We Are Walking on Water (Spontaneous Worship) - Jeremy Riddle

I think this worship team comprised of Jeremy Riddle, Stephanie Frizzell & William Mathews from Bethel Church in Redding is one of the best!  Whenever I need a lift, I go to YouTube, find one of their worship sessions and join in.  I have spent the whole morning worshipping as I prepare for a visit from friends.  What a blessing the Internet can be!

Bobby Conner: The Awe of God is Returning to His People

Bobby Conner:

The Awe of God is Returning to His People

Look around [you, Habakkuk, replied the Lord] among the nations and see! And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days [such] that you would not believe it if it were told you.Habakkuk 1:5 (Amplified)

Look around at the godless nations. Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock. Something's about to take place and you're going to find it hard to believe. Habakkuk 1:5 (The Message Bible)

For years now, I've said, "The Church is far too familiar with a God we barely know!" But our cry for the manifest Presence of God is about to be answered (see Isaiah 64:1). Someone is at the door. Every eye shall behold His brilliance and magnificent Glory (see Isaiah 40:3-5) and every veil shall be removed in order to behold the Lamb in His Glory (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

These are days of destiny, filled with wonder and excitement. A powerful word is coming across the entire Body of Christ – and the word is awestruck. The awe of God is returning to the people of God, filling the heart of God's people with great expectation. God is about to reveal Himself in such a manner that He will demand our full attention. Prepare to be overwhelmed, captivated, stunned and enthralled by the awareness of God.

Indeed, much will be discovered in these revelatory days concerning the Glory of God and the God of Glory. Now is the time for every child of God to behold the Lord Jesus in His revealed Glory (see John 1:14). The Word of God plainly declares that the entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of God: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.Habakkuk 2:14 (Photo via pixabay)

Another Good Thomas Sowell Quote

Today's Tomato Harvest

       When I went to pick tomatoes today I thought I was prepared.  This time I took 2 buckets, but that still wasn't enough!  As I said, Country Guy's tomato plants are really producing this year.  Anyone need some?

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Don't you love homemade ice cream?  I do and that's why I love my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.  It makes 1 1/2 qts of ice cream in about 20 minutes without using salt or ice.  The container which holds the ice cream mix has a lining that is filled with liquid.  It is frozen solid in about 20 hours and ready to use.  This is unlike the old fashioned freezers that must be packed with ice and then salt added to make the ice really cold.  I leave my container in the freezer all the time so that it is always ready when I get hungry for (or need) ice cream.  I actually have 2 containers so I can make a double batch when the kids are coming over.  It is easy to keep the simple ingredients on hand all the time so I never need to buy ice cream!

It is very hot here today so I decided to try making Peach Ice Cream as a surprise for Country Guy who was mowing.  I still had a few beautiful peaches--it is peach season around here--that needed to be used so it was a good excuse.  I used my 'go to' recipe for vanilla ice cream that fills the Cuisinart.

1 1/4 c. whipping cream
2 c. milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Mix the above ingredients together and pour into the ice cream freezer container.

While it was freezing I peeled and slightly pureed 3 peaches (so there were some small chunks) in my food processor and added about 1/4 c. sugar. Since the ice cream is the consistency of soft serve when it is done I put it a plastic container with lid and stirred in the peaches before storing it in the freezer.

Country Guy pronounced it "wonderful!"

Anybody Need Tomatoes?

     

       Country Guy's tomatoes are producing prodigiously!!  I took a 5 gallon bucket with me to pick them this morning and had to go back for another bucket!  There is at least another bucket full of almost ripe ones to pick in a couple of days, so if you live in our area and need tomatoes, let me know.
       There were several nice green peppers, too, so I guess I'm going to have to make spaghetti sauce soon!

Amphitheater Progress

    This has been such a busy time that I'm having difficulty keeping up with everything, including my blog!

  I am excited the amphitheater is almost done.  Most of the inside painting is finished.  The painter started on the roof of the red garage (see photo below--the garage will match the amphitheater when they are both finished) but was delayed by rain so hopefully he can work again this weekend.

A business in a neighboring town planted the grass for us and even mowed it yesterday.  It is looking wonderful.  We are beginning to plan our first event to be held in October, in addition to beginning to think about what and how often we want to schedule events this summer.

