Experts have now removed 1,500 devices since work got underway in the spring of this year to make land in the Qasr al-Yahud area safe enough that members of the public can visit from January 2020.
The operation is being financed through $2.6 million of funding from UK-based anti-mining charity the HALO Trust and $2 million from the Israeli government.
Chief executive, James Cowan was quoted by Reuters as saying: “This Christmas/holiday season, the Halo Trust has reached a pivotal point in our work to clear the Baptism Site of landmines and other remnants of war… which will ultimately benefit all humanity.”
A team of 22 landmine clearers from the country of Georgia have now cleared three or the seven church compounds in Qasr al-Yahud – which is located 10km east of Jericho.
A Greek Orthodox monastery, a Franciscan chapel and the Ethiopian Monastery of the Trinity have so far been cleared.
The Syrian Orthodox monastery, Russian chapel, Coptic monastery, and Roman monastery are yet to be cleared. Seven denominations have been involved in the operation.
The ongoing clearance, which took years to negotiate, was also delayed for two years by funding issues.
Qasr al-Yahud was popular among pilgrims until 1968 when Israel blocked off it and the area became part of an off-limits…
Wang Yi, who is the leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, was arrested Sunday evening as a service was set to take place.
Church announcements sent to members and passed to press outlets before the detentions stated: “Lord, help us to have the Christian’s conscience and courage to resist this ‘Orwellian nonsense’ with more positive Gospel action and higher praise.
“Without love, there is no courage.”
While some of members of the church were released on Monday, others have been placed on house arrest, including the assistant deacon Zhang Guoqing.
Christians in the country have routinely been faced with government crackdowns on their faith.
Officially, the People’s Republic of China is an atheist country but the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life estimated there are more than 67 million Christians in China.
The state only recognises the Protestant ‘Three-Self Patriotic Movement’ – a government-aligned church based on the principles of “self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation.”
Over the past few years, the government has intensified its regulation of religion in China.
In 2016, it introduced new regulation that placed all places of worship under the control of the government, with foreign ties banned.
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Last Thursday, Kelsey Zwick boarded a flight from Orlando to Philadelphia with Lucy, one of her eleven-month-old twin daughters. Lucy suffers from severe chronic lung disease and still needs oxygen at night and when flying.
Carrying Lucy’s oxygen machine, the two were settled into their seat when a flight attendant told them a passenger in first class wanted to switch places. Kelsey later expressed her gratitude to “the man in 2D” in a Facebook post that quickly went viral:
“Thank you. Not just for the seat itself but for noticing. For seeing us and realizing that maybe things are not always easy. For deciding you wanted to show a random act of kindness to US. It reminded me how much good there is in this world. I can’t wait to tell Lucy someday.”
We change the world one person at a time.
“That’s a lot about me, Jon.”
At the state funeral for President George H. W. Bush, biographer Jon Meacham read one of the most meaningful eulogies I have ever heard. I wished that the president could have heard his moving words of tribute.
It turns out, he did.
Meacham wrote a bestselling biography of the forty-first president titled Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Through the project, he and the Bush family developed a close and personal relationship.
While Meacham and others who delivered tributes to the president have been applauded for their eloquence, the truth is that George H. W. Bush wrote his own eulogy with his life. He authored no formal autobiography (All the Best, a book of his letters, diary entries, and memos, comes the closest), but he lived with such courage, patriotism, and integrity that his life became his legacy.
Sister Susan Francois, 46, of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace religious order, sent her first prayer to Donald Trump’s official @POTUS account just a few days after he was inaugurated in 2017.
“When I sent the first tweet, it was purely for myself,” she told the New York Times.
“I didn’t expect it to make a big splash. But that fact that it was public and that I committed to it every day means I have to do it, even if I don’t want to.
“It’s been the hardest spiritual practice I’ve ever committed to.”
My first #dailytweet@POTUS A) Praying for you and country B) Please release your tax returns as you pledged on campaign #TrumpTaxReturns
Francois’s tweets usually encourage Mr Trump to be mindful of Christian values but also sometimes highlight policy suggestions.
