in love, in the Word, and the wicked one touches us not. Our hearts are fixed, trusting in the Lord. We hold fast to our confession of faith. We are “THE DEBT-FREE REDEEMED OF THE LORD” and we say so, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.
A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.
A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail…
Dad, you’re everything a dad should be and some.
By Susan Ceylise

How to See God More Clearly

God wants it to be simple for us to recognize Him at work in the world. But too often, we complicate our faith, obscuring our view of God.

If you want to see God more clearly, you can gain a better perspective by developing these simple yet profound qualities in your life:

Humility: Getting rid of pride and arrogance in your life and inviting God to humble you will wake you up to the reality of God’s work all around you. Take ownership of your inadequacies, weaknesses, and needs. Acknowledge how much you depend on God’s unconditional love for you, and express your gratitude for it. Get to know people who have endured humiliation – the poor, the sick, the disabled, etc. – and learn from their vulnerability. Serve them, and let them help you see what intimacy with God looks like as He meets their needs through you. Stop trying to limit or control God’s work; accept that God will be God on His terms, not yours. Allow yourself to be made uncomfortable by God’s work in your life, so you can be transformed by it. Remember that humility is the door through which you must enter to be welcomed into God’s presence. Rather than trying to keep God at a safe distance, tell God that you want to surrender to Him completely so that you can come to truly know Him. Don’t waste your time or energy on trying to impress God. Instead, know that it’s enough simply to be yourself before God, and that God sees your humility as a beautiful response to His invitation to intimacy. Remember Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross often, and let His great gift of salvation humble you. Understand that you’re worthy of God’s love only because He has made you so – not because of anything you’ve done – and He will treasure you forever, no matter what.

Community: Independence can blind you to the reality that you need God and other people. Participating in a community helps you discover who you truly are – both the best and the worst of you. It exposes your sin and gives you a place for confession, acceptance, and grace. Realize that you’ll get out of community what you put into it. So fully participate in community with others. Keep in mind that the sense of community in God’s kingdom is different from the messages the word presents about community. Reject the world’s lies: “I am what I have,” “I am what other people say about me,” and “I am what I do.” Instead, embrace the reality that you’re valuable because God has ascribed great worth to you, regardless of what you have, what others say about you, and what you do. Let the truth of God’s unconditional love validate you and free you to enter into healthy relationships with other people whom God loves. Instead of trying to avoid relationships because they can get messy, open your heart to the experiences God wants you to have in community with others. Ask God to help you recognize Him when you encounter people in great need, and to motivate and empower you to reach out to them as He intends. Give generously to others as God lead you to share your time, talents, and money. Rather than just giving from your leftovers, try to give the best of what you have. Instead of just giving handouts, try to empower poor people. As you give, be sure to build genuine relationships with the people you’re seeking to help. Befriend the poor, and learn from them, allowing them to give you wisdom as you give them the resources they need. As you help others, you’ll receive help yourself.

Simplicity: Living in excess tells you lies about what you want and need. But embracing a simple lifestyle helps you see past all that can clutter your life so you can discover God’s grace. Ask God to show you the specific ways your current lifestyle has complicated the faith He intends to be simple. Eliminate everything in your life that’s distracting you from focusing on what God considers most important. Build your priorities around those core values to experience the freedom God wants for you. Don’t make simplicity an end in itself, or it will only lead to legalism. Instead, simplify your life so that you can better pursue what God wants you to pursue – including giving generously to others. Don’t hold back any of your resources (time, energy, money, talents, etc.) from God. Make everything available to use as God calls you to use it to join His work on earth. Loosen your grasp on your hopes and dreams, trusting God to lead you into a better future than you can imagine on your own.

Submission: Whatever control and power you think you have is just an illusion. Recognize that God is ultimately in control of everything, and He alone gives you the power to do whatever you need to do. Resist the urge to assert yourself as God by trying to control your life. Instead, trust God with every part of your life, remembering His great love and kindness. Know that God truly wants the best for you. Let your gratitude for God’s love and your love for Him – not just a sense of obligation – motivate you to submit to His will for your life. Remember that God’s kingdom is a treasure that requires you to submit your life to His control in order to fully experience that treasure. Don’t make the mistake of viewing the resources God has given you as being just for yourself alone. That will perpetuate an unjust balance between you and other people. Instead, realize that God wants you to use your resources for His kingdom work. As you evaluate all God has given you, seek to be fully submitted to His will so you can respond in the very best ways to His calling for you.