A Great Ad!

Radical Islam: The Monster in the Room

     This is just such an example as was discussed in the previous post.  That anyone would support Hamas and condemn Israel is indication they have been deceived--they are in a spiritual fog--and have not looked for the truth but have believe a lie.

Radical Islam: The Monster in the Room

Thu, Aug 14, 2014  |  by Lee Habeeb

Enlarge

It’s not the elephant in the room — it’s the monster in the room. Radical Islam is the monster, and it is on the march in the Middle East. And those who are suffering the most from radical Islam’s rise there are Muslims themselves, although Christians, Jews, and ethnic minorities of all kinds — gays too — don’t have it much better.

The pictures from Iraq are horrifying, as the world watches in real time radical Islam’s ruthless intentions; as we watch Muslims, Christians, and ethnic minorities stagger to safety under treacherous conditions near the Syrian border; as we watch ethnic cleansing in slow motion live on TV, the governments of the Western world beset by paralysis.

These bands of religious thugs have only one thing in mind: total domination. By whatever name they call themselves — Hamas, al-Qaeda, ISIS, Islamic Jihad, Muslim Brotherhood — these mobsters all want the same thing, and they play by a set of rules that even most mobsters abhor.

These religious Nazis know no moral boundaries, and understand only one language: absolute power. They want total control of every aspect of the human being, including whom to pray to. Especially whom to pray to.

Like rapists, the monster wants control not only of its victims’ bodies. It wants control of their minds and souls.

Only force will stop this monster. And the monster knows full well that the Western world has lost its appetite for battle — has lost its nerve. And by “the West,” of course, one can only mean America.

Because the rest of the civilized world lost its nerve nearly a century ago, and never got it back.

Everyone, that is, but Israel. But that’s because Israel doesn’t have a choice; it is surrounded by the monster. Israelis know it intimately. And Israelis know that to defeat the monster, one must confront it and kill it. Otherwise it will kill them.

In their neighborhood, the monster’s name is Hamas. This monster used to use women and children as human bombs. But leave it to Hamas to redefine depravity. In Gaza last month, Hamas practiced human sacrifice, using women and children as human shields while piling up the body count. Hamas booby-trapped hospitals and schools, and did so with the full knowledge that it would cause the deaths of countless innocents.

Regrettably, the rest of the world knows little about Hamas. There is a mention now and then in media reports of its being a terrorist organization, but this is always in passing. Then the cameras cut to the pictures of dead women and children.

What the world never gets is the full picture of Hamas. There is very little in the media about what Hamas is, what it has been, and what it wants to become. There is very little about its vision of the world — its vision of the future for the people of Gaza.

What we know is only that it doesn’t believe in a future for Israel.

If that context were provided, the world would know that the battle in Gaza is not a land dispute, or a battle of moral equivalents. The ongoing battle in Gaza is not a case of the Hatfields and the McCoys, a senseless blood feud over a patch of land that, over the years, just goes on for no good reason.

This is a battle between good and evil, the battle in Gaza — and the battle throughout the Middle East. It’s a battle between modernity and religious feudalism. Between freedom and totalitarianism. Between moderate Muslims and extremists hell-bent on imposing their will on the majority of peaceful followers of Allah.

Ask any Christian, woman, or gay person where he or she would choose to live — in Israel or anywhere else in the Middle East — and we know what the answer would be.

It’s the media’s fault that this context has not been adequately provided. It wouldn’t be a heavy lift to do it. But they don’t.

How did Hamas come into power in Gaza? Are the people of Gaza free to do as they please? Can they oppose Hamas without fear of retaliation? And what kind of life has Hamas provided for Gaza’s people since it has been in control? Has it invested in their future? Does it even care about their future?

These are important questions that deserve answers. But the media instead focus mostly on Israel, and the degree to which Israel is responsible for the disproportionate body count in Gaza. Last Sunday on ABC’s This Week, New Yorkereditor David Remnick summarized the belief of many in the media and in academia in one sentence: “These cycles are not going to end until the occupation ends,” Remnick opined.

That’s right. Remnick actually believes Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is the cause of the problems in Gaza.

