NCarolinian

God has a plan for your life, but so does the enemy. Satan desires to kill you, steal from you and destroy you (John 10:10) . If he cannot kill you, he will at least try to wound you. If he cannot steal from you, he will at least try to hide what is precious from you. And if he cannot destroy you, he will at least try to damage you in some form or fashion. But if you have a firm foundation in Christ; if you are securely rooted in the identity as a Child of God, then life proceeds much more confidently. This is why Believers can sing the song Blessed Assurance with boldness. Many people are spending much of their lives searching for an identity. Some will not care at all about making an impact in life. However, there are others like Tim Tebow that believe in a firm foundation, an Unshaken identity. To Tim, staying grounded means being accountable with his life, calling and talent(s) to God which God has loaned him. I agree, not only because God is watching, but other potential Christi...

It is interesting to me that two of the greatest Leaders in Scripture, apart from Christ, came from the enemies camp. These two were called out of darkness and into His marvelous light in dramatic fashion. Both experienced physical push-back on turning sides. These two men were Moses and Paul. A leader for the Old Testament/Covenant and a leader for the New Testament/Covenant. Observing the two in parallel - Moses was a Hebrew baby, but was raised not in any Egyptian home, but in Pharaoh's palace. Paul came from the house of the Pharisees - a legalistic,   well-off, knowledgeable kind of religious group of Leaders.  Moses was involved in killing an Egyptian who was beating up on one of the Hebrew people.  Paul was involved in the killing of Stephen, who was a part of The Way (what Christianity was called at that time).   Moses fled into the region called Midion and stayed for a while, where he married and had the Burning Bush Experience. Paul was traveling t...

When I read - For in him we live and move and have our being.' (Acts 17:28) - I imagine God's presence as a Bubble that surrounds me and fills the bubble, even to the penetration of my body. Ever heard the police say, "Come out with your hands up, you are completely surrounded!"? The Christian is to approach the beginning of each new day - hands up in surrender and praise, acknowledging God's presence all around us. This is vital to our Christian walk, testimony or lifestyle because Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) In Isaiah 15:12 , God's presence covers the believer's front and back . for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Then on either side of the believer , David declares in Psalm 91:7 that God's presence is positioned to protect and defend. A thousand may fall at your sid...

Breaking through is a process. Breaking through comes in many different forms - writers block, slumps in scoring, customers for one's business, ideas for one's song, and staying in God's will for your life. In a recent visit to Madrid, Spain, Daniel Kolenda received a message about breaking through and staying in God's will in - of all places - a bull fighting stadium. Yes, we are all familiar with the Bull. Yes, we are all familiar with the Matador with the red cape in the center of the ring/stadium. What we may not be familiar with or forget about are the men that come in from the sides - spears/lances in hand - and thrust their weapon into the bull as he is distracted by the Matador's movements. The men run back to their stations for another spear, the bull is distracted and pursues one of them, but then lines up once again for a charge at the Matador. The catch in all these distractions is that they are slowly but surely draining the life-blood from the b...

The Holy Spirit recalled the event of the Gas Pipeline event to me recently. So, I replayed what happened in my mind and told the Holy Spirit, "O.K., Holy Spirit, teach me." The bottom line is - just as we have a pipeline of gas from the Gulf of Mexico to the Southeastern part of the United States that keeps our cars running daily, so too we have available a Pipeline Of Prayer And Praise to God to keep us running properly and daily. I am sure I am not the only one who has thought this, but what if, in the future, our gas pipeline was sabotaged by terrorists. This small 2 to 2.5 week inconvenience could become more like months or years to fix. We can't afford to place guards at every single mile marker of every single oil pipeline. However, we have the technology to place cameras and surveillance equipment to monitor the safety and condition of the pipeline. As believers in Christ Jesus, we have the assurance that He is with us everywhere and at all times. His pre...

Ever had a falling out or falling away within a close relationship? There is a physical, vice-like condition that comes over my heart and chest area after something like bitterness, jealousy, anger or covetousness raises it's ugly head in my relationships. It is an unrelenting drive to restore the peace that has been lost. This  condition is a state which does not depart until I go and make it right with whomever I am at odds.  God has seen to it that I have an extra dose of this sense; this peacekeeping . This attack on The Relationship is one of theft by the enemy of our souls. Satan desires to steal our peace. We cannot allow his spirits of bitterness, jealousy, anger, envy and so forth to divert the focus away from what makes our relationships precious. With the Holy Spirit's assistance, potential dividers must be confronted and dealt with to preserve our relationships. Some excellent Biblical examples of Making It Right are: Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33) Joseph...