Her 657th tweet stated: “Dear @POTUS, as you represent nation on global stage at #G20, praying that you keep in mind and heart the common good of all future and present generations over ego, personal agenda, or special interests.”
She has also been critical of Mr Trump’s decisions.
The arrests, which took place in various cities across the county, follow approximately 150 detentions last month.
Zoe Smith, head of advocacy at Open Doors UK – a charity which speaks out on persecution against Christians – described the news as “highly concerning”.
She said: “It follows an established trend of the Iranian government – as the number of converts to Christianity increase, so the authorities place greater restrictions on churches”.
“The restrictions are worse for churches seen to be attended by Christians who have converted from Islam.
Please pray for a safe and peaceful #Christmas for believers in #Iran like Nava*, who must celebrate the birth of Jesus in secret for fear of being imprisoned – or even sentenced to death. #PrayWithThem
I simply want to uncover a dark reality of which many church members have little knowledge: many pastors are being fired this Christmas season.
I know. I see it every year. I deal with it every year.
To be clear, I cannot be certain pastor terminations accelerate at Christmas. Perhaps the numbers seem high since the timing is so insidious. Regardless, these considerations apply regardless of the time of year.
Many pastor firings occur because one or a few malcontents are spreading rumors. Please check the sources of these rumors. Please ask people other than the malcontents and bullies.
A number of pastor firings occur due to underhanded actions by other staff. I know of one situation where the executive pastor did not like the leadership of the pastor, so he worked in darkness with the personnel committee to get the pastor fired. The personnel committee never asked for the pastor’s side of the conflict.
Many pastors are fired without any explanation. I am surprised how often this reality transpires. Typically, the personnel committee or similar group tells the pastors they will not get a severance if they challenge them or question them.
Very few pastors get adequate severance when they are fired. It typically takes several months for a pastor to find a job. Severance often runs out before then.
Your church is labeled as a “preacher-eating” church. Your church’s reputation and witness are hurt in the community. You will…
END OF YEAR THANKSGIVING SERVICE (1) – 9TH DECEMBER 2018 ANCHOR SCRIPTURE(S): 2 SAMUEL 6:5-23 MESSAGE TOPIC: DOUBLE CELEBRATION FOR MULTIPLE MANIFESTATIONS (1) BY: DR. PAUL ENENCHE
SERVICE OBJECTIVE: Understanding the purpose and power of thanksgiving
WHAT THANKSGIVING IS ALL ABOUT:
It is the offering of appreciation unto God
Appreciation is application for more – Bishop David Oyedepo
It is the rendering of testimonies (Rev. 12:11)
It is the demonstration of faith
WHAT THE PEOPLE WERE CELEBRATING IN 2 SAMUEL 6:5-23:
The celebration of mercy We are alive today and not in the grave by mercy You are in your right senses today by mercy Whatever your situation may be right now, you are a product of mercy You may have lost a job but thank God you didn’t lose your heart, liver or kidneys! As long as you have life, you can get job back
The celebration of exemption from destruction You were exempted from what destroyed others in your shoes
The celebration of the frustration of enemy expectation (Acts 12:11; Ps. 112:10; 23:5; 1Pet. 3:13) We live in a world where people are waiting to hear bad news and evil reports to justify their bad wishes and demonic verdicts When people have vowed that they must see your downfall, God has also vowed that He must ensure your lifting! Don’t ever be afraid of the wishes of the wicked, it will never see the light of day! (1Pet. 3:13)
The celebration of restoration There are many things restored in our lives that we need to celebrate God for per time Losing your relationship with God and then returning back to God is worth celebrating Entering into a police case or court case and coming out is worth celebrating
The celebration of life Life is a privilege, not a right Life is a gift, not for sale If the devil has not touched your life then there is hope If your energy is intact then your destiny is still intact When you take your life for granted you end up stranded, grounded and at the end of it life is aborted
The celebration of help (1Chron. 15:26; Rom. 9:16; Eccl. 9:11) No one can start a journey and finish a journey without the help of God The journey so far is by the help of God!
The celebration of a new season As a church we are in a new season!