But if the occupation of the West Bank was the reason for the latest round of rocket launchings, why weren’t those rockets launched from the West Bank? Those rockets came from Gaza, which Israel relinquished almost a decade ago.

A lot of good that accommodation did.

The fact is that there is an occupying force in Gaza, and it’s Hamas. There is in increasingly larger swaths of the Middle East a real occupying force, and it is radical Islam in its various iterations. All of them are committed to ending not only Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, but Israel’s occupation of Israel.

Which brings us back to Hamas. The terrorist group has an interesting beginning. Its name is actually an acronym for the Arabic words for Islamic Resistance Movement. Its inaugural suicide bombing in Israel — one that Hamas acolytes celebrate — took place back in April 1993. Hamas hasn’t looked back since, recruiting record numbers of suicide bombers to strike its mortal enemy.

And make no mistake about it, that’s what Israel is: a mortal enemy. In one of Hamas’s earliest public pronouncements — Leaflet #65, issued in October 1990 — Hamas had this to say: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

The Hamas Charter is a sprawling document of hate. It’s what you’d expect from a writing partnership between Mullah Omar and Ted Kaczynski.

So how did Hamas gain control of Gaza? The same way the Nazis gained power in Germany: a combination of brute force and bribery.

Christians, gays, and secular Muslims are terrorized and tortured in Gaza, and worse. Hamas has not hesitated to murder innocent Palestinians who impede its agenda, though no one knows for sure how many. Gaza isn’t a haven for cutting-edge journalism. There is no Gaza equivalent to Woodward and Bernstein. And needless to say, there is no Justice Department in Gaza to inspect election results for voting irregularities.

Since it has gained control of Gaza, Hamas has spent the vast majority of its energy doing two things: plundering the aid intended for Gaza’s citizens, and keeping much of it for themselves. It spends the rest on the destruction of Israel.

If Hamas is so bad, how does it manage to recruit so many young men to join its ranks? For the same sorts of reasons the Bloods and Crips so successfully recruit in America’s inner cities. Those young men don’t joyfully join gangs. They do so for many reasons, none of them good. To be a part of something bigger than themselves. To be a part of a family, with what they think are strong paternal influences. And most often, young men join gangs to protect themselves from other gangs.

But if those young men had real choices — real options — they wouldn’t join gangs.

With Hamas, there is one big difference: It also injects religion into the mix. It is not simply an economic enterprise, seeking profit. It is seeking world domination, and the elimination of its enemies.

That is the real story of Hamas. The story you haven’t heard from the media. And that is the real occupation you won’t hear about from the media, either. The real story of Gaza — and its occupier, Hamas — writers like David Remnick will never acknowledge.

This column was originally posted on NationalReviewOnline.com

     Wanda Alger's dream (which was posted on Spirit Fuel) seems to be an explanation of what has happened to residents of this country.  I am often saying, "How can they not see what this is doing?" or "Why is it not apparent to them the effect that decision will have on the future of the country?" The explanation seems to be it's because so many are in a spiritual fog.  They have been blinded by the 'prince of this world.'

PROPHETIC INSIGHT

There is a Spiritual Fog Over This Land

By Wanda Alger

on

August 11, 2014

There was a nerve gas released in the High Places of government and everyone was being affected except those who could escape and get outside to clean air…

This is a portion of a dream the Lord gave me in October of 2012. Given the current state of affairs in our nation and the increasing insanity taking place across the globe, I felt led to share this dream as the Lord is giving us clear instructions in how to pray. This is not a dream of literal interpretation, but spiritual. There is a specific enemy that the Lord is highlighting and one that we have a Scriptural mandate to defeat and overcome in this hour.

It’s the Spirit of Deception…

I was in a High Place where the Boss exercised much power and influence. Things weren’t working as the tools of the trade were breaking down and the workers were not being effective. The Boss wanted to CHANGE things and order some new equipment.

I knew the workers were being used…for something else. An attack was coming. Guns were being collected along with gifts – expensive gifts – to be used as bartering tools. They thought the facility was simply being upgraded, but there was another agenda. Something was coming.

I knew I needed to take action… I had a gun (water gun) and thought I could hold the enemy down until police arrived. However, I saw that they had been notified of the plans being exposed. At least help was coming….if I could just spray him with my (water) gun!

