DAY 40 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (HELMET AND SWORD) - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

Ephesians 6:17 (The Voice Bible)

17 Take also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

DAY 40 - DAILY DEVOTION - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

“No More Bow or Sword Trusting”
Posted on February 28, 2013 by katherine


David said in Psalm 44:6, “I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.”

What are you trusting in to save you? Job, money, spouse, church, talent, 401-K, stocks or bonds, savings account, or government.

David fought a lion, a bear, & a giant named Goliath. He realized, “God is the one who gives the victory.”

Whatever you are fighting today, guess what? You Win with God!!

We won’t trust in anything or anyone, but the One who gives us the Victory because He already won the victory! You can put your complete trust in God! He has been tried & true!

Say with me now, “We will trust in the name of the Lord, Our God!”

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/no-more-bow-or-sword-trusting/

DAY 40- DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE HELMET AND SWORD) - JULY 3, 2013

July 3

Helmet of Salvation

Lord, I am so grateful for my salvation! It is the most wonderful gift You have ever given me. It changed my life and set me free; it brought healing to my body and deliverance to my mind. I want to wrap the knowledge of all that my salvation includes around my mind so tightly that the devil can never steal these benefits from my life. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me study and to understand everything Jesus purchased for me at the Cross. Reveal it to me; convince me of its truth; and help me to wear that revelation knowledge on my head like a mighty, fortified, spiritual helmet!

I pray this in Jesus' name!

http://mystispirtualjourney.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-prayer-for-today.html

Sword of the Spirit

My dear Holy Spirit, I submit myself to You again today. Continue to cultivate a spirit of sensitivity in my heart that I respond actively to Your voice and miracles (works from You) You perform around me. I thank for Your continual transforming of my inner soul - my mind for perceiving You, my will for submitting to You, and my desire for experiencing You, and also thank for Your people whom You led close to me and spoke Your words to me. An experienced pastor prayed for me, "May God renew you first before you are sent to bless the others." I pray that these words will be fulfilled in my life according to Your Grace and Work in me.

http://matthewsin01.blogspot.com/2013/03/hold-sword-of-spirit-and-pray-in-spirit.html

DAY 40 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - HELMET OF SALVATION, ANS SWORD OF THE SPIRIT?)

July 3

The helmet of salvation in verse 17 is protection for the head, keeping viable a critical part of the body. We could say that our way of thinking needs preservation. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations. The unsaved person has no hope of warding off the blows of false doctrine because he is without the helmet of salvation and his mind is incapable of discerning between spiritual truth and spiritual deception.

Verse 17 interprets itself as to the meaning of the sword of the Spirit—it is the Word of God. While all the other pieces of spiritual armor are defensive in nature, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus' temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan. What a blessing that the same Word is available to us!

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2XvUtITAQ

DAY 40 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 3, 2013

July 3

American Minute for July 3rd:

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Washington, D.C., was in a panic as 72,000 Confederate troops were just sixty miles away near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

After the Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee was under a time deadline.

Mounting casualties of the war were causing Lincoln's popularity to fall, so if Lee could get a quick victory at Gettysburg, he could pressure Lincoln to a truce.

But this window of opportunity was fast closing, as Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was about to capture Vicksburg on the Mississippi, which would divide the Confederacy and free up thousands of Union troops to fight Lee in the east.

Unfortunately for Lee, his great General, "Stonewall" Jackson had died two months earlier, having been mistakenly shot by his own men.

On the Union side, Lincoln replaced Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker with Maj. Gen. George Meade to command the 94,000 men of the Union Army of the Potomac.

The Battle of Gettysburg began July 1, 1863.

After two days of intense combat, with ammunition running low, General Robert E. Lee ordered "Pickett's Charge," where 12,500 Confederate soldiers made a direct attack on the Union position at Cemetery Ridge.

After an hour of murderous fire and bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Confederates were pushed back and the Battle of Gettysburg ended JULY 3, 1863, with over 50,000 casualties.

The next day, Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant, giving the Union Army control of the Mississippi River.

When news reached London, all hopes of Europe recognizing the Confederacy were ended.

On July 5, 1863, President Lincoln and his son were visiting General Daniel E. Sickles, who had his leg blown off at Gettysburg. As recorded by General James F. Rusling, when Lincoln was asked if he had been anxious before the Battle, he gravely answered:

"No, I was not; some of my Cabinet and many others in Washington were, but I had no fears...

In the pinch of your campaign up there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day, and I locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg.

I told Him that this was His war, and our cause His cause, but we couldn't stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And I then and there made a solemn vow to Almighty God, that if He would stand by our boys at Gettysburg, I would stand by Him.

And He did stand by you boys, and I will stand by Him. And after that (I don't know how it was, and I can't explain it), soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul that God Almighty had taken the whole business into his own hands and that things would go all right at Gettysburg. And that is why I had no fears about you."

Twelve days after the Battle of Gettysburg, July 15, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Prayer:

"It is meet and right to recognize and confess the presence of the Almighty Father and the power of His hand equally in these triumphs and in these sorrows...

I invite the people of the United States to...render the homage due to the Divine Majesty for the wonderful things He has done in the nation's behalf and invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit to subdue the anger which has produced and so long sustained a needless and cruel rebellion."

In his Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln ended:

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

At the Gettysburg Battlefield, May 30, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt said:

"On these hills of Gettysburg two brave armies of Americans once met in contest...Since those days, two subsequent wars, both with foreign Nations, have measurably...softened the ancient passions. It has been left to us of this generation to see the healing made permanent."

In his 3rd Inaugural Address, President Franklin Roosevelt said, January 20, 1941:

"The spirit of America...is the product of centuries....born in the multitudes of those who came from many lands...

The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history. It is human history...

Its vitality was written into our own Mayflower Compact, into the Declaration of Independence, into the Constitution of the United States, into the Gettysburg Address...

If the spirit of America were killed, even though the Nation's body...lived on, the America we know would have perished."

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DAY 39 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (SHIELD OF FAITH) - JULY 2, 2013

July 2

Ephesians 6:16 (The Voice Bible)

16 Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one.

http://www.hearthevoice.com/search-bible

DAY 39 - DAILY DEVOTION - JULY 2, 2013

July 2


Making History With Our Story
Posted on June 21, 2013 by katherine


Lyle Mason- let’s go make history in a few hours & start our story together.. Many people have been touched by our God & His incredible love for us & that He would be so gracious in bringing us together so quickly.

Some have questioned, but no one really understands until you have walked in our shoes & had the depth of love that we both shared with our spouses, and knowing how faithful we were to our spouses until death did they part.

God was the one to whom we called upon in those darks hours when no one else was around, as we raised high our arms towards Heaven to worship Him & believe that He had a plan for us even though we couldn’t see it. God was The One we begged, to take away the pain & as He wiped our tears & said, “Trust me, my child, for I know the plans I have for you.”

And, He is the one who saved us, healed us & turned us around for His Glory. He is The One who healed our broken hearts & turned our hearts towards one another.

I pray that many people will find love like we have between us, and that marriages will be restored & re-united to the Father’s heart & to one another. I told you early on in our relationship that I wished every woman could experience the love like you have shown me.

