Billy Graham 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional – Sufficient to Save

Topic: Sufficient to Save [Billy Graham’s Devotional Friday August 3, 2018]

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. — Proverbs 14:12

A line of human thought that seems right to many people is the idea of self-redemption. Man thinks he must work at righteousness to save himself. After all, it was man who sinned and as we say, “God helps those who help themselves.” But a greater truth than this emerges from the Bible-the truth that God helps those who cannot help themselves. We cannot save ourselves. It is noble to be upright if we can. It is admirable to be honest, kind, and compassionate. It would seem that these characteristics would be sufficient to save our souls. But the Bible says that though this way seems right, it is wrong.

Prayer for the day: Father, I know that my attempts at living a good life are nothing compared to my beloved Savior, Jesus Christ; but because of Him I can come to You, knowing He has redeemed me.

“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional HERE

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

The post Billy Graham 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional – Sufficient to Save appeared first on Flatimes.

DCLM Daily Manna 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional – Arise and Build

Topic: Arise and Build [DCLM Daily Manna 3rd August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Text: Nehemiah 3:6-22 (KJV)

Key Verse: “And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain” (Nehemiah 3:12,22).

MESSAGE:

Commenting on leadership ability to understand people’s mood and take appropriate action, a Scottish philosopher, Francis Hutcheson said, “Action is best when it procures the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers”.

Nehemiah, which means, “The Lord comforts”, was the personal cupbearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes. He received permission from the king to go to Judah to restore his people’s fortunes. This did not come on a platter of gold but until after he had been informed that “the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3).

This prompted him to fast and seek God’s face in prayer. Nehemiah mobilised the people and the rebuilding of Jerusalem walls became a matter of national emergency. Everyone was involved.

Today, many places of worship look more like poultry than God’s houses; some even without walls and gates. There is great need for leaders with vision and concern for the building of befitting places of worship for the Lord. These should be leaders, who like Nehemiah, will mobilise everyone for the attainment of noble objectives. All hands must be on deck as we all bear witness of God’s great provision for the redemption of lost mankind.

God in His mercy gave us the best through His Son’s death on the cross. The best service should flow from those redeemed by the blood to serve the living God.

Thought For The Day: Standing out in true service to the Most High is a noble act.

Bible Reading In One Year: 2 Chronicles 32-33

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Deeper Christian Life Ministry, DCLM Daily Manna HERE

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

Flatimes’ Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

The post DCLM Daily Manna 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional – Arise and Build appeared first on Flatimes.

Seeds of Destiny 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional

Topic: Time Sensitivity and the Maximization of Life’s Opportunities [Seeds of Destiny 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Scripture: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesian 5:12

Thought For The Day: People of impact are people who have a very high sense of urgency.

In my book, 10 Principal Secrets of Principal People, I made it clear that principles are the secrets of principal people. This means, there are principles principal people know and practice that make them great on earth. In the same way, to be one of the most important personalities on earth, one must do the most important things.

Now, one of the most important things on earth is the maximization of life’s opportunities.

One way to maximize your life’s opportunities is living with the sense of urgency. It is the refusal to be a time or opportunity waster. It is to recognize opportunities and take advantage of them. Urgency affects destiny. Time is the stuff of life. The wastage of time is the wastage of life. People of impact are people who have a very high sense of urgency.

Destiny is time sensitive. A man at the age of 55 cannot join the military force to become a soldier or join a football club to play football; he may be interested but it is too late. Also, the regular education is easier than adult education.

All time-wasters will end up being life wasters. When you spend three hours on the internet, not because you want to carry out a research but to chat with someone aimlessly, you are wasting your time. The same time people use to make inventions, receive songs and messages from heaven, generate fresh oil, sharpen mentality and upgrade their lives is the same time others are spending in wasting their lives.

As a principle of life experience, every day of my life is scheduled. I have a book that contains the daily schedule of my life. I would not walk into the day without a scheduled list of what to do for that day and then allow anything to just happen to me. There are people things happen to and there are those that happen to things. Do not let life plan you; plan your life.

My counsel is, schedule your life; have a daily and weekly schedule in order to avoid time wastage. Avoid the company of time wasters. Run away from procrastination. Yesterday was the best time to do what you want to do tomorrow.
Remember this: People of impact are people who have a very high sense of urgency.