However, just at the point when I thought I could immobilize the plans, a gas (nerve gas) was released in the place that put everyone in a fog meant to desensitize them. It was like a laughing gas that made everyone think and feel like things were great. It was coming towards me and I tried to hold my breath to avoid it.

Everyone else got hit with it but I was able to sneak outside. I knew if I got into fresh air I could clear my head and think right.

I did get out and then went back for my partner (my husband, a pastor). We got out and into the fresh air of the night. When we got clear we realized that all the police that had come were now inside the High Place under this fog! There was no other help around. We couldn’t attract the attention of the enemy but knew we needed to get the others into the clear air. Once we got enough of them free from the effects of the gas we could then take the enemy out together.

Let me first clarify by saying that the “enemy” is not a man, but a SPIRITUAL PRINCIPALITY. We are not warring against flesh and blood, even though the enemy can and does use people to carry out his plans. What this dream is meant to convey, is that the Evil One has released a spiritual toxin over this nation. It is the Spirit of DECEPTION, and has affected MANY. Until we defeat THIS Spirit, we will have no clarity, no unity and no godly wisdom that is needed to defeat this current assault against those who serve the Kingdom of God.

For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

I believe the water gun in the dream represents the weapon of prayer and intercession. Notice that the diagnosis of the problem and attempts to correct it were right, but the ammunition used was totally ineffective. According to James 5:16, its the prayers of RIGHTEOUSNESS that make our ammunition (prayers) POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE. Without getting too self-preoccupied, we need to continually pursue a life of holiness, humility and integrity in all we do. This is where true spiritual authority comes from, not only personally, but corporately. We can’t “shoot off our mouths” in criticism or blame if we are not walking in absolute obedience to God’s Word in our own lives.

The bigger point, however, is that even if the enemy had been taken down with this weapon, it did not address the bigger issue of the FOG that had been released. This FOG acted like a “laughing gas”. This is exactly what the Spirit of Deception does to people – make them think that everything is JUST FINE! Nothing’s wrong here – what’s YOUR problem!!!???

For those who have not been affected by this Spirit in recent weeks, there is growing alarm and even disbelief as to the mindsets of others who seem to be totally disconnected from the reality of what’s happening on the world stage. We wonder, “How in the world can anyone actually think THIS IS OK!!???” It’s because Deception is at work, filtering everything they hear and read, causing them to see and perceive things totally different.

So, what’s the solution? We need to GET LOW and CLEAR OUR HEADS.

We know that when there’s smoke in a room, you’re supposed to get to the ground where the air is clear. This is the place of humility – getting on our faces before the Lord. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse us and give us clarity of mind, heart and soul. To do thatwe need to get out of the high places of prestige, reputation and materialism and go to the low place where the air is fresh and the life of the Spirit rests.

We need to get into the Word of God to clearly know the difference between God’s Word and man’s. “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” (Romans 16:17-18)

Our hopes for defeating the enemies of God cannot lie in government, police or any man-initiated rescue. It is only through a united Body of Believers, walking in The Truth that will have the favor of heaven to defeat the spiritual strongholds we face. Let’s get out of the fog and into the truth of God’s Word. Let’s do it together and ask heaven to release a fresh Wind of the Spirit to clear the atmosphere. We desperately need the Breath of the Living God to breathe on this nation once again.

Nebraska From Above - Best Highlights Montage (HD)

This short video of Nebraska is so beautiful it makes me wonder why we left. :o)

D.H Lawrence Quote

English author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1938): "Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grand-children are once more slaves."

This Makes Me So Mad! It Is Idiotic! How Did We Get To This Point?

ONLY In America......

Canada’s version of David Letterman's Top 10. Just makes you wanna shake your head in disbelief.

This is Canada's Top Ten List of America's Stupidity.

Number 10 Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000-per-plate Obama fund-raising event.

Number 9 Only in America could people claim that the government discriminates against black Americans when the President is black, the Attorney General is black, and roughly 20% of the federal workforce is black. While only 14% of the population is black, 40+% of all federal entitlements go to black Americans – three times the rate that goes to whites, five times the rate that goes to Hispanics!