You are one in a zillion, is that a number or word?!! You know me & my math aren’t that great.. LOL

If God be for us, who can be against us? GOD IS SO FOR US & WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD!! I love you & will see you very soon!!

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/making-history-with-our-story/

DAY 39- DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE SHIELD OF FAITH) - JULY 2, 2013

July 2

Strong Tower, Fortress, Cornerstone, and Shelter,

We call upon Your Mighty strength today Father, as we lift up our voices to Your throne. We thank You for always being with us, and for Your promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Through faith, You have proven these promises to be true...over and over again. With this evidence of Your unfailing power and protection, let us lift up a great shield of faith in the battle. By hearing Your word, enable us to be strengthened against the attack of the enemy. Equip us with a mighty shield of faith, capable of withstanding all the flaming arrows that satan shoots in our direction. At the end of the day Father, help us to be victorious through Your word. Deliver us Lord from every evil, and set Your word strongly before us this day.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio USA

DAY 39 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - SHIELD OF FAITH?)

July 2

The shield of faith spoken of in verse 16 makes Satan's sowing of doubt about the faithfulness of God and His Word ineffective. Our faith—of which Christ is “the author and perfecter” (Hebrews 12:2)— is like a golden shield, precious, solid, and substantial.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2Xr1vQ9D1

DAY 39 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 2, 2013

July 2

American Minute for July 2nd:

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One bullet grazed his elbow, but a second lodged in the back of President James Garfield, who was shot JULY 2, 1881, as he waited in the Washington, D.C., train station.

The assassin was Charles Guiteau, a member of a polygamist-communist cult called the Oneida Community.

Garfield had only been in office four months.

Though not wounded seriously, unsterile medical practices caused him to die two months later.

Secretary of State James Blaine sent news to James Russell Lowell, U.S. Minister in London, September 20, 1881:

“James A. Garfield, President of the United States, died...For nearly eighty days he suffered great pain, and during the entire period exhibited extraordinary patience, fortitude, and Christian resignation. Fifty millions of people stand as mourners by his bier.”

When Vice-President Chester Arthur assumed the Presidency, he declared a National Day of Mourning, September 22, 1881:

"In His inscrutable wisdom it has pleased God to remove from us the illustrious head of the nation, James A. Garfield, late President of the United States...It is fitting that the deep grief which fills all hearts should manifest itself with one accord toward the Throne of Infinite Grace...that we should bow before the Almighty...in our affliction."

James Garfield had been a Major General in the Civil War, a college president and a Disciples of Christ preacher.

Elected a U.S. Congressman, he despised fiat paper currency “Greenbacks,” supporting instead a gold-silver based monetary system.

Elected a U.S. Senator, he gave a stirring speech at the 1880 Republican National Convention opposing the rule that State delegates had to vote unanimously for only one candidate.

In an unprecedented move, after 34 ballots, Garfield was chosen as the Republican nominee over prominent contenders, including Ulysses S. Grant seeking a third term.

As President, James Garfield appointed several African-Americans to prominent federal positions.

In his Inaugural Address, March 4, 1881, Garfield stated:

"Let our people find a new meaning in the divine oracle which declares that 'a little child shall lead them,' for our own little children will soon control the destinies of the Republic...

Our children...will surely bless their fathers and their fathers' God that the Union was preserved, that slavery was overthrown, and that both races were made equal before the law."

Garfield described the Chancellor of the newly united Germany:

"I am struck with the fact that Otto von Bismarck, the great statesman of Germany, probably the foremost man in Europe today, stated as an unquestioned principle, that the support, the defense, and propagation of the Christian Gospel is the central object of the German government."

At the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1876, then Congressman James Garfield stated:

“Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress.

If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption.

If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature...

If the NEXT CENTENNIAL does not find us a great nation...it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."

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DAY 38 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS) - JULY 1, 2013

July 1

Ephesians 6:13-15 (The Voice Bible)

13 And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate,15 and feet protected in preparation to proclaim the good news of peace.

DAY 38 - DAILY DEVOTION - JULY 1, 2013

July 1

Winning the Lost @ Any Cost
Posted on March 30, 2012 by katherine

“He who wins souls is wise.” Prov.11:30 NKJV

I’m not much of a lottery player, but here in Texas I always hear the advertisements for the Mega Millions. Although it seems to be appealing, I am always reminded of something greater than winning millions… Winning Souls for Christ!

Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” We must go and share our faith if we don’t, then who will? Mark Cahill said it so perfectly, “It’s not how can I share my faith, it’s how can I Not share my faith.”

Let sharing your faith take precedence over everything else. I encourage you to start praying every morning for God to send you people to minister to and share Jesus with, talking about changing someone’s future- The Bible says, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world & loose his own soul”? Lord help us not to be so concerned with the things of this world that we ignore a lost and dying world.

Jesus’ last words were to Go into all the world & spread the gospel to the ends of the earth? “If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?” David Livingstone

God, we pray that you would keep us focused on winning souls at any costs! Its Heaven or Hell for everyone. The Bible says in Romans 14:10, that we will be held accountable for our choices. I pray that we make good choices in putting supremacy on soul winning. I can see it now, people running up to us in Heaven thanking us for taking time to talk to them about Jesus.

John Wesley said it so profoundly, “You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most…It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.”

Lord, we pray that we wouldn’t be so busy with life that we can’t take a few moments of everyday to share our faith with others. God, let your last words be our Great Commission, reaching the world for Jesus. I love what Billy Sunday said, “Let’s quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ.”

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/winning-the-lost-any-cost/

DAY 38 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE FEET OF READINESS) - JULY 1, 2013

July 1

Anointed One,

We thank You this day for the legs and feet that we walk upon. Father, for those of us that do not have legs or feet, we pray for their swift mobility in every circumstance. We also pray today for the spiritual fitting of our feet with a readiness to share Your gospel message with everyone that we encounter. That we might be bold in not only delivering Your word, but also in preparing to go out into all the world armed with it. May we diligently pray for a great equipping of Your word for our journey. Father, help us to run confidently into the battlefield, secure in the saving grace of Your word, and the knowledge that You will be with us.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen!

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio USA

DAY 38 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - FEET OF READINESS?)

July 1

Verse 15 speaks of the preparation of the feet for spiritual conflict. In warfare, sometimes an enemy places dangerous obstacles in the path of advancing soldiers. The idea of the preparation of the gospel of peace as footwear suggests what we need to advance into Satan's territory, aware that there will be traps, with the message of grace so essential to winning souls to Christ. Satan has many obstacles placed in the path to halt the propagation of the gospel.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2XqG2UiQ4

DAY 38 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JULY 1, 2013

July 1

American Minute for July 1st:

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Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charged up Cuba's San Juan Hill and captured it on JULY 1, 1898.

After eight hours of heavy fighting there were over 1,500 American casualties, with the wounded being cared for by Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.

The Spanish-American War was preceded by atrocities in Cuba, as it was the second last place in the Western Hemisphere, following Brazil, where slavery still existed.

President James Buchanan had written, December 19, 1859:

"When a market for African slaves shall no longer be furnished in Cuba...Christianity and civilization may gradually penetrate the existing gloom."

