Aging Outside the Box

By:  S. Mitchell

The popular phrase “think outside the box” gave me the idea to “age outside the box,” living with power, style and vitality.

Satisfy us in our earliest youth with your loving-kindness, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives. (Psalms 90:14 – TLB)

Many people over 50, with their toes barely inside the new millennium, are discovering ageless living and endless energy. They are neither imprisoned in the past, nor refusing to embrace the present. People who are aging outside the box do not fear the future, but rather capture each moment as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to become increasingly all that they were designed to be.

Power

Think of the people in your life who are aging with power. There is power in living through the Word of God, The Holy Bible. Rev. Rick Warren has taken me and millions of people deeper into the understanding of having power through the bible with his book The Purpose Driven Life. Hopefully, as we age, we enjoy spiritual maturity as we live in God’s abundance.

There is power in the blood of Jesus. My stuttering Paw Paw (Grandfather), who is now walking the street of gold, sang with gusto, “There’s Power In The Blood,” directing our church choir. He loved to sing, because he did not stutter while singing. As a ten-year-old girl, my Paw Paw put me in his church choir. I vividly recall him turning red in the face as he belted out his song, “THERE’S POWER IN THE BLOOD, POWER IN THE BLOOD!” That song and my Paw Paw implanted forever in my heart and head that the power of the blood of Jesus IS above all powers.

There is also power as many aspects of aging become positive. It is possible older people may have more financial flexibility to glorify God. With an empty nest, many are experiencing more self-time and time to enjoy one’s passions. It’s a good time to start a new career, enjoy a hobby, or live and travel to a geographical area of one’s choice.

Style

What style of life has God planted inside your DNA? Many times, as we age, we flow into the life God has planned for us. My passions are God, family, Country, writing, speaking and traveling. I feel I have lived many years to get into my flow of life that feels good in my spirit. I am enthusiastic about my style of aging. Your style of life will certainly be personalized.

Life in Christ is unfading,

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalms 1:3 KJV)

Vitality

(1) The power to live and develop.
(2) Power of continuing in force of effect.
(3) Physical or mental energy. (Webster’s Contemporary Dictionary)

And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (Deuteronomy 34:7 KJV)

Wow! Moses enjoyed vitality in his later years.

The 76 million baby boomers are focusing on aging with vitality! In their quest for the fountain of youth, they are changing the way we age. They have learned that exercise is the golden egg of aging. It slows down aging by positively effecting your cardiovascular system, your immune system, your musculoskeletal system, and your emotional well-being. Exercise rekindles and re-sparks our fire for live.

Fighting aging is all about high self-esteem and self-confidence, feeling good about yourself, and living a happy balanced life.

By the end of this century, more people will be over 50 than under in thiscountry. It’s important that we age outside the box, with power, style, and vitality.

The Real Safe Sex

By:  F. Kong

One day, a conversation between a teenager and his grandfather was heard. The young man said, "Gee Grandpa, your generation didn't have all these social diseases. You did not have AIDS during your time. What did you wear to have safe sex?"

       The wise old gentleman replied, "A wedding ring."

       Now, doesn't that make sense or what?

       Sex today is presented as a fulfillment of the animal lust inside every man and is hardly ever presented as a sacred bond of union inside the institution of marriage. You don't even need to go to church or attend a service to hear your priest or pastor say this. Just watch the movies and all those television shows and you will see that sex has been degraded.

       The young people of today are confused like never before. The more we still have to remind them that sex is God's invention. It is a beautiful thing as long as it is kept within the bounds of marriage. It enhances the relationship of husband and wife and it is within God's design for all to follow.

       It is my responsibility, therefore, to guide my kids and explain sex to them even as they reach their age of maturity. If I don't teach them early in life, then somebody else will and most often, it will come in a distorted form.

       Many business people I know are very good in their product presentations and are good communicators. Yet when it comes to talking about sex with their kids, they stutter, they stammer and worst, they stop communicating. A fundamental principle in good management says that we are to give importance to proper communication. There is never a moment more important than this--to communicate to our kids what God's design is for sex and marriage.

       I knew a guy some years ago. He was very intelligent. He knew a lot about computers long before I ever knew how to punch the keyboard. He was good looking, articulate and had a photographic memory. One look at him and you know he has all it takes to succeed in life.

       Later on, when he got married, the truth about him came out. He couldn't remain faithful to his wife. He would go into flings with various women and then end each relationship with a bitter aftertaste. Never satisfied with any woman, he continued having sex with one after another.

       I later discovered the reason why. As a kid, he was taught sex in a very wrong way. His family owned a massage parlor and almost every night, his father brought him there to watch him "do it" with different women. This was his father's idea of "sex education." When he reached 15, the father gave him his first woman. He never recovered after that. To him, sex is nothing but a cheap thrill. Because of that, he was never able to live a normal life. He would be successful in his career until such as time when he would mess up his life by having affairs with the girls he was working with. You know what? The man is practically a handicap. And I certainly know the reason why.

