The Rhema Word
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman06-22-2008
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Ps. 119:105).
Rhema is a Greek word that means "living". The Bible is often spoken of as the "Living" Word of God. It means that God will speak to you directly and personally through the scriptures. There have been many times in my life when God gave me specific direction or confirmation of a decision through His rhema Word.

My wife, Angie, had only been a Christian for about six months when she began to read the Bible for the first time. She had heard people talk about how God spoke to them through the Bible and she thought they were crazy. Until one day it happened to her. She was in the midst of a Bible study and read in Mathew 7 that you could ask and receive. Immediately she thought, "I'll ask God to bring me a husband or someone to fill the gap." The very next verse she went to in her Bible study was "be still and know I am God." She knew that God was speaking directly to her through his "living" Word that she was to wait.

Two years later, the Lord had done a mighty work in her life and she asked for a husband a second time. Days later, she got a note from someone that had Psalm 27:14 written at the bottom of it. She knew God was answering her prayer for a husband. With great anticipation she opened her Bible only to be greatly disappointed. The verse read, "Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Again, God spoke to her personally through His Word. After that, the Lord taught Angie to fall in love with Him and she did not date for seven years.
Then one day the Lord spoke to Angie in a still voice during her quite time: "I'm about to bring you your husband and it will be the best thing that ever happened to you." She was shocked and refused to write it down. However, thirty days later she and I met. Nine months later we were married.

Angie views the Bible as God's love letters to us. You can fully expect Him to speak through His living Word regarding specific situations. It is one of those mysteries that God does from time to time.
As you read your Bible, be aware of the rhema Word of God. He may speak to you in specific ways you never thought possible.

I changed to skin and tagboard and the songs .
The tagboard was too big and made the blog so ugly so i changed it to the normal size .
So stanford , do not , i repeat , DO NOT CHANGE IT AGAIN !
Well , ditto(:







Justina(:
Wee(:

Testing for Obedience
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2,
by Os Hillman06-11-2008

"Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind" (Ps. 26:2).
Throughout the Old Testament, we see many situations in which God tests His people in order to determine if they will follow Him or follow the systems of this world.

The nation of Israel was tested many times during the 40-year sojourn in the wilderness: "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands" (Deut. 8:2).

You might ask, "Why does God need to test us? Doesn't He know everything, including what we would do in every situation?" Yes, God knows?but we don't know ourselves! God doesn't test us in order to find out something He doesn't already know. He tests us so that we can learn about ourselves and His love, power and faithfulness.

In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac on a mountain in the land of Moriah. Isaac was Abraham's only son by his wife Sarah?the son God had promised to Abraham. By demanding that Isaac be sacrificed, God seemed to be nullifying His covenant of making a great nation of Abraham. How could God's promise be fulfilled if Isaac was dead?

God tested Abraham to reveal whether or not Abraham truly trusted His promise. Yes, God knew what Abraham would do, but He wanted Abraham to know as well. So God put Abraham to the test?and Abraham passed. As Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice his own son, God stopped him and provided a sacrificial ram instead.

Every test involves obedience in one way or another. When God tests us, He reveals the true state of our hearts. Are we obedient to His will, or are we self-willed? We might think we know the answer, but we would never truly know unless we were tested.

Getting Picked
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman06-05-2008
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last" (John 15:16).

I will never forget the day in junior high school when I went to the gymnasium to view the list of those who would make the basketball team. Several of us went excitedly to see who was on the list and who was not. I made it! The feelings of exhilaration were beyond description for a fourteen year old. Those who didn't make it were sad and downcast.

Most of us growing up either landed on "picked" or the "unpicked" side of life. I often hear my wife say, "I never got picked for anything. I wasn't very good in sports or music." (She wanted to play in the marching band but couldn't play and walk at the same time).

It is awesome to be picked by the God of the universe to be on His team. When God chose you, He knew what He was doing. God doesn't always pick those who have the greatest skill, the greatest aptitude, or even the greatest personality. However, He always has something in mind for those He picks.

There is one thing He requires of those He picks. They are to be fruit-bearers. They are not to be fruit-makers, but fruit-bearers. Our goal should not be to bear fruit. Our goal should be to know the One who chose us and makes the fruit. When we really know the one who chose us, fruit will be a natural by-product.

Today, as you begin your workday, consider where you will drop some fruit. It might be by praying for a co-worker. It might be by simply greeting someone cheerfully during lunch. It might be by leading someone to the Savior today. Share your fruit freely.

Remedy for DepressionTGIF Today God Is First Volume 2,
by Os Hillman06-03-2008
"To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa 61:2-3 NKJV).

A 1988 article in Psychology Today reported on an experiment involving 1700 women under stress. The women participated in various projects that involved helping other people. Within 30 days, 85 percent of the women reported that they had been relieved of stress symptoms that included "stress-related disorders such as headaches, voice loss and even pain accompanying lupus and multiple sclerosis."*

I suspect many people could save thousands of dollars on therapy and antidepressants if they would just take time to serve others. The best way to get beyond our pain is to get outside of it. I discovered this in my own journey through a particular dark time. I decided to serve others even though I was in great emotional pain. This had a remarkable positive effect on my emotional state.

When we refocus our attention on the needs of others when we ourselves are in turmoil, it allows the burden of our circumstance to be removed from us. The more one focuses on their own problem the more likely you are to become depressed.

Isaiah understood a principle that is still valid today. If you find yourself depressed because of a circumstance in your life, take Isaiah's advice-begin to praise the Lord in spite of the circumstances you see. Then you will see the spirit of heaviness begin to be lifted.