President Ulysses S. Grant stated, December 2, 1872:

"Slavery in Cuba is...a terrible evil...It is greatly to be hoped that...Spain will voluntarily adopt...emancipation...in sympathy with the other powers of the Christian and civilized world."

In 1868, a Creole farmer in Cuba began a revolt. Cubans drafted a "10th of October Manifesto":

"When rebelling us against the Spanish tyranny we want to indicate to the world the reasons...

Spain governs us with iron and blood; it imposes...taxes at will; it prevails us from all political, civil and religious freedom; it has put us under military watch in days of peace, that catch, exile and execute without being subject to any proceedings...it prohibits that we freely assemble...

Spain loads us with hungry employees who live from our patrimony and consume the product of our work...

So that we do not know our rights it maintains us in the ignorance...

It forces us to maintain a expensive army, whose unique use is to repress and to humiliate us...

To the God of our consciousness we appealed, and to the good faith of the civilized nations...

We want to enjoy the freedom for whose use God created man...We want to abolish slavery...We want freedom of meeting, freedom of the press..."

The Spanish Government crushed the revolt in what was called, "The Ten Years War," killing thousands.

Under international pressure, Spain issued a Royal decree in 1886, ending slavery.

In 1879, the Little War took place, and in 1895, a final rebellion broke out.

Spain sent Valeriano Weyler to be the Governor of Cuba with orders to smash the anti-government protestors.

Governor Weyler pioneered the use of "concentration camps," where he rounded up hundreds of thousands of Cuban civilians from their rural farms and marched them into crowded camps.

Between 1896-1897, over a third of Cuba's population was in concentration camps, and over 225,000 died from starvation, exposure and yellow fever.

When pleas for help reached the United States, the U.S.S. Maine was sent to Havana. On February 15, 1898, it blew up in the harbor, under suspicious circumstances.

Newspaper publishers William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer stirred the public with "yellow press" journalism into demanding President McKinley intervene militarily.

McKinley finally approved the Resolution of Congress, April 20, 1898:

"Whereas the abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization,

culminating, as they have, in the destruction of a United States battle ship, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, and cannot longer be endured...

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives...that the people of the island of Cuba are and of right ought to be free."

Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, resigned and organized the first volunteer cavalry, made up of polo riders, cowboys and even Indians, helping to win the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Spain lost control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

President William McKinley wrote, July 6, 1898:

"At a time...of the...glorious achievements of the naval and military arms...at Santiago de Cuba, it is fitting that we should pause and...reverently bow before the throne of divine grace and give devout praise to God, who holdeth the nations in the hollow of His Hands."

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DAY 37 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS) - JUNE 30, 2013

June 30

Ephesians 6:13-14 (The Voice Bible)

13 And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate

DAY 37 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS) - JUNE 30, 2013

June 30

Father,

Thank You for showing me the truth about myself -- that on my own I could never be good enough to live in your presence. Thank you for taking my sins to the cross and offering me your perfect, RIGHTEOUS life. Lord, show me any sin that I need to confess right now, so that nothing will hinder me from being filled to overflowing with your Spirit.[Take time for confession] Thank you for forgiving me and for filling me with your RIGHTEOUS life.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen!

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm

DAY 37 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?)

June 30

Also in verse 14, we are told to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate shielded a warrior’s vital organs from blows that would otherwise be fatal. This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, imputed by God and received by faith, which guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2XqB2Uidh

DAY 37 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 30, 2013

June 30

American Minute for June 30th:

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The first European settlement in North America was Fort Caroline at St. John's River in Florida, founded by French Christians known as Huguenots, who came for religious freedom.

On JUNE 30, 1564, they set a day of Thanksgiving and offered the first Protestant prayer in North America:

"We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us."

Rep. Charles E. Bennett sponsored a bill, September 21, 1950, establishing the Fort Caroline National Memorial.

In 1989, Rep. Bennett recited the history:

"The 425th anniversary of the beginning settlements by Europeans...renamed from Fort Caroline to San Mateo, to San Nicolas, to Cowford and finally to Jacksonville in 1822...

Three small ships carrying 300 Frenchmen led by Rene de Laudonniere anchored in the river known today as the St. Johns."

Charles Bennett continued:

"On June 30, 1564, construction of a triangular-shaped fort...was begun with the help of a local tribe of Timucuan Indians...

Home for this hardy group of Huguenots...their strong religious...motivations inspired them."

Rep. Bennett related the colony's unfortunate end:

"Fort Caroline existed but for a short time...Spain...captured...the fort and...slaughtered most of its inhabitants in September of 1565."

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DAY 36 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (BELT OF TRUTH) - JUNE 29, 2013

June 29

Ephesians 6:13-14 (The Voice Bible)

13 And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 14 Yes, stand—truth banded around your waist

DAY 36 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 29, 2013

June 29

Swept Away by Love
Posted on January 31, 2013 by katherine


I used to think that I wanted to be lavished with gifts & swept away by Mr Charming. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love all of that, but I am finding out more than the gifts being lavished on me, I would rather have His goodness & unfailing love follow me & pursue me all the days of my life.

Love is not bought or by speaking words. Love is not trying to assault me, coerce me, squeeze me, or violate me into loving you. Love is not forced, enslaved, or obligatory.

Love is your lifestyle. Love is displaying your gracious heart full of meekness and your soft answer turning away wrath. It’s not shouting or yelling for me to love you. Love is honesty and integrity when no one is looking. Love is good-hearted, courteous, helpful, virtuous, tender, and full of understanding.

Love is protecting me, preserving the gifts inside of me, encouraging me in what God created me to do, not in just being a wife to you… It goes far deeper than that.. Your love should be freely given & even at the cost of your life. Are you willing to lay your life down for love?

With all of that being said, I am captivated by 1 Cor. 13:4-7 MSG, and it is my pre-requisite for being swept away by love:

“Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle. Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.”

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/swept-away-by-love/

DAY 36 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR THE BELT OF TRUTH) - JUNE 29, 2013

June 29

Almighty Father of all truth,

We exult You Father, as our greatest source of truth. The same truth that will set us free, and the truth that will shed light upon the lies of the enemy. We pray today Father for an abundance of Your truth in our lives, that we may be made aware of the truth in all aspects of our lives. Help us to hear clearly and directly the words of truth, as the enemy tries to drown them out in the noise and chaos of this world. Help us to not only hear the words of truth, but to become speakers of truth in everything that we say. Father, keep the hands of the enemy from our ears, and the tongue of lies from our mouths. We seek Your great truth heavenly Father.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen!

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio USA

DAY 36 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHAT IS THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD - BELT OF TRUTH?)

June 29

Question: "What is the full armor of God?"

Answer:The phrase “full armor of God” comes fromEphesians 6:13-17: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:12clearly indicates that the conflict with Satan is spiritual, and therefore no tangible weapons can be effectively employed against him and his minions. We are not given a list of specific tactics Satan will use. However, the passage is quite clear that when we follow all the instructions faithfully, we will be able to stand, and we will have victory regardless of Satan’s strategy.