       Sex is beautiful. It is God's design and invention. Sex is not something you do every time you attend a convention somewhere. Sex is not messing up with the people you work with whether in the office or in the field. Sex is not a purchase order given to one of those poor young girls making a living along Quezon Avenue at night. Sex is not a peep show you watch through the convenience of the Internet or Pay TV. Sex is to be an expression of great intimacy with the person God has given you within the bounds of marriage. Times are difficult as it is and you don't need another messy liaison to complicate life. Watch your kids, too. You don't want to have another sexual handicap walking the streets of our city, not now nor in the immediate future.

A Sovereign Turnaround by the spirit

By:  D. Cerullo

“Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.” 1 Samuel 19:20 NASB

Saul had ordered that David be hunted down and killed. After learning where David had fled, Saul sent men to seize him. But when they entered the town, these men saw prophets prophesying. Probably to their amazement, “the Spirit of God came upon the messengers,” and they began to prophesy!

This result must have angered Saul. Not willing to give up, he sent another group to capture David, but these men also came under the power of the Spirit. Then he sent a third group, with the same result!

Finally, Saul decided to go himself. But he, too, came under the power of the Spirit! And he prophesied “continually,” controlled by the Spirit.

We know that the flesh soon regained control of Saul. Yet for that one day, he had experienced the power of the Spirit in his life.

Here we have a powerful example of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that God’s Spirit does what He wants, for His reasons (John 3:8). He can fall on anyone, at any time. His power is unlimited. He can open closed doors. He can move in the lives of kings or presidents, men or women, young or old.

Beginning with the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), Christians in the early church experienced the sovereign work of the Spirit. They discovered that the Spirit could empower them to do mighty miracles. He could give them unimaginable wisdom and understanding. And He could turn around any situation.

In your life, seek to walk in the power of God’s Spirit. Let Him fill you anew. Pray in the Spirit, and allow Him to empower you. Remember: He can change your life and turn around any situation you face.

God’s Mission for You

By:  J. Cash

God had a mission for Jeremiah. Would it be fun? No! Would he become famous? Yes, but not for the reasons most people want to become famous. God commanded Jeremiah to go to his brothers and sisters in his home country in Israel and demand they repent and return to God.

Jeremiah knew it would make a lot of people angry. He figured that he might be executed for treason. Therefore, he made many excuses to God for why he wasn’t the right man for the job. “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.” Jeremiah 1:6-9

Even though Jeremiah was making excuses why he couldn’t serve the Lord, God didn’t give up on Him. He encouraged him by saying, “I am with you and will rescue you.”

It’s natural for the Christian today to do the same thing. We come up with clever excuses why we shouldn’t follow the mission the Lord has given us “to go unto the ends of the earth and spread the gospel.” We say to ourselves and God, “I don’t know enough about the Bible. What will they think of me? I don’t want them talking behind my back. I might lose my job! Let somebody else do it."

Fear is a great motivator and a greater inhibitor. God immediately saw the fear in Jeremiah’s heart and said, “Do not be afraid of them.” The Bible teaches that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and the fear of man is a stumbling block.” (SeeProverbs 9:10 and 29:25.) Allow faith to overcome your fears and be obedient to God. He will not let you down if you are obedient to His calling. He has your back!

Has the “Lord reached out His hand and touched your mouth?” Has he “put His words in your mouth?” Without Him doing this, you are powerless to accomplish the mission set before you. It would be like a general assigning a private in the Army on a special ops mission for the elite Navy seals. How can we realistically have Him put His words in our mouth? Read your Bible! Study your Bible! Hide His Word in your heart! Take time to have Him talk to you through Bible study and prayer. As His Spirit richly indwells your heart, His Words will reach your mouth and fear will fade.

God never calls us to do something for Him that He doesn’t empower us to do if we are willing to do the work and time. Please, take the time to get to know God in an intimate way. As your relationship with Him grows, you move up in rank and are assigned harder missions. Your purpose on earth is to shine God’s love to a lost, dying world. Your mission, if you should choose to accept it, is waiting for you! Open your ears and your heart to the Lord and be excited about your new future serving Him in truth and spirit.

Orig Title:  God has a Mission for YOU!

All Things Are Pure

By:  Blackaby

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15).

Your heart’s condition will be expressed through your life. It will be evident by your attitudes, your words, and your behavior. Jesus said that you can clearly see others only when your own eyes are unobstructed (Luke 6:42). If your vision is hindered by sin, you will not look at others properly.

If your heart is pure, you will approach life without malice. You will not question the motives of everyone around you; you will not doubt the truth of everything others tell you; you will not look for fault in others. Instead, you will look for the good in others, finding what is praiseworthy. You will not be naive or gullible, but you will seek what is good rather than what is evil. If your heart is pure, you will see others the way God sees them (Matt. 6:22).

If your heart is defiled, everything with which you are involved will seem corrupt as well. You will assume evil motives in others because you know what you would do given the same circumstances. You will be cynical about what you hear because your own words are deceitful. You will be drawn to evil people and evil things.

How do you look at the words and actions of others? Are you critical of them? Are you judgmental? If so, ask God to purify your heart. Once He has, you will be free to see yourself and others as God does.