Brokenness: Defiance and resistance to God leads to serious spiritual blindness. But when you allow yourself to be broken by the weight of your sin, you can see how much you truly need Jesus. Then, when you come to Him, Jesus will fill the broken pieces of your life with Himself. Recognize your ultimate need for God and leave everything else behind to have your needs met in God. Stop picking through the many kinds of trash that can poison your soul: consumerism, a sense of entitlement, bitterness, gossip, lying, sexual impurity, etc. Instead, recognize all of that as the garbage it is, and pray for the strength to eliminate it from your life so you’ll be free to start living the abundant life God wants for you. As God breaks sinful and destructive things in you, He redeems and restores you. God uses your brokenness to transform you personally, bringing you the healing you need. Then, He calls you into action to serve others, empowering you to transform the broken parts of the fallen world with His love flowing through you. So brokenness, with God, leads to wholeness.

by: Whitney Hopler

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Stress Awareness Month

The Health Resource Network, a non-profit health education organization, has designated April as Stress Awareness Month for the 16th consecutive year. Health care professionals, health promotion experts and caregivers across the country will join forces to raise public awareness about the cause and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

For this reason Community Chaplains of America, which provides care for individuals during difficult and stressful situations, have offered 10 simple suggestions on how to provide care and essentially reduce stress, according to christianpost.com.

• Provide a listening ear. Often, those who are going through stressful times simply need someone to talk to. Make an extra phone call or meet a friend for coffee and offer the opportunity for them to talk.
• Send an encouraging note. Words are powerful. In the age of emails and text messages, handwritten notes show that you took time and effort to show you care.
• Say “thank you.” Offer your gratitude for people. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work or a waiter for serving you dinner. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.
• Laugh with someone. A good hearty laugh can relax you both and mentally lighten your load. Tell a joke or rent a funny movie with a friend.
• Perform a random act of kindness. Surprise someone with the unexpected. It can be as simple as paying for a friend’s coffee or offering to watch the kids so a mom or dad can have that extra time to relax.
• Help someone organize. When the places and things around us are in order, we feel a little more put together. Take time to help a friend clean out a closet or scrub the bathtub.
• Take a walk. Exercise releases endorphins and makes us feel better all around. Walk around the mall with a coworker on your lunch break or meet a friend at a park after work and enjoy the fresh air.
• Share a smile. This contagious act can easily brighten someone’s day. Smile to a passing stranger; it may make a big difference in his or her day.
• Get away. Get away from the everyday circumstances that may be causing stress. Plan a weekend getaway or a day trip with a friend.
• Pray. Say a quick prayer for your friend and put his or her stress in the hands of the Ultimate Provider and Healer.

Guilt and Grace

When friends confide to me that they are wrestling with guilt or remorse, I usually feel clueless about how to encourage them. What can I possibly say that will offer the grace and truth they need and want without sounding preachy or pat? I wonder.
I’m certain I thrust a similar dilemma on my sister Denell last week. A message at church had sent waves of conviction, guilt, and regret washing over me, and I was torn up over the implications of the disobedience God brought to my attention. Knowing I could use someone else’s prayers and insight on the situation, I emailed my sister. Her response not only provided the encouragement and help I hoped for; it also has given me some principles for how to respond to friends who come to me with similar burdens.

She came alongside me. Despite the safety I feel in our relationship, I was hesitant to open my sister’s reply. What if it minimized my struggle or compounded my guilt? Denell’s opening words dispelled these concerns. She agreed to pray for me as I processed the situation. She let me know that she too had wrestled with similar conviction. And after acknowledging that she didn’t have all the answers, she offered some thoughts based on her experience.

She reminded me of God’s grace. Before going any further, my sister gently reminded me of what was true about me in Christ: I am holy and blameless in God’s sight, not because I have obeyed God perfectly, but because Christ paid the penalty for my sin on the cross. More than that, God has clothed me with the perfect righteousness of Christ. He no longer holds my sin—including the one I currently faced—against me. In fact, He now views me with the same pleasure and love He has for His Son.

She didn’t discount my sin. Denell didn’t downplay the conviction I felt. In fact, after reminding me of the gospel, she encouraged me to identify and accept responsibility for my sin. But because she had first pointed me to what Christ has done for me and how God views me, I was now able to respond to that sin appropriately. Rather than wallowing in guilt or trying to make things right on my own, I could confess my sin to God, accept the forgiveness and cleansing He had already provided in Christ, and move forward in His grace with joy and freedom.

She pointed me to the Holy Spirit. Finally, Denell encouraged me to ask God to give me the strength and will to trust and obey Him, which He has promised to do through His Spirit.

Denell’s response closely mirrors Paul’s approach in his epistles. No matter what spiritual issues the recipients were facing, his response nearly always included assuring them that he was praying for them, reiterating the gospel, and then encouraging them to live it out through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now that I’ve experienced the benefits of this approach firsthand, I’m thinking about ways I can come alongside others in the same way.

Dianne Bundt

Editor

DJ Online News