The first element of our armor is truth (verse 14). This is easy to understand, since Satan is said to be the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Deception is high on the list of things God considers to be an abomination. A “lying tongue” is one of the things He describes as “detestable to Him” (Proverbs 6:16-17). We are therefore exhorted to put on truth for our own sanctification and deliverance, as well as for the benefit of those to whom we witness.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html#ixzz2XpylNnPh

DAY 36 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 29, 2013

June 29

American Minute for June 29th:

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"I would rather be right than President," answered Henry Clay, when told his abolitionist position would cost him the election.

Clay was 3 times a candidate for President, once only 5,000 votes short.

The son of a Baptist minister, Henry Clay studied law under George Wythe, served in Congress over 40 years and was Speaker of the House 6 times.

Henry Clay stated in 1841:

"Patriotism, which, catching its inspiration from the immortal God...prompts to deeds of self-sacrifice, of valor, of devotion, and of death itself - that is public virtue, that is the noblest, the sublimest of all public virtues."

Clay was part of the "Great Triumvirate," with Daniel Webster and John Calhoun which led Congress during the early 1800's.

He helped negotiate the treaty ending the War of 1812 and was key to John Quincy Adams being the 6th President instead of Andrew Jackson.

In 1824, Clay supported Greeks who wanted freedom from the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and he supported South Americans wanting freedom from Spain.

Abraham Lincoln described Henry Clay in a eulogy, July 6, 1852:

"When Greece rose against the Turks and struck for liberty, his name was mingled with the battle-cry of freedom.

When South America threw off the thraldom of Spain, his speeches were read at the head of her armies by Bolivar.

His name...will continue to be hallowed in two hemisphere... Clay was without an equal...He exorcised the demon which possessed the body politic...

Clay's efforts in behalf of the South Americans, and...in behalf of the Greeks, in the times of their respective struggles for civil liberty are among the finest on record."

In 1832, when an Asiatic Cholera epidemic ravaged New York, Henry Clay recommended a Day of: "Public humiliation, prayer and fasting to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnity."

Henry Clay was second cousin's of abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay, and in 1816, helped establish the American Colonization Society to aid free American blacks in founding Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.

Clay addressed the Kentucky Colonization Society in Frankfort, 1829:

"Eighteen hundred years have rolled away since the Son of God, our blessed Redeemer, offered Himself on Mount Calvary for the salvation of our species...

When we shall, as soon we must, be translated from this into another form of existence, is the hope presumptuous that we shall behold the common Father of the whites and blacks, the great Ruler of the Universe, cast his all-seeing eye upon civilized and regenerated Africa, its cultivated fields, its coasts studded with numerous cities, adorned with towering temples dedicated to the pure religion of His Redeeming Son?"

Known as "The Great Compromiser," Clay opposed the Mexican-American War, and struggled to maintain the Union between the North and the South by proposing "The Compromise of 1850."

Henry Clay told the Senate, February 5, 1850:

"I hope it will not be out of place to do here, what again and again I have done in my private chamber, to implore of Him who holds the destinies of nations and individuals in His hands, to bestow upon our country His blessing, to calm the violence and rage of party, to still passion...

May I not ask of Him too, sir, to bestow on his humble servant...the blessing of his smiles, and of strength and ability to perform the work which now lies before him?...

I implore...Heaven...that if...the dissolution of this Union is to happen, I shall not survive to behold the sad and heart-rending spectacle."

Nine year before the Civil War began, Henry Clay died from tuberculosis, JUNE 29, 1852.

The first to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, a statue of Henry Clay was placed in the Capitol's Statuary Hall by the State of Kentucky.

Fifteen counties across America were named for him.

In 1957, a Senate Committee headed by John F. Kennedy named Clay one of the 5 best Senators ever.

Rep. John C. Breckinridge recalled Henry Clay as having said:

"The vanity of the world, and its insufficiency to satisfy the soul of man, has been long a settled conviction of my mind.

Man's inability to secure by his own merits the approbation of God, I feel to be true...

I trust in the atonement of the Saviour of mercy, as the ground of my acceptance and of my hope of salvation."

Henry Clay warned the Senate, July 22, 1850:

"If there be a war...I will not assert what party would prevail...for you know, sir, what all history teaches...that few wars...have ever terminated in the accomplishment of the objects for which they were commenced...

Think alone of our God, our country, our consciences, and our glorious Union...without which we shall be torn into hostile fragments, and sooner or later become the victims of military despotism, or foreign domination..."

Clay continued:

"What will be the judgment of mankind...who are looking upon the progress of this scheme of self-government as being that which holds out the highest hopes...of ameliorating the condition of mankind...

Will not all the monarchs of the old world pronounce our glorious republic a disgraceful failure?...

It is possible that, for the chastisement of our sins and transgressions, the rod of Providence may be still applied to us, may be still suspended over us...

I pray to Almighty God that it may not lead to the most unhappy and disastrous consequences to our beloved country"

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DAY 35 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (TENTH COMMANDMENT) - JUNE 28, 2013

June 28

Exodus 20:7 (The Voice Bible)

7 You are not to covet what your neighbor has or set your heart on getting his house, his wife, his male or female servants, his ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

DAY 35 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 28, 2013

June 28

Walking Through
Posted on September 5, 2012 by katherine

Earlier this morning, I was sharing with someone about the goodness and faithfulness of God. I always look for an opportunity to share about how God walked us through our valley of the shadow of death when we lost Bryan almost 2 years ago. I’m so thankful to be able to speak out of a heart of gratitude, for making it through the most painful time in my life. I can testify that you too can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and survive.

Perhaps, you don’t have a death shadow maybe it’s just a dark place you are walking through. I want to encourage you- you can walk through and and live. I love what Psalm 23:4 GW says, “Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, because you are with me, I fear no harm.” And the Amplified says, “Yes, though I walk through the deep sunless valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for you are with me.” Did you catch what both verses said? It said you are walking through, not stopping & setting up camp, but walking through.

What is your “Valley of Death or Dark Place”? You can walk through any battle you are facing with Jehovah Yaweh’s help. Luke 10:19 “I have given you the authority to trample snakes & scorpions & to destroy the enemy’s power. NOTHING WILL HURT YOU.” Another translations says, “God gives you protection from every assault of the enemy. No one can put a hand on you, and He has given you the power to crush & trample the enemy.” Hallelujah!

Psalm 49:15MSG, “God snatches me from the clutch of death, he reaches down & grabs me.” New King James says it like this, “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.” And, New Living Translation says, “As for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.”

