All of us who trust in the Lord will go through challenging and hard times. We live in a fallen world. We suffer ourselves at times. At times we suffer because our children or grandchildren are suffering or not walking with the Lord. I recently talked with a couple whose daughter is living with her boyfriend, not following Jesus and seems to want little to do with her parents. Another parent I know grieves on a regular basis because her son has chosen to live a homosexual lifestyle. I know another believer whose business is struggling. And I know several believers who are going through serious health problems. In all these kinds of struggles we can be tempted to fear or wonder if the Lord will help us.

Am I going to trust in the Lord and his Word or my own heart and assessment of the situation? Am I going to trust God’s promises or my own understanding?

God tells us we have two options: To trust in the Lord with all our heart and to acknowledge him in all our ways or to lean on our own understanding and be wise in our own eyes.

This means we should trust God’s word wholeheartedly. Without doubt. Not partially. We must not think, “Well, maybe God’s word doesn’t apply to this situation. Maybe it applies to most situations, but not this one.”

We must believe that if God has made a promise he will fulfill it somehow. Some way. In his timing. I think this is especially hard with his promises for our children. He has made numerous promises to save them and to answer our prayers for them. I know many parents who did all they could to teach their kids about the Lord and bring them up in the knowledge of him. They took their children to church every week. Sent them to youth camps, etc. And now their children are not following the Lord. It is grieving to the parents. It is so hard to understand. After all God’s word promises that he will “establish” our children (Psalm 102:28), fill them with his Word and Spirit (Isaiah 59:21), and personally teach all our children (Isaiah 54:19). Yet they aren’t following as adults. So hard to understand.

We need to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding in all kinds of other situations. When we are tempted to lust. Tempted to get involved in sexual sin. Satan will lie to us, just like he lied to Eve in the garden. “You will not surely die. Nothing is going to happen to you. No one will ever know.”

We need to trust God with our finances. “I tithe, I give to the poor, yet why am I so tight? I thought God promised to bless me. Yet here we are. Financially tight. Why should I keep giving to the Lord?”

God tells us: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. He also tells us: Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

That’s the big question: who will we trust? The Lord or ourselves? The Lord, who is all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, and completely good and loving, or our own understanding? Our own “eyes” or our own limited view of things, our own limited assessment of things.

Source: Church Leaders

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New research from the Barna Group found that the share of practicing Christians in the United States has nearly dropped in half over the last two decades — a shift the group warns will have “major repercussions” for church leaders.

The latest research from the evangelical Christian polling firm, which examined the role of Christianity in the American Church, reveals that that just 25 percent of Americans are practicing Christians, compared to 45 percent in 2000.

Barna defines a “practicing Christian” as someone who identifies as a Christian, agrees strongly that faith is very important in their lives and has attended church within the past month.

According to Barna, half of those who identified as practicing Christians in 2000 fell away from consistent faith engagement, essentially becoming non-practicing Christians (2000: 35 percent vs. 2020: 43 percent), while the other half moved into the non-Christian segment (2000: 20 percent vs. 2019: 30 percent).

David Kinnaman, president of Barna, said the findings indicate a “major reshuffling of Americans’ spiritual lives.”

“Monthly, committed churchgoers are now about half as common as they were two decades ago,” he said. “This shift has major repercussions for church leaders as there is increased struggle to attract and retain the active segment of churchgoers.”

The findings are part of the State of the Church 2020 study, a year-long examination of the spiritual and religious trends that define American life these days. For the report, Barna explored data collected among 96,171 surveys over more than 20 years.

The report also found that while 36 percent fewer Americans attended church weekly in 2020 than in 1993, consistency of Bible reading has remained steady for nearly a decade. Nearly the same percent of U.S. adults today report reading their Bibles weekly as did in 1993 (2020: 35 percent vs. 1993: 34 percent).

Additionally, large majorities of Americans still say that prayer is something that they do on a weekly basis: From 1996 to 2010, there “was no statistical difference in the percentage of Americans who prayed, with the number hovering around 83 percent,” notes Barna.

The research indicates that Americans are “softening in their practice of Christianity,” according to Kinnaman. He said it “raises urgent questions for church leaders about the nature of the relationship Americans have to Christian practice.”