THE OUTCOME OF THE CELEBRATION/THANKSGIVING:
The release of the Blessing (2Sam. 6:18-19)
Thanksgiving positions us for greater blessings
The renewal of life (2Sam. 6:18-19; Matt. 4:4)
The release of light (2Sam. 6:18-19; Matt. 4:4)
Your thanksgiving can make light break out in the night for you
The connection of strength (2Sam. 6:18-19; 1Kings 19:8)
Your energy and strength are at the mercy of your praise (Neh. 8:10b)
Access to supernatural supplies (2Sam. 6:18-19; Ps. 15:15-16)
The release of joy (2Sam. 6:18-19; Ps. 104:15; Acts 2:13)
The release of joy is the arrest of sorrow
The fullness of the Spirit (2Sam. 6:18-19; Acts 2:13; Eph. 5:18)
The judgment of the wicked/mockers (2Sam. 6:20-23)
Our thanksgiving is complete with our offerings and sacrifices (1Chron. 15:26)
PRAYER: Father, thank You for the privilege of being alive today, for the privilege of being in Your Presence and hearing Your Word. To You Lord be all the glory, in Jesus’ Name.
PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS:
I prophesy to you today, God will bypass your limitations and give you your manifestation!
God is going to bypass protocols and take you by surprise!
God shall answer all your prayers!
Everything that has finished and wasted others in your family and community shall never be able to locate you!
Everyone watching and waiting for you to crash, they shall be the one to crash!
The expectation of the enemy will never come to pass in your life! The evil they wish you can never happen to you! It is only what God wishes for you that can happen to you!
31st December is not permitted to arrive until God prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies!
Everyone connected, related or associated with this Commission, your life has stepped into a new phase, realm and dimension!
The difference between where you are coming from and where God is taking you shall not be small!
Every supply needed to make December exciting shall be released in due season!
As we celebrate God in this season, every sorrow packaged for you and your family is returned back to hell!
At the end of this service, your spiritual life is shifting levels
After this morning’s service, anybody mocking you and your God, God will judge them!
Every agent of molestation looking for you to harass you, they shall lose their peace, sleep and rest until all that is yours is returned to you!
Before this year is over, every gate that is still closed shall be opened!
Whatever came here with you that is not of God is uprooted!
Every mountain that came here with you, that mountain is flattened and returned back to hell!
Everyone appointed to die, today, by this mantle, that appointment is cancelled! You shall live and shall fulfil your days!
Every devil that said you should not have a voice, that devil is arrested!
This last season of the year shall be the best part of the year!
31st December is not permitted to arrive until your expectations come to pass!
In this season, there shall be no loss!
Everything that is meant to enter your hands this year that has not yet entered, it is released into your hands!
Systems are put under pressure; they lose their sleep, peace and rest until all that they are holding that belongs to you is released into your hands!
What is yours shall not be diverted! No one shall take what is yours!
Something that is missing shall be found even before Christmas
Gates that are still closed against you are opened to you right now!
You shall not be cut short before your time! You shall fulfil your days!
As you walk these grounds you are stepping into your manifestations!
Before this year is over, you will have something to celebrate! Something good must happen to you before this year is over!
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.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The Supernatural means that which exists above or beyond natural laws. It is attributed to being above or superior to the natural and it comes from the unseen realm. The natural is visible but the supernatural is invisible. The natural is inferior while the supernatural is superior. The natural is temporal and the supernatural is eternal. The supernatural is not seen but it is real and permanent.
Hebrews 11:3 (KJV) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The visible earth is a proof that there is an invisible heaven. The word of God is invisible and able to supernaturally frame the world into existence. If God framed the world by His word, then you must frame your world by His word. Whatever you want, you must frame it with the invisible word of God. The invisible (supernatural) is more real, superior and rules over the visible (natural).
There are two manifestations of the supernatural: the positive and the negative supernatural. God controls the positive supernatural while satan controls the negative. Every evil occurrence gets its source from the manipulator, Satan but once the word of God is put into action by a believer, it neutralizes the effectiveness of the negative supernatural thereby putting a halt to such satanic occurrence.