“God says to let your soul be at rest, for He is with you. He is your hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.” Zeph.3:17

DAY 35 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER AGAINST COVETOUSNESS) - JUNE 28, 2013

June 28

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me of all my covetous practices (Matt. 6:14). Forgive me of all my worldly lusts and desires and the sins that they have caused me to commit (Ezek. 18:21,22; Mk. 6:12; Ps. 51:1). Forgive me of all my covetous thoughts and lustful desires that could corrupt and ruin my life (Matt. 5:27; Mk. 7:21-23; 1 Tim. 6:9). Wash me thoroughly from my covetousness and cleanse me from all my covetous thoughts, desires and actions (Ps. 51:2). Help me to overcome all covetous thoughts and desires and let them not have dominion over me (Ps. 51:9; Rom. 6:11-14). Take from my heart the worldly lusts that could destroy my soul and give me the desire for spiritual things (Col. 3:1-3). Cleanse my heart and spirit of all covetousness and ungodly desires and perfect holiness in me so I will have right thoughts and desires (Ps. 51:10; 2 Cor. 7:1; Jam. 4:7,8). Give me only what is good and permissible for me to have according to Your will (1 Jn. 2:16,17). Help me to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts (Rom. 13:14). Help me to walk in the Spirit so I do not fulfill the sinful desires of my flesh and mind (Gal. 5:16; Eph. 2:3-6). Help me to control my thoughts and my fleshly appetites and only accept thoughts and desires that are good and acceptable (2 Cor. 10:5,6; Phil. 4:7,8). Help me to abstain from, deny and crucify the fleshly lusts that war against my soul (1 Pet. 2:11; Gal. 5:24; ). I choose to covet only what is permissible for me to have and for the spiritual gifts that would enrich my life and the lives of those around me (1 Cor. 1:5; 12:31). Help me to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Tit. 2:11,12). I choose to be a partaker of the divine nature and escape the corrupting influences of worldly lusts (2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Jn. 2:16,17). I choose to allow the word of God to purify my heart and life (Jam. 4:7,8; 1 Pet. 1:22,23), in the name of name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.

http://www.prayerrequest.com/blog/134/entry-283-avoid-coveteousness/

DAY 35 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT COVET' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)

June 28

Question: "Why is 'You shall not covet' in the Ten Commandments?"

Answer:The key to understanding this commandment is in the definition of the word “covet.” Two different Hebrew words are used in the passages condemning coveting (Exodus 20:17;Deuteronomy 5:21), and both mean “to lust after or to long for with great desire.” Since the commandments are given as “you shall not’s,” the desire in this case is for something that is not the property of the desirer and not rightfully his to long after. In this commandment, the Israelites are told not to lust after their neighbor’s possessions—his house, land, ox or donkey, or the people in his life—his wife or servants, both male and female. The Israelites were not to desire, long for, or set their hearts on anything that belonged to anyone else.

Whereas several of the commandments prohibit certain actions, such as murder and theft, this is one of the commandments that address the inner person, his heart and mind. AsJames 1:15tells us, the inner person is where sin originates, and in this case, covetousness is the forerunner of all manner of sin, among them theft, burglary, and embezzlement. At its root, coveting is the result of envy, a sin which, once it takes root in the heart, leads to worse sins. Jesus reiterated this very thought in the Sermon on the Mount when He said that lust in the heart is every bit as sinful as committing adultery (Matthew 5:28). Envy goes beyond casting a longing glance at the neighbor’s new car. Once dwelled upon, envy of the neighbor’s possessions can turn to feelings of resentment and hatred for the neighbor himself. That can turn into resentment against God and questioning Him: “Why can’t I have what he has, Lord? Don’t you love me enough to give me what I want?”

God’s reasons for condemning covetousness are good ones. At its very core, envy is love of self. Envious, selfish citizens are unhappy and discontented citizens. A society built of such people is a weak one because envious malcontents, as stated before, will be more likely to commit crimes against one another, further weakening the societal structure. Furthermore, the New Testament identifies covetousness as a form of idolatry, a sin which God detests (Colossians 3:5). In the end, envy and covetousness are Satan’s tools to distract us from pursuing the only thing that will ever make us happy and content—God Himself. God’s Word tells us that “godliness with contentment is great gain” and that we should be content with the basic necessities of life (1 Timothy 6:6-8), because true happiness is not attained by things, but by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. By this alone do we gain that which is worthy, true, solid, satisfying, and durable—the unsearchable riches of God’s grace.

Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-covet.html#ixzz2Xcc6S4yE

DAY 35 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 28, 2013

June 28

American Minute for June 28th:

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The Constitutional Convention was in a deadlock over how large and small states could be represented equally.

Some delegates left.

Then, on JUNE 28, 1787, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin spoke and shortly after, the U.S. Constitution became a reality.

Franklin stated:

"Groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights...

In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection.

Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered.

All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor...

And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?"

Franklin concluded:

"We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.'...

I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed...no better than the Builders of Babel."

Ben Franklin gave another address at the Constitutional Convention, 1787, titled Dangers of a Salaried Bureaucracy:

"Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence in the affairs of men...ambition and avarice-the love of power and the love of money...

When united...they have...the most violent effects.

Place before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall, at the same time, be a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it...

What kind are the men that will strive for this profitable preeminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters?

It will not be the wise and moderate, the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust.

It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits.

These will thrust themselves into your government and be your rulers..."

Franklin explained further:

"There will always be a party for giving more to the rulers, that the rulers may be able, in return, to give more to them.

All history informs us, there has been...a kind of warfare between the governing and the governed; the one striving to obtain more for its support, and the other to pay less...

Generally, indeed, the ruling power carries...and we see the revenues of princes constantly increasing, and we see that they are never satisfied, but always in want of more.

The more the people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater need the prince has of money to distribute among his partisans, and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance, and enable him to plunder at pleasure.

There is scarce a king in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the example of Pharaoh-get first all the people's money, then all their lands, and then make them and their children servants for ever.

It will be said that we do not propose to establish kings...But there is a natural inclination in mankind to kingly government...

They would rather have one tyrant than five hundred. It gives more of the appearance of equality among citizens; and that they like.

I am apprehensive, therefore-perhaps too apprehensive-that the government of the States may, in future times, end in a monarchy...and a king will the sooner be set over us."


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DAY 34 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (NINTH COMMANDMENT) - JUNE 27, 2013

June 27

Exodus 20:16 (The Voice Bible)

16 You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor.

http://www.hearthevoice.com/search-bible

DAY 34 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 27, 2013

June 27

To Judge or Not
Posted on March 2, 2012 by katherine

James 4:11-12(NLT) says, “Don’t speak evil of each other… So what right do you have to judge your neighbor”?

Don’t you just love when people judge you? No! No one likes to be judged. We judge in so many different ways: not knowing the whole story, the way a situation was handled or not handled correctly or past lifestyle choices. Or, have you been guilty of judging someone because they didn’t meet up to your expectations? The Bible says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Those are harsh but necessary words.

Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV) “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

God we ask that you help us to be more compassionate, forgiving, gentle, kind, loving, and patient. Let us speak words of life instead of words of judgement. We lift up our eyes to you Lord, not to concentrate on judging others but to let you be the judge. We want hearts that are forgiving without finding fault, not looking for the speck in others. Help us to find good in those whom others have written off.

Lord, I pray that you would bring healing to those who have been judged. Let them sense your sweet presence of love towards them now, no matter what they have done. Thank you Lord for your love and forgiveness. And, thank you for not judging us when we should have been judged. Your mercy, O God, endures forever!