Number 8 Only in America could the two people most responsible for the tax code--Timothy Geithner (former head of the Treasury Department) and Charles Rangel (who once ran the Ways and Means Committee)--BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

Number 7 Only in America can terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and the media reacts by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

Number 6 Only America would make people who want to immigrate and become legal American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege, while anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' becomes an American citizen (probably should be number one).

Number 5 Only in America could people who believe in balancing the budget and abiding by the country's Constitution be thought of as EXTREMISTS.

Number 4 Only in America do people need to present identification to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

Number 3 Only in America could people demand the government investigate the oil companies to see if they are gouging the public because the price of gas went up, when the return on equity invested in a major US oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

Number 2 Only in America could the government collect more taxes than any nation in recorded history, spend a trillion dollars more per year--for a total expenditure of 7 million dollars PER MINUTE--and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

And Number 1 Only in America could the rich people, who pay 86% of all income taxes, be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

Theodore Roosevelt Quote on the Bible

How often do we forget to call on God?

The excerpt below is from an article entitled EXCLUSIVE: NEW DETAILS SURFACE IN HAMAS MURDER OF IDF SOLDIER HADAR GOLDIN which was posted on Breitbart News today.  I have highlighted two lines to emphasize something I have been thinking about for quite some time.

"In the midst of this attack, a second force of IDF soldiers--which had gone into a mosque looking for weapons, explosives, and rockets-- encountered a female suicide bomber who was about to detonate the belt she wore, which would have resulted in the deaths of the soldier.  One of the soldiers instinctively recited the opening words of the holiest Jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael”. The female suicide bomber hesitated and began trembling, giving the soldiers a chance to grab her and disable the device. 

The soldiers then took her prisoner and turned her over to a counter-intelligence unit. Their investigation uncovered that the female suicide bomber’s mother was a Jew who had married a Palestinian in Israel and, after the wedding, was smuggled against her will into Gaza. There she lived a life filled with abuse and humiliation, and was basically a captive. In addition to the female suicide bomber, there were two smaller children as well. An armored force went in and rescued the two small children."

If this soldier had not "instinctively recited" (one might call this praying) the Shema, do you think he or the others soldiers, or the female suicide bomber, or the two small children would be alive today?  I don't.

How many opportunities have we missed to change our circumstances, possibly saving lives in the process, because we don't pray?  It seems that God gives us the tools, i.e. thanksgiving, prayer, praise, proclamation, etc. and then expects that we will use them.  Instead, when something bad happens we wait for Him to save us and lose faith because He didn't.  We blame God for not saving us when He has given us all we need already.  We just have to use it.

The Incense and Power of Intercessory Prayer by Bobby Conner

This is an encouraging word from Bobby Conner (posted on The Elijah List) on the need to pray and keep on praying because in answer to our prayers God causes things to change.

Bobby Conner:

The Incense and Power of Intercessory Prayer

The Spirit of God is releasing an anointing for intercession on an extremely high level (John 15:16). 

Saints are being mobilized to pray across the nations. Great swells of prayer meetings are beginning to take place in many diverse places. Some of these prayer meetings are being led by outstanding young radicals who have one goal in mind: Establishing God's Kingdom on earth. Likewise a great release of intercession is arising from delightful senior citizens.

Understand: Prayer's Prominence Before God's Throne

Because of this newly released anointing to pray, it is vital for us to recognize what the Word of God teaches concerning prayer, specifically what happens to our prayers in the heavenly realm.

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8

Our prayers hold a place of great prominence before the Lamb upon His throne in Heaven. Bowls are filled with our treasured prayers – the prayers are so beautiful they emit a fragrant incense and are so valuable and precious, they are kept in golden bowls. The aroma of these faith-filled prayers continuously rises before the Lamb and casts a magnificent scent upon His throne, becoming an essential part of the worship and adoration before the face of God.

Believe: Fervent Prayer Avails Much

What our prayers accomplish is absolutely astonishing: Our prayers actually move the hand of Almighty God (Jeremiah 33:3). In fact, many of the defining moments in history were decided as the result of prayer. We must recognize that, as the Body of Christ, we are at an historical moment, and a crossroads and time of transition. We must spend time filling those golden bowls with our intercessory prayers, believing they are availing much.

