January 2016
Heart To Heart January 2016
// Kenneth W. Hagin
The Creator Is Pleased With Our Praise
God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, is pleased with our praise. True praise glorifies Him
(Ps. 50:23). But true praise also affects us. The more we praise God for what He has done and is doing for us, the better we'll feel and the brighter our lives will begin to look. That's why it's so important to learn to live in the praises of God.
We've got to practice praising Him. For example, instead of groaning and grumbling when that alarm clock goes off in the morning, train yourself to say, "Praise the Lord! This is the day He has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!"
Focus On the Future
// Kenneth W. Hagin
IT'S A NEW YEAR. And we have a decision to make. We must decide whether we will hold on to the past and go backward, or focus on the promises of God and move into the future He has for us.
The Apostle Paul chose to focus entirely on his future with God. In Philippians 3:13–14 (NKJV) he wrote, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Though Paul wrote this late in his life, he was still "reaching forward." He said, "I do not count myself to have apprehended." "I have not achieved" (NLT). "I can't consider myself a winner yet" (GW). Paul recognized that there was something more in front of him.
How to Train the Human Spirit
// Kenneth E. Hagin
THE LORD ENLIGHTENS US and guides us through our spirits (Prov. 20:27). If that be the case—and it is—then we need to become more spirit conscious. We need to become more conscious that we are spirit beings, not just mental or physical beings. We need to train our spirits so they will become safer guides.
One thing which has held back the Christian world as a whole is that we are more physical-conscious (body-conscious) and more mental-conscious (soul-conscious) than we are spirit-conscious. We have developed the body and the soul, but we have left the spirit of man almost untouched.
Our spirits can be educated just as our minds can be educated. Our spirits can be built up in strength and trained just as our bodies can be built up and trained.
‘Can I Get a Witness?’
IN 1988 in Scotia, New York, Scott Isley felt an unusual tug on his heart to share the Good News door-to-door in his neighborhood. But he had never shared the Gospel with anyone, and he was afraid to do it. So he talked with his pastor, expecting him to share comforting words of wisdom. When his pastor heard what he and his wife wanted to do, he was ecstatic, but he had no idea how to help them. His response did not calm the Isleys' fears.
Scott and his wife, Laurie, decided not to let fear stop them from reaching the unsaved. They walked out into their neighborhood and knocked on their first door. There they stood, waiting on the front porch, Bibles in hand and smiling. When their neighbor opened the door, the Isleys, with the Lord's grace and the Holy Spirit's help, shared the Good News with joy. Since then, that one knock has become thousands.
The Basics of Faith
// TOKUNBO "TOKS" ADEJUWON
WE SEE in the Book of Mark the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree. Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem when Jesus cursed the fig tree because it didn't have any fruit on it. The next day when they passed by the tree, Peter pointed out that it had withered and dried up from the roots. Jesus said to His disciples, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22) or "have the faith of God."
In essence Jesus was saying, "Did you see what I did? I was able to do this through the God-kind of faith. If you have this kind of faith, you'll have the same results."
After hearing this, many Christians may say, "I want that kind of faith!" Little do they know that, as born-again Christians, they already have it. Romans 12:3 says, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."