Let this verse be your life mission statement, Colossians 4:6 MSG “..Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/to-judge-or-not/

DAY 34 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR TRUE WITNESS ) - JUNE 27, 2013

June 27

Father of all truth,

We come before You this day with joy in our hearts for the truth that You are our almighty Father. That the truth of Your son has set us free, and that the evil one's lies are silenced against Your people. As we contemplate Your 9th commandment today, help us to see and speak the truth in all situations. Forgive us for any false testimony that we may have unknowingly given against another. We wish to be speakers of the truth in all matters, as You have commanded us. Help the temptation of the enemy to lie and bear false witness be far from our hearts and minds, and keep us pure in all that we say. We thank you for placing us in a family of unshakable witness, and strive to be worthy of this great honor in all that we do.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen!

DAY 34 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)

June 27

Question: "Why is 'You shall not give false testimony' in the Ten Commandments?"

Answer:Part of the Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, this 9th commandment forbids the Israelites from bearing false witness or giving false testimony against one another (Exodus 20:16;Deuteronomy 5:20). To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. The Hebrew word translated “neighbor” in this commandment can mean an associate, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, or neighbor. In other words, the Israelites were commanded to be truthful in all things, but especially when speaking about another person. The people were not to lie publicly, as in a court of law by laying at another’s feet any false charge that could injure him, nor were they to lie privately by whispering, talebearing, backbiting, slandering, or destroying his character by innuendos, sly insinuations, and evil suggestions.

The reasons for God’s prohibiting lying and testifying falsely against one’s neighbor are three-fold. First, God’s people are to reflect God’s character. Jehovah is a truthful God who does not and cannot lie.Numbers 23:19tells us, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” The people who were called by God’s name and who represented Him in the heathen world were expected to accurately reflect His character. Lying to or about one another brought reproach upon His holy name, and this He would not tolerate. Second, bearing false witness against another was destructive to the individual who was the victim of the lie, and he suffered by it in his character, credibility and reputation, as well as in his trade and business.Leviticus 19:18makes it clear that the Israelites were to love their neighbors as themselves, a command reiterated by both Jesus and Paul (Matthew 22:39;Romans 13:9). Loving our neighbors precludes lying about them.

Third, false witness was seen as so destructive to society that courts of law, both in the days of the Israelites and today, could function only if the witnesses who were called to testify could be trusted to tell the truth. Without a trustworthy judicial system, based on eyewitness testimony from reliable, truthful witnesses, societies are at risk of the breakdown of law and order. When this happens, chaos ensues and the innocent suffer.

As noted before, the New Testament is equally condemning of false witness.Colossians 3:9-10explains the reason for the continued prohibition against lying. Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as such, we reflect His nature. We have been released from our “old self” with its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness. As the Israelites were to reflect the character of Jehovah, Christians are to reflect to the world the character of Christ that identifies us as His own.

Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-give-false-testimony.html#ixzz2XNE7qiaL

DAY 34 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 27, 2013

June 27

American Minute for June 27th:

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Helen Keller was born JUNE 27, 1880.

At the age of two she suffered an illness that left her blind and deaf.

Her parents took her to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell who recommended the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.

It was there, at age of 7, that Helen Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan through the sense of touch. Anne eventually taught Helen to read Braille.

Helen Keller began attending Radcliffe College, where Anne Sullivan interpreted the lectures.

Helen became concerned about all the blind, especially those blinded in World War I or by poor working conditions.

She received numerous international honors for her efforts to help the blind.

Helen Keller learned to type on a Braille typewriter and wrote many books between 1903 and 1941, including:

The Story of My Life, 1903;
Optimism, 1903;
The World I Live In, 1908;
The Song of the Stone Wall, 1910;
Out of the Dark, 1913;
My Religion, 1927;
Midstream, 1930;
Let Us Have Faith, 1941; and
The Open Door, 1957.

Helen Keller stated:

"I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God."

In the film documentary of her life, The Unconquered, Helen Keller responded to the question, "Can you see the world?":

"I can see, and that is why I can be so happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man-made world."

On June 26, 1955, regarding reading the Bible, Helen Keller stated:

"It gives me a deep comforting sense that 'things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal.'"

Helen stated:

"Just as all things upon earth represent and image forth all the realities of another world, so the Bible is one mighty representative of the whole spiritual life of humanity."

On February 5, 1955, at the age of 74, Helen Keller typed a message on a conventional typewriter during an interview with newsmen just prior to her 40,000 mile world-wide journey, much of which was by airplane:

"It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears."

On June 26, 1955, just a few days before her 75th birthday, Helen Keller stated:

"Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."

Helen Keller was introduced to President Grover Cleveland at age 7. She received letters from eight U.S. presidents-from Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

In 1961, Helen Keller met President John F. Kennedy. She received the French Legion of Honor and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A statue of Helen Keller as a young girl, learning the sense of touch at a water pump, is in the U.S. Capitol from the State of Alabama.

Helen Keller concluded:

"Four things to learn in life:
To think clearly without hurry or confusion;
To love everybody sincerely;
To act in everything with the highest motives;
To trust God unhesitatingly."


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DAY 33 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (EIGHTH COMMANDMENT) - JUNE 26, 2013

June 26

Exodus 20:15 (The Voice Bible)

15 You are not to take what is not yours.

DAY 33 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 26, 2013

June 26

Why Worship
Posted on September 19, 2012 by katherine


I was having lunch with a friend yesterday & the topic came up about worship. He said, “Katherine you need to tell people why you worship & why they need to worship.” While driving home from lunch, I kept thinking, “Why Worship”? Immediately, I shouted.. because we were created to worship. Worship should be our lifestyle.

For a long time, I thought I wasn’t a worshiper since I don’t play or sing. That was so far from the truth. You see, “God created all things & for His pleasure they were created.” God won’t force you to worship. Worship is not only conducted by the praise team on Sundays, Worship is your being; its who you are.. You were created to worship! So, stop waiting for the praise team to lead you into worship, stir yourself up & be ready to worship everyday of your life.

When everything was pulled out from under me after I lost Bryan, I worshiped. Worshiping God is the only thing that has gotten me through and will carry me on. And, Worshiping God is what will get you through life!

What are you worshiping to get you through a difficult time? Or are you relying on another person to lift you up, when God says, “He is the one who is the lifter of your head.” Did you know that your singing/worshiping brings Him Glory? Isaiah 43:7, “You were created for His Glory” and “You were created to set forth the praises of Almighty God.” Isaiah 43:21

Worship him when you first wake up in the morning, let His praise continually be on your lips all through the day, & let your worship be the last thing you do before going to bed.

Worship is so powerful & I believe the devil tries to steal our worship. He doesn’t want us to worship the King of Kings & Lord of Lords because he knows that chains are loosed & mountains are moved when we worship. Worship brings forth freedom, healing, and peace. I encourage you to give it a try? Most of us have tried everything else, why not worship him in Spirit & in Truth. All things grow strangely dim in the light of Him- when you worship. That is why we Worship!

Will you Praise Him in the midst of whatever you are going through and praise Him because of His faithfulness? Has God been good to you? Let’s lift our hearts and hands in worship & adoration to Him.

“Let everything that has breath and every breath of life, Praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/why-worship/

DAY 33 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER AGAINST STEALING) - JUNE 26, 2013

June 26

Dear Lord, You give me everything I need and more. You give me

food, clothes, and a family. You give me friends, a church, and love.

Please help me to never dishonor You by stealing. Help me to

become a giver and not a taker. Help me to have open hands, not

hands that sneak and take things. I want to be known as one of

Your special people. Thank You for making me one of Your

treasures! 