The Scripture contains countless precious promises of God's loving-kindness and willingness to answer our prayers. Indeed, the Word of God promises: "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much"(James 5:16). The Lord Jesus Christ assures us repeatedly in the Gospels that our prayers, truly "whatsoever things" we desire, are heard and answered. (Photo via deviantart)

"Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them" (Mark 11:24). Our prayers actually accomplish more than we can imagine, "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).

Doubt: The Lies of Satan

The foe of our soul, satan himself, is positively relentless in his strategic attacks to hinder our prayers. He seeks to stop us from praying altogether. 

What is his chief tactic? Slandering God.Accusing our faithful King by speaking blasphemous lies, such as, "God will not hear your prayers."

Every time the devil speaks, without exception, he speaks a lie (John 8:44). A lie is the direct opposite of the truth so be encouraged: when you hear the enemy telling you that you are not significant enough to God to be heard, that you don't know how to pray, that you have "disqualified" yourself from the mercy and grace of God by past sins, or that God is unconcerned, faithless, unloving or absent – your prayers are being heard in the courts of Heaven!

You are by no means disqualified or ignored; on the contrary, your prayers are mighty and effectual as you pray in faith, standing on the precious promises of the Word of God. Every time you pray, without exception, you activate the host of Heaven. When you hear the voice of doubt and unbelief, recognize the voice of the accuser and rebuke, renounce and remove him from your midst.

Welcome: Mighty Angelic Help

Be confident of this fact: Your prayers are heard in Heaven. Not only are they heard and treasured in golden bowls, but also they are watched over and executed by powerful, holy angels. We read in Revelation 8:3-5:

"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

"And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."(Photo by Robert Bartow Angel Among Us via elijahshopper.com)

Never forget: Your prayers always result in action. Prayer always, without fail, engages Heaven:

"For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation!" 2 Corinthians 6:2

Expect: Prayer Produces Results

When your prayers are spoken on earth, they ascend before the throne of God and Heaven immediately begins to respond. At times the earth is shaken. When the disciples prayed, for example, they experienced a literal earthquake, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).

The prayer spoken in Acts 12 on Peter's behalf was prayed to address a life-or-death situation. James had been beheaded and the same fate was facing the apostle Peter. Scripture states, however, that "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him..."(Acts 12:5-11). Truly, nothing is too hard for God. Our prayers release the hand of God to move on our behalf. Indeed, prayer is a powerful force.

Our prayers release not only a response on earth, but prayer also releases an awesome response from Heaven. In Revelation 8:3-5, we find lightnings, which speak of God's power, being released as our prayers are released from Heaven back to earth. Thunderings and noises speak of the Word of God being released from Heaven. When God's voice speaks we see the entire world shaken (Exodus 19:10-20).

Have Faith: Uncover Secrets

It is the prayer of faith that moves the hand of God. Yes, God can do anything (Job 42:2). Genesis 18:14also poses the question, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" The answer is No! As we enter into the realm of the prayer of faith, we discover that absolutely nothing is impossible with God. He has promised us that if we ask, He will answer. We read this powerful promise in Jeremiah 33:3:"Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not." (Photo via flickr)

The word "mighty" in this Scripture literally means "fenced in," with the connotation of being "cut off " or "inaccessible." Jeremiah 33:3 then assures us that prayer makes visible the things that have been concealed. In this we understand that God has many things to reveal to us and through us, but we will never receive them unless we call to Him in believing prayer. God is able to reveal that which has formerly been hidden. He desires to reveal mysteries to His friends – because He is committed to delivering and preserving His people.

In Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." God has some secrets that He desires to release – but these are obtainable only through prayer!

Dearly Beloved, never give up! Keep on crying out to God! The answer is on the way. He is able to do far above anything we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Bobby Conner
EaglesView Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org
Website: BobbyConner.org

Graham Cooke - 'Our True Identity'

      This is the message by Graham Cooke I've been trying to find on YouTube.  Even though this one was given at another conference it is the same one we heard at last week's conference which we considered one of the best expositions of the Gospel and how God sees us we had ever heard-- so inspiring and life-changing.  I am excited to have found it because I wanted to share it with you!  I highly recommend it!!  Please pass it on to others so they can see themselves in an entirely different way, also.