Assignments:
1. Refuse to waste your time and opportunity.
2. Maximise every time and opportunity to impact people.
3. Have a daily and weekly schedule for your life.

Prayer: Help me Lord, not to waste the time and opportunities of my life. I receive the grace to schedule my life and maximize my life’s opportunities, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE.

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 33:14 to 34:33, Romans 16:10 to 27, Psalm 26:1 to 12, Proverbs 20:19

Amazing Fact: An adult hippo needs to resurface every three to five minutes to breathe

Today In History: 03/08/1936 – Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals.

Quote: Where there is no mentality, there is no opportunity. Culled from 21 FOOLISH THINGS PEOPLE DO by Dr Paul Enenche.

Don’t Forget To Attend: The Home church meeting tomorrow by 6pm at the centre nearest to you. Come with your friends and loved ones.

Also Read: Seeds of Destiny by Pastor Paul Enenche

Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

The post Seeds of Destiny 3 August 2018 Daily Devotional appeared first on Flatimes.

We Don’t Go to Heaven in the End, Matt Chandler Says

(Screenshot: The Gospel Coalition)Matt Chandler, Pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas, speaks at the “MLK50: Gospel Reflections from the Mountaintop” in Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.

Matt Chandler, lead pastor at the Village Church, Texas, argued in a recent video why some Christians have a wrong impression of what happens in the afterlife.

The video, published last week by the Village Church on YouTube, is entitled “Why We Don’t Go to Heaven in the End,” with Chandler admitting that he had the wrong impression himself when he was growing up.

“I grew up with an understanding that when I died, I would go to Heaven, and that was the end of the story. That I was in Heaven, and was gonna be in the presence of God, and we were gonna sing and there were going to be streets of gold, and there’s going to be a crystal sea.”

He said that he believed that in the afterlife, he was going to be in a “disembodied, ethereal environment, where the Spirit of God was there, God was there in His fullness.”

What is more, he thought that he would be “like an angel or some sort of ethereal body,” rather than a being with a physical presence.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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California Church to Build Brewery, Drink Beer During Services

(Photo: Screengrab/NBC Bay Area)Beer is served at a Santa Cruz food lounge where Greater Purpose Community Church in Santa Cruz, California meets.

A California church sold their church building and relocated in a new space where beer is served and plans are underway to build a brewery where church services can occur.

“We decided to sell the building, because for us a church is a community and a movement,” pastor Chris VanHall, who leads The Greater Purpose Community Church in Santa Cruz, California, told the NBC affiliate in the Bay Area last week.

“It’s not brick and mortar.”

VanHall’s church community ended up in a food lounge complete with several beer options, a move that reportedly gained them new followers.

He added: “There’s nothing in the Bible that says you can’t drink alcohol in a responsible manner.”

Food lounge owner Andrea Mollenauer, whose business is hosting the church thinks it is a great idea.

“Why not serve beer when they’re reading Bible verses? I thought it was genius,” she said.

Formerly named Garfield Park Community Church, the progressive Disciples of Christ congregation’s “About” section on their Facebook page and website explains that they “will embrace you regardless of your faith, personal life choices, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Pastor Tony Evans Explains What’s Wrong With Saying ‘God Never Gives Us More Than We Can Handle’

(Photo: Screencap/Tony Evans/You Tube)Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, invites believers to participate in “The Gathering” that will feature prominent Christian leaders from across the United States who will be uniting in solemn assembly to pray for the country at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, on September 21, 2016.

Pastor Tony Evans has said that the phrase “God never gives us more than we can handle,” which is often cited in times of struggle and loss, can be problematic for Christians.

“Maybe you’ve heard the phrase that God never gives us more than we can handle. There’s a problem with that phrase. If it were true, that would mean we would never face anything that we couldn’t solve in our own strength,” Evans, who’s senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

“If so, why would we ever need God for anything?” he asked.

In a number of other tweets this past week he also touched on the need for people to rely on God.

“When you learn how to locate God in what appears to be His absence, you will learn to trust Him along the dark pathways life often offers,” he posted.

In another message he shared: “When you think about grace, think about its wings — its ability to lift us up and take…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Baptist Pastor Urges Christians to Keep Preaching Hell to Loved Ones Who Don’t Believe in Jesus

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A Baptist pastor says Christians must continue taking to their love ones about Hell, especially those who reject Christianity, but then to also back off and give them space. 