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

http://calvarymv.com/childrensresources/childrensministry/topical-teachings/Ten_Commandments/09Ten_Commandment8_DoNotSteal.pdf

DAY 33 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT STEAL' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)

June 26

Question: "Why is 'You shall not steal' in the Ten Commandments?"

Answer: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) is one of the Ten Commandments people can readily recall, even though it is number eight in the Decalogue. And while there may be those who attempt to undermine the authority of the Ten Commandments by suggesting it is part of the Old Covenant, our Lord Jesus, speaking to the rich young ruler, quoted five of them, including this one (Matthew 19:18). The Ten Commandments are part of the moral law of God and, unlike the ceremonial and sacrificial laws of the Old Testament which were given to Israel, they apply to all men in all ages.

Stealing is defined as “taking another person’s property without his or her permission.” However, there are many other forms of theft. For example, taking longer over our lunch breaks at work or arriving late and leaving early are actually forms of stealing from our employers, stealing time they have paid for. Taking advantage of employers in that way indicates a lack of love for others. The apostle Paul, when discussing God’s commandments, sums up the entire law in the same way as our Lord Jesus did, with “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31;Romans 13:9). And, again like Jesus, he states that this is the fulfilment of the “Law” (Matthew 22:39-40). So, we know from such instructions that “Do not steal,” as with all of the Ten Commandments, is about “loving one another” (John 13:34-35).

Victims of theft know the horrible feeling it produces. The very act of someone taking what may have been an especially precious gift from a loved one really pierces our hearts and makes us feel vulnerable and unsafe. Theft has a tremendous impact not only on individuals, but on society as a whole. Theft disturbs societal stability and the results are feelings of fear and insecurity and a desire for revenge. One has only to look at some third world countries where laws against stealing are ignored to see how detrimental it is to the population. God’s laws are not only moral and spiritual; they are infinitely practical as well.

Christians have received tremendous physical and spiritual gifts from God, and we should desire to give back to Him all that we have. When we withhold the things that are rightly His—our time and talents, our possessions and our finances, indeed our very lives—we are in effect stealing from Him. The prophet Malachi put it this way when addressing the Israelites: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' ‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it’” (Malachi 3:8-10). One day we will be judged by God and expected to give an account of what we did with the gifts God has so generously bestowed on us (Romans 14:12;2 Corinthians 5:10;Hebrews 4:13).

Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-steal.html#ixzz2XIRZAQtw

DAY 33 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 26, 2013

June 26

American Minute for June 26th:

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The United Nations Charter was signed JUNE 26, 1945, by 51 member nations.

With lofty goals, the name "United Nations" was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt for countries fighting the National Socialist Workers Party (Nazi) and their axis powers. The United Nations had a goal of protecting the Jews, as FDR spoke on Justice for War Crimes, March 24, 1944:

“The United Nations are fighting to make a world in which tyranny and aggression cannot exist...In one of the blackest crimes of all history-begun by the Nazis...the wholesale systematic murder of the Jews of Europe goes on unabated...Hundreds of thousands of Jews...are now threatened with annihilation as Hitler's forces descend...

The United Nations have made it clear that they will pursue the guilty...All who knowingly take part in the deportation of Jews to their death...are equally guilty with the executioner.”

On November 11, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt complimented the Jewish Theological Seminary of America:

“If the world to emerge from the war after a victory of the United Nations is to be a world of enduring peace and of freedom, that peace and that freedom must be founded on renewed loyalty to the spiritual values...

Enemies of mankind who are arrayed in battle against us realized this, and therefore began their effort to subdue the world with an assault on religious institutions...which...taught...the dignity and worth of human personality...

In cooperation with Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant scholars...it will in time, I trust, become an increasingly powerful instrument for enlightening men of all faiths.”

The day after Franklin D. Roosevelt's funeral, President Harry S. Truman told Congress, April 16, 1945:

“Our forefathers came to our rugged shores in search of religious tolerance...Within an hour after I took the oath of office, I announced that the (United Nations) San Francisco Conference would proceed...

In the memory of our fallen President...I appeal to every American...to support our efforts to build a strong and lasting United Nations Organization...with Divine guidance, and your help...I humbly pray Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart...'”

In April 1946, President Truman addressed United Nations delegates:

"At no time in history has there been a more important Conference than this one in San Francisco which you are opening today...We beseech our Almighty God to guide us in the building of a permanent monument to those who gave their lives that this moment might come."

The United Nations began with high hopes, as President Harry S Truman stated, March 6, 1946:

“We have just come though a decade in which the forces of evil in various parts of the world have been lined up in a bitter fight to banish from the face of the earth both these ideals-religion and democracy....founded on one basic principle, the worth and dignity of the individual man and woman.

Dictatorship...is founded on the doctrine that...men and women and children were put on earth solely for the purpose of serving the State...

The Protestant Church, the Catholic Church, and the Jewish Synagogue-bound together in the American unity of brotherhood-must provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening...Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve...We have tried to write into the Charter of the United Nations the essence of religion.”

One of the first acts of the United Nations was to recognize Israel as a nation.

In 1953, President Eisenhower addressed the United Nations:

"The whole book of history reveals mankind's never-ending quest for peace and mankind's God-given capacity to build."

President Eisenhower's delegate to the United Nations was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who sent a letter to every member state, December 30, 1955:

“I propose that God should be openly and audibly invoked at the United Nations...I do so in the conviction that we cannot make the United Nations into a successful instrument of God's peace without God's help-and that with His help we cannot fail. To this end I propose that we ask for that help.”

Lodge's proposal was not acted upon.

Nevertheless, Charles Habib Malik, President of the United Nations' General Assembly, 13th Session, who helped write the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated in 1958:

“The good (in the United States) would never have come into being without the blessing and power of Jesus Christ...Whoever tries to conceive the American word without taking full account of the suffering and love and salvation of Christ is only dreaming.

I know how embarrassing this matter is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and cynics; but, whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that the soul of America is at its best and highest, Christian.”

In subsequent years, the mission of the United Nations became increasingly unclear.

Former President Herbert Clark Hoover suggested reorganizing the United Nations in a speech to the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1950:

“I suggest that the United Nations should be reorganized without the Communist nations in it. If that is impractical, then a definite New United Front should be organized of those peoples who disavow communism, who stand for morals and religion, and who love freedom...

What the world needs today is a definite, spiritual mobilization of the nations who believe in God against this tide of Red agnosticism. It needs a moral mobilization against the hideous ideas of the police state and human slavery...

It is a proposal to redeem the concept of the United Nations to the high purpose for which it was created...It is a proposal for moral and spiritual cooperation of God-fearing free nations...in rejecting an atheistic other world.”

By June 10, 1963, President Dwight Eisenhower confided to the National Junior Chamber of Commerce:

"The United Nations has seemed to be two distinct things to the two worlds divided by the iron curtain...

To the free world it has seemed that it should be a constructive forum...To the Communist world it has been a convenient sounding board for their propaganda, a weapon to be exploited in spreading disunity and confusion."