For instance the word of God in Isaiah 54:17 says, ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn…’ If you would believe this word and in faith declare it to that awful situation that you are facing, then you will be sure of victory in the supernatural. As a Christian, you must know how to operate in that realm.
John 1:12-13 (KJV) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Being born of your parents is natural and has to do with the flesh; but being born of God is supernatural and has to do with the Spirit. Once you are born again, you automatically become an heir to God’s Kingdom and have been given the Power of Attorney, to exercise authority and gain dominion over the affairs of life.
Job 22:28 (KJV) Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
So, do not be controlled by any other thing but by the word of God which supersedes everything. The secret to overcoming the devil is to understand that in the hierarchy of the spirit, you are superior to the devil and he (satan) is ever ready to stand at your command.
Operating in the supernatural makes you not to see things from the natural perspective, rather you see things beyond the natural (that is supernatural).
Grace to manifest your true nature (the supernatural) as a child of God be imparted in you now in Jesus name – Amen!
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.
Topic: Seek God First [Kenneth Copeland Devotional 10 December 2018]
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. –Matthew 6:33
Whenever Ken and I talk about living by faith, I know there are some people who think, Oh, that’s easy for you. You’re preachers. You have it made! And, in some ways, we do. We have it made because our calling demands that we give God our attention, and giving God your attention always brings success.
But we haven’t always lived that way. In fact, the first time I ever saw Kenneth Copeland, he was about as far from a preacher as I figured you could get. He flew planes and sang in nightclubs. As for me, I was a college girl who said she would never marry a preacher and who had never even heard about the new birth.
Right after we got married, Ken went into a business enterprise that we thought was going to make us rich. So I quit my job and went to work for this new company. Two weeks later it folded.
We ended up sleeping on a rented rollaway bed that sagged in the middle. We had a wrought-iron coffee table Ken made in high school and a black and white TV. Nothing else. No refrigerator. No stove. I cooked in my coffee pot and an electric skillet and used a cardboard box on the porch to keep our food cold.
We were flat broke. Unemployed. Deeply in debt. I had nowhere to go. No furniture. No nothing.
Then one day I picked up the Bible Ken’s mother had given him for his birthday. In the front she’d written this verse, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I turned and read Matthew 6. It said God cared for the birds. For the first time in my life it got into my heart that God cared where I was and what I was doing. I figured if He cared for birds, He cared for me! I knelt in that bare room and told Jesus that if He could do anything with my life, He could certainly have it. That’s all I remember saying.
I had no idea I had just been born again. Two weeks later Ken found a new job. We moved to a new furnished apartment and bought a better car. In the midst of it all, something else happened—Ken got born again.
Don’t worry if you don’t “have it made.” We certainly didn’t when all this started. Just stick with God and let Him make you. He is a good God who is good to all (Psalms 145:9).
Make a decision in your heart to seek Him first. Then all the other things will be added.
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
Topic: Honor Your Parents [Andrew Wommack Devotional 10 December 2018]
John 19:26“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”
Children are to honor their parents, even after they become adults. However, the command to obey is temporary (Gal. 4:1-2). Honor naturally leads to obedience if nothing is asked contrary to God’s laws, but honor and obedience are not synonymous. The scriptures teach that when a child marries he is to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his mate (Gen. 2:24). Parental dominance that extends into marriage is the source of many divorces and much marital strife. Yet, a child is to honor his parents for all their life.
The definition of the word “honor” means “to esteem, respect”, and the Greek word from which “honor” is translated means “to prize, i.e. to fix a valuation upon” (Strong). There are many applications of children honoring their parents. Certainly, one of the violations of this commandment today, is children esteeming and respecting the opinions of their peers above those of their parents. The idea that parents are out of date and therefore out of touch, is a devaluation of parents. Children should value the experience and wisdom of their parents more than their peers.
It says in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 that honoring your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. This command is the first one of the Ten Commandments that gives a promise of blessing to those who obey it. The promised blessing is long life and things going well.
John is the only gospel writer to give us this account of Jesus’ last ministry to His mother. Even in the face of His own extreme suffering, Jesus thought of His mother and honored her by making sure that she would be taken care of after His departure.
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
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