“What redefines and what anchors the churchgoing, Bible reading and prayer of adults? Among the interesting stories in the data is that private practices of faith—such as prayer and Scripture intake—aren’t sliding as much as church attendance,” he said.

Source: Christian Post

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ROME (AP) — Italy announced a sweeping quarantine early Sunday for its northern regions, igniting travel chaos as it restricted the movements of a quarter of its people in a bid to halt the new coronavirus’ relentless march across Europe.

Shortly after midnight, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree affecting 16 million people in the country’s prosperous north, including the Lombardy region and at least 14 provinces in neighboring regions. The extraordinary measures will be in place until April 3.

“For Lombardy and for the other northern provinces that I have listed, there will be a ban for everybody to move in and out of these territories and also within the same territory,” Conte said. “Exceptions will be allowed only for proven professional needs, exceptional cases and health issues.”

Around the world, other countries have been increasingly imitating China – where the virus first emerged late last year — by imposing travel controls and shutting down public events. China has suffered about three-fourths of the world’s 106,000 coronavirus infections and most of its nearly 3,600 deaths.

There was chaos and confusion in the hours before Conte signed the decree, as word leaked to the news media about the planned quarantine. Students at the University of Padua in northern Italy who had been out at bars on a Saturday night saw the rumors on their cellphones and rushed back to their apartments to grab their belongings and head to the train station.

Hundreds of passengers, some wearing face masks and rubber gloves, crammed onto the last local train leaving Padua at 11:30 p.m. Anxious students wrapped scarves around their heads, shared sanitizing gel, and sat on their suitcases in the aisles. No conductor came by to check tickets.

“I read two hours ago that they may be putting out an urgent decree putting Padua in the red zone. Because I would like to return down south to my relatives, I decided to go earlier,” said one student, Roberto Pagliara, who moved up a planned Tuesday departure for his hometown of Puglia in southern Italy.

Italy on Saturday reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since its outbreak began on Feb. 21. The number of infected people rose 1,247 in the previous 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883. Italy’s death toll rose to 233.

Regional politicians were taken aback by the lockdown. Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna region, said parts of the decree were confusing. The mayor of Asti, in the Piedmont region, posted an irate video on his Facebook page slamming Rome for not keeping regional leaders in the loop.

“Nobody told me,” Maurizio Rasero screamed, adding that he had hundreds of messages on his cell phone from alarmed citizens. “It’s incredible that information that is so delicate and important would come out in the newspaper first.”

The fate of foreign visitors stuck in red zones in northern Italy was not immediately clear.

The move echoed China’s lockdown of some 60 million people in central Hubei province in late January, which is now in its sixth week. China’s harsh travel restrictions came too late to prevent infected people from seeding outbreaks elsewhere, but the World Health Organization has credited the lockdown with slowing the spread of the virus and “buying the world time” to handle the outbreak.

With a nose-dive in tourist traffic and disruptions to supply chains, stocks got off to another rocky start Sunday as Mideast indexes opened down 6% to 8%.

Around the world, more events and festivals were called off, including the women’s world hockey championships in Canada. Bahrain said its Formula One race this month will take place without spectators over virus fears. Japan’s time-honored grand sumo tournament opened Sunday in Osaka to no fans and wrestlers arrived wearing face masks.

The virus outbreak has left the cruise ship industry in disarray.

The Grand Princess cruise ship, where 21 people have tested positive for the virus, was headed to the port of Oakland, California, after idling off San Francisco for days. There is evidence the ship was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of almost 20 cases during an earlier voyage.

“Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined,” U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said. “Those who will require medical help will receive it.”

The ship, which is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries, is expected to reach Oakland on Monday. According to the ship’s captain, guests who require acute medical treatment will be transported to health care facilities in California; healthy Californians will go into quarantine in state; other U.S. residents will go to quarantines elsewhere; the crew will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship.

Grand Princess Capt. John Smith said he was not yet told what will happen to passengers from other countries.

In Egypt, a cruise ship on the Nile carrying more than 150 people was under quarantine in the southern city of Luxor after 45 people on board tested positive for the virus.

The port of Penang in Malaysia turned away the Costa Fortuna cruise ship because 64 of the 2,000 aboard are from Italy. The ship, which had already been rejected by Thailand, was heading to Singapore.