Dr. Ben Carson: The Spreading Scourge of Anti-Christian Persecution

      I love Dr. Ben Carson!  He would make a wonderful president, I believe, so I hope he will be a candidate in 2016.  He is not afraid to stand up  for right causes because he has a strong moral foundation.  He also has much common sense which appears to be in short supply these days.  Here is a good example from Townhall.com.

The Spreading Scourge of Anti-Christian Persecution

Dr. Ben Carson | Aug 06, 2014

Intolerance that fosters pogroms abroad is taking root in U.S. communities. Sobering and unforgettable images are projected across our television and computer screens. They should elicit the most basic instincts of both fear and compassion.

I'm referring to images of showing the persecution of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of our fellow brothers and sisters by incomprehensible religious zealots. Their intolerance of Christianity is beyond horrible. People are beheaded for their faith. Women and young girls are sexually violated, and whole families are wantonly slaughtered in cold blood. Perhaps just as abhorrent is the profound silence of the current administration. Even though President Obama has declared that we are not a Judeo-Christian nation, we are still compassionate people who should not ignore humanitarian atrocities, much less ones where the victims are only guilty of maintaining a belief in the principles espoused by Jesus Christ.

We have an obligation as Americans to denounce these acts of persecution. Even those who do not worship a higher deity should be concerned. For when we stand up to such intolerance, we are defending the root of freedom. We are defending choice -- the ability to worship and call on the name of a heavenly being without fear of torture and abandonment.

The president, who very early in his tenure won the Nobel Peace Prize, now has an opportunity to truly be the broker of peace in a very troubled part of the world. He can be a champion of freedom of religion, a founding principle of our nation. As long as religious practices do not infringe upon the rights of others, he can make it clear that it is wrong to interfere with those practices.

In our own country, we must become more reasonable in disputes about religious symbols. For instance, if a Christmas tree or manger scene has been a long-standing community tradition, and a few offended people come along and claim that it must be removed, should those few individuals have the power to interfere with the seasonal joy of thousands who rejoice in the viewing of those symbols? If someone is offended by a menorah in a Jewish community, would it not make more sense to give them sensitivity training rather than disturb the entire community by removing the symbol? I could go on, but I think the point is clear. When we reward unwarranted hypersensitivity surrounding religious ceremonies or beliefs, we add fuel to the hatred and intolerance that subsequently produces religious persecution.

Some will say religious persecution in other parts of the world does not concern us and we cannot be the police for the planet. Certainly, there is some validity to the latter part of that statement, but if we continue to ignore or tolerate religious persecution elsewhere, it is just a matter of time before we will experience it here at home.

As far as the Middle East is concerned, we are not helpless and can dispatch the State Department to do all it can to help. Some conservatives and cynics might argue that such a move requires government dollars. Who's to say? We don't fully comprehend how besieged these people are, much less know what it would take to grant them relief.

Governments need to decry such persecution, and root it out wherever and whenever they can. The United States should lead in that effort -- just as it has with combating sex trafficking and other problems the world has decried in the past. It is hard to find an issue that demands a sharper clarion call for leadership now.

Clay Christensen on Religious Freedom

Disaster Preparedness

     This excellent disaster preparedness plan is from The Patriot Post.  Because of the threat and/or existence of pandemics, weather disasters, etc. it is important to have a plan to care for and protect your family.  It is much better to prepare now than to wish you had later. 

           Disaster Preparedness Planning

                              Action Plan

INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

(Note: An abbreviated version of this information for posting on local websites or publishing in local news venues is available here)

Two Steps to Individual Readiness

(This is a special report prepared for The Patriot Post by the Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning Committee, a public policy group chaired by a member of The Patriot Post's National Advisory Committee.)

In 2012 we convened a knowledgeable team of emergency preparedness and response experts, including federal, state and local emergency management professionals, and specialists from the fields of emergency medicine, urban and wilderness survival, academia, law enforcement and related private sector services. They compiled basic individual preparedness recommendations to sustain you and your family during a short-term crisis. The objective was to outline a Two Step Individual Readiness Plan which would enable you to shelter in place in the event of a local, regional or national catastrophic event, including a pandemic.

There are two emergency scenarios which may require you to shelter-in-place.