Ronald Reagan address the United Nations General Assembly, June 17, 1982:

“Eleanor Roosevelt, one of our first ambassadors to this body, reminded us that the high-sounding words of tyrants stand in bleak contradiction to their deeds...

In these times when more and more lawless acts are going unpunished...some members of this very body show a growing disregard for the U.N. Charter...

President Truman said, 'If we should pay merely lip service to inspiring ideals, and later do violence to simple justice, we would draw down upon us the bitter wrath of generations yet unborn.'"


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DAY 32 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (SEVENTH COMMANDMENT) - JUNE 25, 2013

June 25

Exodus 20:14 (The Voice Bible)

Eternal One: 2 I am the Eternal your God. I led you out of Egypt and liberated you from lives of slavery and oppression.

14 You are not to commit adultery.

DAY 32 - DAILY DEVOTION - JUNE 25, 2013

June 25

What Is Your Story?
Posted on July 26, 2012 by katherine

Earlier today, I was at the driver’s license office. I saw an older man helping his wife fill out papers to re-new her license. And, when it was time to do the vision test, she could barely read the lines. Finally, as they were getting ready to leave, he helped her out the door and down the steps of the office.

As I watched them leave, until I could see them no more, it took me back for a few moments thinking you just never know when your time is finished here on earth. That lady is still hanging on and Bryan’s life ended way too soon. Never in my wildest dreams or thoughts, did I ever think I would be planning a funeral, picking out my husband’s casket and headstone.

Both Bryan and that lady have a story about their lives. What will your story be when you breathe your last breath and your life is over? Will they say you were a lover of God or a lover of this world? I want my story to go something like this: Katherine was a True Worshiper of The Most High God. Every breath was for Him!

What will your family & friends say about you? I have to ask you again, what is your story? Don’t let the devil tell you that you have plenty of time to change. We all know that tomorrow isn’t promised. Just last week, we saw how quickly lives can change. One-minute people were just going to see a movie & the next minute they were fighting for their lives.

Let today be the day, you decide you will be a true worshiper of Jesus- no more living for the moment, giving into temptation, or barely having a relationship with Him. Lord, we offer our lives to you. We pray that You God would write our life story for Your Glory. We live to Worship you! We know there is no greater joy than knowing & serving You!

http://dailyliveworship.com/blog/what-is-your-story/

DAY 32 - DAILY PRAYER (PRAYER FOR STRENGTH AGAINST TEMPTATION) - JUNE 25, 2013

June 25

I am thankful that You have made a provision, so that today _________ and I can lived filled with the Spirit of God with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, and self control in our lives. I recognize that this is Your will for _________ and I. I therefore reject and resist all the endeavors of satan to rob _________ and I of the will of God.

Heavenly Father, I pray that now and through this day You would strengthen and enlighten _________ and I. Show _________ and I the way satan is hindering, tempting, lying and distorting the truth in our lives. Enable _________ and I to be the kind of persons that would please You. Enable _________ and I to be aggressive in prayer and in trusting You. Enable _________ and I to be aggressive mentally, to think about and practice Your Word, and to give You Your rightful place in our lives.

DAY 32 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD (WHY IS 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY' IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?)

June 25

Question: "Why is 'You shall not commit adultery' in the Ten Commandments?"

Answer:Before we can answer this question, we need to be clear on the definition of adultery. The dictionary defines “adultery” as “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.” The Bible would concur with this definition. InLeviticus 18:20, God told Moses, “Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her,” and inDeuteronomy 22:22, we find a similar definition: “If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die.” It is clear from these definitions that adultery refers to a consensual sexual union. What is not explicitly clear is whether or not both partners in this illicit sexual union are married. The biblical commands prohibit a man from taking another man’s wife, but do not indicate whether or not the man is also married. Be that as it may, it is safe to say that if a person who is married willingly seeks a sexual encounter with another person, whether or not that person is also married, both people are guilty of committing adultery.

God’s reasons for instituting His commandment against adultery are two-fold. First, God established the institution of marriage as being between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; reiterated by Jesus inMatthew 19:5and parallel passages). God created marriage to be the building block of His creation and of society. Even after the fall (Genesis 3), marriage is still a sacred union and the foundation for society. In marriage, the full expression of the image of God is made manifest as the man and the woman complement and complete each other. The Bible also teaches us that marriage is the vehicle through which God designed the procreation of the human race and the preservation of godly offspring (Genesis 1:28,9:1;Malachi 2:15). With such a premium placed on marriage, it’s no wonder God would seek to protect this union from defilement (Hebrews 13:4), and thus prohibit adultery, which is the violation of the sacred marriage union.

The second reason for the commandment is found inLeviticus 18:1-5. As God’s chosen people, the Israelites were to reflect God’s character in the Promised Land. God commanded His people to be holy for He is holy (Leviticus 11:44), and part of holy living is sexual purity. God did not want His people emulating the behavior of the Egyptians from whom He delivered them, nor did God want His people copying the behavior of the people into whose land He was bringing them. The implication was that adultery (and other sexual sins) was commonplace in the lands where the Israelites had been and were going to.

So now we know what adultery is and why God instituted this command. Finally, we need to learn what God meant by the command itself. As with all of the Ten Commandments, there are things we need to avoid doing (the negative part of the command) and things we need to be doing (the positive part of the command). The negative part of the command is self-explanatory: Do not commit adultery. However, there is more to this command than the simple avoidance of extramarital relationships. One can make the argument that wrapped up in this prohibition are all sorts of sexual sin (e.g., incest, fornication, homosexuality, etc.), and that argument can be made on the basis of chapters such as Leviticus 18. Also important is avoiding things that would lead or tempt one to consider adultery, such as the unnecessary withholding of conjugal rights (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, made further clarification of this command (Matthew 5:27-30) by including all kinds of lustful thoughts. Fantasizing about having sexual relations with someone is the same, in God’s eyes, as actually committing adultery. Therefore, we must avoid all things that would create within us lustful thoughts (e.g., suggestive songs, sensuous movies, pornography, etc.). We should also avoid immodest clothing or anything that might cause a brother or sister in the Lord to stumble in this area (1 Timothy 2:9;1 Peter 3:3).

The positive part of the command would entail doing the opposite of what the command prohibits: chastity in body, mind, words and action; keeping watch over what we take in with our eyes and the other senses; an attitude of temperance and self-control (i.e., moderation); being discerning over the company we keep; dressing modestly; and fulfilling our marriage vows in regards to sexual relations and cohabitation. Regarding sexual sin, the Apostle Paul said, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). When it comes to sexual sin, the best course of action is to remove ourselves from temptation and avoid such situations altogether.

Adultery is the complete corruption of God’s good creation of marriage. Through the sin of adultery, Satan tempts us to seek sexual fulfillment in avenues other than the one God has ordained—within the bounds of monogamous, heterosexual marriage. Adultery rips at the fabric of society because it tears apart marriages and families which are the building blocks of society. God’s law in general, and the 7th commandment in particular, is held up as the standard for Christian behavior.

Recommended Resources:Logos Bible SoftwareandThe Law of Perfect Freedom: Relating to God and Others through the Ten Commandments by Michael Horton.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/you-shall-not-commit-adultery.html#ixzz2X8wgomZk