And in Malta, which reported its first case of the virus Saturday, the MSC Opera ship agreed not to enter the Mediterranean country’s port amid local worries — even though there are no infections suspected on board. The ship continued to Messina, Sicily, where passengers were allowed to disembark.

In the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged older adults and people with severe medical conditions to “stay home as much as possible” and avoid crowds. A federal official told The Associated Press that the W hite House had overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and sick Americans not fly on commercial airlines. The U.S. death toll from the virus climbed to 19, with all but three victims in Washington state.

While many scientists said the world is clearly in the grips of a pandemic — a serious global outbreak – the World Health Organization isn’t calling it that yet, saying the word might spook the world further.

“I think it’s pretty clear we’re in a pandemic and I don’t know why WHO is resisting that,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

As of Saturday, nearly 90,000 cases have been reported in Asia; more than 8,000 in Europe; 6,000 in the Mideast; about 450 in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and fewer than 50 cases reported so far in Africa.

In Iran, fears over the virus and the government’s waning credibility has become a major challenge to leaders already reeling from American sanctions. More than 1,000 infections were confirmed overnight, bringing the country’s total to 5,823 cases, including 145 deaths.

China on Sunday reported 44 new cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest level since it began publishing nationwide figures on Jan 20, and 27 new fatalities. South Korea reported 272 new cases, taking the total to 7,313, with 50 deaths overall.

The virus has not even spared islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with the tiny archipelago nation of the Maldives reporting its two first cases

Copyright 2020. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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TEXT: Psalm 72

1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

——-

John Piper said, “When I pray for revival I pray first for the most radical thing: The utter devotion and allegiance of your hearts to Christ. That you would love Him so deeply and long for Him so passionately that His coming would be your great hope, and death would be gain, and life would be for Christ and His kingdom.”

On March 16th, 1942, General Douglas MacArthur is ordered out of the Philippines after a siege of America’s last stronghold in the country. All that is left is the island of Bataan. A reluctant MacArthur finally leaves Bataan for Australia, but before he leaves says “I shall return.” Eventually the Japanese take over MacArthur’s last stronghold in the Philippines and on April 9th, after being denied food and water 70,000 American and Filipino nurses are forced to march 100 kilometers to a death camp 16,000 die of malaria, heat, and dysentery. Two years after leaving, General Douglas MacArthur returns to the island of Leyte in the Philippines to begin the clean up operations to drive what remains of the defeated army of Japan out of the country, fulfilling his word. Just as General MacArthur returned to liberate the Philippines, we can rest assured that Jesus will return to liberate the earth.

In our last few messages in this series, we looked at the hope that we have for the Second Coming based upon the Covenant that God made with King David and the blessings He bestowed upon the Kingdom of Israel. First, we saw that Jesus’ reign will be a reign of righteousness. Second, we saw that Jesus’ reign will be a reign of peace. Third, we saw that Jesus’ reign will be a reign of totality. Fourth, we saw that Jesus’ reign will be a reign of compassion. Fifth, we saw that Jesus’ reign will be a reign of prosperity.

Sixth, Jesus’ reign will be a cause for us to praise the Lord. Psalms 72:17-20 says, “His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” This psalm is ended on notes of giving praise and glory to God. We also find a model for giving praise and glory to God for the reign of Jesus Christ in this Psalm. We can praise God because we know that Jesus’ reign will last for all of eternity. Alexander McLaren said, “The perpetuity, which he conceived of as belonging to a family and an office, really belongs to the One King, Jesus Christ, whose Name is above every name, and will blossom anew in fresh revelations of its infinite contents, not only while the sun shines, but when its fires are cold and its light quenched.” We praise God because all the world will be blessed in Christ. The King of Kings described in this psalm does not just fulfill the promise that God made to King David. Jesus fulfils the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” David Guzik said, “Solomon was moved to praise when he considered the greatness of Messiah the King. The work in and through Jesus the Messiah is the work of wondrous things. Let the whole earth be filled with His glory: The thought of the greatness of God and His work naturally led the heart to long that this blessing be extended through the whole earth and that it not only be touched by but filled with His glory.”