1. The most likely scenario requiring you to shelter-in-place would be the short-term need to isolate yourself from chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants released accidentally or intentionally into the environment. (This could require sheltering for 1-3 days.) This means selecting a small, interior room, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there. It does not mean sealing off your entire home or office building. If emergency personnel advise you to shelter-in-place, follow the instructions provided below for your location. Make sure you have an operational battery-powered radio.

2. Less likely but more consequential scenarios requiring you to shelter-in-place for a longer period of time include, but are not limited to, meteorological, geological and technological hazards, which pose a serious threat to power and communication grids (which are increasingly complex), transportation and material supply lines, food supplies, and both water and sanitation systems. Additionally, a natural or manmade bio-hazard emergency could require sheltering for 1-6 weeks or longer.

A significant biological threat is a pandemic involving a virulent contagion transmitted by animals (bird or insect transmitted viruses) and/or through contact with other people. Outbreaks of such contagions are a growing risk given the intra- and inter-continental mobility of humans. There is a very real and growing threat of a bio-terrorist attack utilizing humans to spread contagions -- bio-bombers -- terrorist "martyrs" who, instead of strapping on a bomb and detonating themselves in a crowded urban area, become human hosts for virulent strains of deadly contagions. A pandemic can be incited if a cadre of bio-bombers fly into the U.S. legally, and park themselves in major airport hubs around the nation for days, where they can infect others traveling across country with pathogens, symptoms of which may take days to manifest.

In the event of a pandemic threat, you must isolate yourself from other people in order not to contract an illness. The best location to shelter-in-place in the event of a biological threat, is in your residence.

Sheltering in place for pandemic or other threats which necessitates isolation for more than 1-3 days, requires basic preparations. Follow our Two Step Individual Readiness Plan as outlined below, to unsure you and your family are prepared for a longer-term requirement to shelter-in-place.

We buy insurance coverage for our autos and homes, which we hope never to use. Preparing a Shelter in Place Basic Kit for two weeks is far less expensive than other insurance premiums, and though we hope never to use those provisions, if the day should come when you need them, their value will be priceless.

These easy instructions will simplify the process of setting aside minimal provisions for a short-term emergency. Of course you can take the two-week basic provisions list and multiply it in order to establish sufficient supplies for longer crisis duration. While two weeks of provisions is considered the absolute minimum, six weeks of provisions is the recommended threshold per person. However, the more provisions you set aside, the better able you will be to assist others in need.

Moreover, building more substantial emergency provisions will provide you with the opportunity to share those provisions with others in need, and reduce dependence on local, state and federal government relief efforts. The fact is, government relief programs for critical events are underfunded, undersupplied and in the event of a regional crisis, the most basic provisions may not be restored for weeks.

Even with relatively inert weather threats, the shelves of urban and suburban food and supply sellers can be emptied in hours, and can remain empty for days or weeks because resupply warehouses are often in other regions and clear transportation routes may be a problem.

This Two Week Shelter in Place Basic Kit is designed to meet basic needs of one adult should there be a local or regional disruption of services and supplies. This Kit should be modified to account for the ages of members in your household and special medical or dietary needs including prescription drugs. Many of the provisions on this list can be easily transported in the event you must evacuate the area.

There are two stages required for preparing your Two Week "Shelter in Place Basic Kit." First you must determine your nutritional and health needs. Second you must determine your shelter needs. The information below is designed to greatly simplify that process.

STEP ONE -- SET ASIDE YOUR NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH PROVISIONS

Continue reading here

Columnist Terence Jeffrey: "The truth is all true rights come from God. If any other power claims to be the author of our rights, that power is attempting to usurp an authority that belongs only to God, and is attacking the only basis for the rule of law that forms the foundation of free societies. Our Founding Fathers rightly said all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, rightly said: “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” The problem for the leaders of America’s cultural left is that some of the things they demand our society must recognize as “rights” cannot plausibly be held up as God-given rights. Thus, they simply are not rights. Period. ... Because it is so implausible to argue that men are endowed by their Creator with a right to kill unborn children, or a right to marry people of the same sex, America’s cultural left is moving away from the founding principal spelt out in our Declaration of Independence. What will they replace it with? Their own arbitrary power."