Aaron Menikoff, an author and senior pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, wrote on The Gospel Coalition website Monday that when one wrestles “with the persistent unbelief of family and friends,” there will be times when Satan will ask, “Did God really say there is such a thing as Hell?”

“Don’t tolerate this line of thinking. The doctrine of Hell is tempting to abandon yet crucial to embrace,” he advised.

“God used the doctrine of Hell to save me. When I first heard the Gospel from a high school friend, I pushed back. She pushed back even harder and said unless I repented of my sins and put my faith in Christ, I’d go to Hell,” the pastor recalled.

“I couldn’t believe she said this, much less believed it. Thankfully the Holy Spirit used her conviction and boldness to open my eyes. Months later, I trusted in Christ.”

Menikoff also said that believers should avoid “leaning into the ethical teaching of Jesus while dismissing His teaching on eternal punishment.”

“Christ is not just the Savior; He is the Judge. Please don’t abandon good theology because you don’t like the…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Christian charity highlights plight of young carers during summer break

The research compiled by Methodist Church based charity Action for Children and Carers Trust revealed 700,000 under-18s look after family members who are ill, disabled, or have mental health problems.

It also found some children as young as five are helping with housework, cooking and washing.

 

Rossanna Trudigan from Action for Children told Premier why summer holidays are particularly difficult for young carers.

“Summer holidays could be absolutely heart-breaking for young carers,” she said.

“While they’re trapped inside performing caring responsibilities for a relative who might have a disability, illness, mental health problems or even an addiction, their school-friends are out having fun and socialising.”

Half of under-18s who look after a family member say it’s taking up four hours a day.

A poll of 270 young carers found one in five had never been on holiday with their family and 68 per cent feel stressed or worried during the holidays.

A further 57 per cent said they worry about having to tell school friends what they did in the summer break when they go back to school.

The charities have called on the government to fund council support services and access to respite support for young carers during school holidays.

Listen to Rossanna Trudigan speaking with Premier’s John Pantry and Rosie Wright:

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Remorseful Waitress Sends $1,000 and Apology for Money Stolen 20 Years Ago

Remorseful Waitress Sends $1,000 and Apology for Money Stolen 20 Years Ago



The owner of a popular Tucson, Ariz., restaurant received a letter last week from a former waitress who was so full of remorse over money stolen 20 years ago that she was paying it back — with interest added. Included in the envelope was $1,000 in cash.


“It definitely restores your faith in humanity,” wrote Ray Flores, the son of the owner, on Facebook.


The anonymous waitress didn’t sign the letter but said she pocketed extra cash in the 1990s by not ringing up drinks. She included in the envelope multiple $100 bills. She also said she “grew up in church” and “knew better,” but did it anyway. CBS News reported that El Charro Café is well-known in the area.


“It’s been 20 years, but I still carry great remorse,” the anonymous person wrote. “I am very sorry that I stole from you. Please accept my apology and this money as a repayment + 20 years of interest. May God forever bless you and your family.”


Incredibly, the letter was received one day after the owner, Carlotta Flores, 72, was robbed. Her purse was stolen while she was buying groceries.


The letter lifted her spirits.


“She came up to me and said in Spanish, ‘baby Jesus is still around.’ She hands me an envelope and this money falls out,” Ray Flores told CBS News. “And I say ‘Are you for real?’ Her eyes welled up and she said, ‘Can you believe it?’”


Ray…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Pennsylvania Diocese Releases Names of 71 Priests Accused of Sex Abuse

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(Photo: Facebook/Diocese of Harrisburg)Bishop Ronald Gainer, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.

A Pennsylvania-based Roman Catholic diocese has released a list of clergy and other church-affiliated figures accused of sexually abusing minors.

The Diocese of Harrisburg announced the release of the list of 71 names, which included 37 priests, three deacons, six seminarians, and 16 others from religious communities.

All of the figures named on the list had ties to the diocese, with the allegations going as far back as the 1940s. The diocese cautioned in its report that those on the list were not necessarily guilty.

“The term ‘accused’ is emphasized to note that the list below includes summations of accusations; the list does not include assessments of credibility or guilt,” explained the report.

Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, head of the diocese, said in a statement on Wednesday that compiling the list came “with great sadness,” because “once again we come face-to-face with the horror that innocent children were the victims of egregious acts.”

“I am saddened because I know that behind every story is the face of a child precious in God’s sight; a child who has been wounded by the sins of those who should have known better,” said Gainer.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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