When we look around us at a world full of suffering, we can take comfort and hope in knowing the Jesus will come again to set up His kingdom over all the earth. He will reign with righteousness, establish justice, and conquer with peace. He will rule with compassion and bless us all with prosperity. G. Campbell Morgan said, “To us the song of this psalm is a prophecy of hope. We have seen the King, and we know the perfect Kingdom must come, for God cannot be defeated.” With this knowledge, let us follow in the footsteps of David and Solomon, and bless the glorious name of God forever.

Horatio Spafford wrote:

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

—–

Now, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to trust in Him because He is coming again and you do not want to be left behind. Here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and the consequences of sin.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.

He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

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Quacquarelli Symonds, a leading global higher education company, has ranked the Catholic University of Notre Dame in Indiana as the top university in the world for theology, divinity and religious studies in their 2020 World University Rankings, released in London on Wednesday.

The QS rankings by subject matter are based on the academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact of each of the world’s top 1,000 universities included in the rankings.

American schools made up more than half of the top 10 schools for theology, divinity and religious studies and they are: University of Notre Dame, University of Oxford, Harvard University, Durham University, University of Cambridge, Yale University, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Duke University, University of Chicago, and Boston College.

The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Theology explains that even though they are “committed in a particular way to the interpretation and articulation of the Catholic tradition” they also study theology beyond denominational lines.

“Although Catholicity is neither quantifiable nor fully achieved anywhere, the department’s Catholic identity is reflected in the composition of its faculty, in the nature and content of its curriculum, and in its responsiveness to the intellectual and pastoral needs of the Catholic Church and to the intellectual and future ministerial needs of its students,” the school said.

“Notwithstanding our identification with the Catholic tradition, we comprise a wide range of religious perspectives. While the department’s central core is the Catholic tradition, the department is deliberately ecumenical; we are committed to dialogue with one another’s traditions because theology cannot be done adequately in a narrowly denominational manner,” it explained.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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Thirteen Americans suspected of being exposed to the coronavirus during a trip to the Holy Land are in quarantine near Bethlehem with armed guards stationed outside their hotel.

Chris Bell, 42, lead pastor of the 3 Circle Church in Fairhope, Alabama, traveled to Israel with 12 others in his faith community on Monday after being told that the country was not under any immediate risk from the coronavirus.

Bell says he now regrets embarking on what was going to be the ‘trip of a lifetime’ after the group was called back to the Angel Hotel in Beit Jala near Bethlehem and placed into quarantine.

A Greek man who previously stayed at the hotel was diagnosed with the coronavirus and there are now more than 40 members of staff and visitors trapped under an armed guard inside the building until they complete their 14 days of quarantine.

Bell is calling on the United States government to intervene and fly the group home to continue the remainder of their quarantine, saying ‘we need to get home’.

No member of the group is showing symptoms and their test results are expected Saturday.

‘Even if we need to be quarantined, we’re hoping that the United States, our own country, will possibly fly us home,’ Bell said in a video chat with Reuters from the second floor of the Angel Hotel.

‘And if they need to quarantine us there for a time we understand that. But, you know, we need to get home.’

The group arrived in Israel on Monday and spent several days exploring before checking out of their hotel on Thursday with the intention of traveling on to Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River and Petra.

Authorities quickly summoned them back after four hotel workers tested positive and they were placed in quarantine and tested Friday. The workers were tested after a Greek tourist who stayed in the hotel between February 23 and 29 was diagnosed.

The group expects to be given their results over the weekend and are then hoping to make their way home with the aid of the U.S. government.

‘The level of frustration is really not with an individual or a person, but it’s kind of the overall situation that it’s hard to get information, so it’s been very hard to get clear information, so there’s been far more questions than there has been answers,’ Bell told Fox.

‘All we need are prayers and a clear bill of health.’

Source: Daily Mail

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An exorcist has claimed that he once saw a woman throw a man twice her size across the room as he tried to “remove her demon”.

Pastor Bob Larson says he has performed more than 40,000 exorcisms in a career spanning several decades.

Many of his most bizarre rituals are shown on his YouTube channel .

But, in an exclusive chat with Daily Star Online, Bob revealed one exorcism that was so terrifying it didn’t even make its way online.

“I have seen extraordinarily violent displays of behaviour,” he told this site.

“I have seen a 90lbs (40.8kgs) woman pick up a 200lbs (90.7lbs) man and throw him across the room.”

Source: Daily Star

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