Undefiled in the Midst of Wickedness

By:  D. Wilkerson

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).

The word defile here suggests “freeing through repudiation.” Daniel was saying, “Any compromise of my standards will rob me of my freedom.” So he committed to eat only beans and drink only water for ten days.

When the chief of the eunuchs learned this, he told Daniel, “You are going to cost me my life! You will look sickly at the end of ten days. Your cheeks will be sunken, and the king will surely notice. Here, eat just a little meat. You need the protein. Drink the wine to build up your blood. Eat some of these sweets to give you energy!”

I believe Daniel and the three Hebrew men had something more in mind than avoiding being ceremonially unclean. They had been taken captive along with thousands of their countrymen. What they saw when they first arrived in Babylon must have shocked them beyond belief. It was a society so loose, immoral and full of wickedness, these four men’s spiritual sensibilities were assailed.

They made a commitment with each other: “We dare not compromise. We will be separate from society and disciplined in our walk of faith.” They did not go about preaching their way of life to others. It was strictly a matter between them and God.

When you are in a crisis, do you cry out in unbelief and frustration? What if the Lord should answer, “I need strong voices in these sinful times through whom I can speak. Where are you when I need a voice? You say you want Me to come to your crisis—yet you remain a part of the wicked, worldly system. Tell Me—are you committed to My purposes?”

Daniel and his friends’ witness was a testimony that turned all the people’s heads around. They were delivered from the lions’ den and the fiery furnace—and the whole society knew it was God who did it.

How to Stand Up and Fight

With all the talk going on in churches about spiritual warfare, Christians still have not learned how to stand up to the enemy. We are pushovers for the devil!

I do not believe every misfortune that befalls a Christian comes from the enemy. We wrongly blame Satan for a lot of our own carelessness, disobedience and laziness.

Let me tell you something of Satan’s strategy: If he cannot pull the Almighty out of His throne, he will try to tear God’s image out of you—turning worshipers into murmurers and blasphemers.

Satan cannot attack you at will. God has put a wall of fire around His children, and the devil cannot go beyond that wall without God’s permission.

Satan cannot read a Christian’s mind. Some people are afraid to pray because they think the devil can read their every thought. Not so! Only God is omnipresent and omniscient.

Scripture commands us to stand up, be strong and do battle against our flesh and the devil: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). “Brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). Simply put, we have to become fed up with being held down by the devil—fed up with being depressed, joyless, empty, harassed.

In Judges 6:1 we see the Israelites at their lowest point ever. They were driven to living in dark caves, starving, scared and helpless. Then something happened. It started with Gideon and spread throughout the whole camp: Israel got sick and tired of hiding in those dark caves!

Something rose up within Gideon—and he finally said what God was waiting to hear: “We serve a mighty, victorious God. Why do we go on, day after day, taking this abuse?”

God will not do anything until you are thoroughly disgusted with being oppressed by the enemy—until you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You have to do as Gideon did—cry out to the Lord!

What are Your Intentions?

By:  D. Matthews

“What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth?” (Mark 1:24)

Heads turned as the man’s cries pierced the subdued atmosphere in the synagogue. One look and the worshipers knew that this tortured soul suffered from demon possession. “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth?” the demon screamed. “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24, God’s Word translation)

Many of the people had witnessed or heard of exorcisms involving incantations, strange rituals, or props. But Jesus spoke only a few simple words: “Keep quiet, and come out of him!” His word was enough to silence the demon. The evil spirit threw the man down on the floor in convulsions and left his body with a shriek.

Only a few minutes earlier, Jesus had amazed the people in the synagogue with the way he taught with such authority; now they were stunned by his power over demonic spirits.

“What kind of command is this?” they asked each other. “With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out.” (Luke 4:36)

During his time on earth, Jesus spoke and taught about God with wisdom and authority. He demonstrated power over the weather, evil spirits, diseases and infirmities of all kinds, and even death. Yet most people refused to do what every demon Jesus ever encountered did—acknowledge him as the Holy One, the Son of God. Although demonic spirits strive to carry out the wishes of Satan, they instantly obeyed any command spoken by Jesus.

Today, many Christians call Jesus “Lord” but refuse to submit to his authority in their daily life. Jesus taught that verbal expressions mean nothing if we don’t also obey him. “Why do you call me Lord but don’t do what I tell you?” he asked (Luke 6:46). Being a follower of Christ means so much more than saying the right words or singing the right choruses; it demands a life fully committed to obeying God’s Word and submitting to Jesus as our Master.

James made a convincing case that faith is more than mere intellectual assent. “You believe that there is one God,” he wrote. “That's fine! The demons also believe that, and they tremble with fear.” (James 2:19) His letter explains that true faith will always result in a life marked by godly living and good deeds.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned his followers to make disciples on the basis of the authority given him by God the Father. As we obey that command, our life becomes infused with his authority as we tell others about God, teach from the Scriptures, confront evil in the world, and bring healing to wounded people. If we are fully submitted to Jesus’ lordship over us, then people will see his authority through us as well.

[Jesus said] “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

Ask yourself: Does my life reflect Jesus’ authority over me and through me?