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As celebrities, government officials and regular Joes and Janes alike celebrate the legalization of gay marriage in New York, Christian family organizations are offering some harsh words for the Republican-dominate New York Senate.

As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins sees it, enormous political coercion has resulted in a profound failure of
moral courage in the New York Senate.

A clear majority of the people of
New York oppose counterfeit ‘marriage,’ he notes, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo and anti-family
lawmakers have shown that their allegiance is to a small but vocal
minority seeking to redefine marriage and family.

“The so-called religious protections that were tacked on to the bill
will ultimately do nothing to protect the religious rights of New York
citizens. As we go forward there is little doubt that the ‘incentives,’
some taxpayer funded, used to sway votes, especially Republican ones,
will be exposed,” Perkins says.

While it was the Democrats who were pushing this agenda, it is the
Republicans in the NY Senate who ultimately allowed this to happen,
especially Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Perkins says.

“Sadly, the families of
New York are not represented well by either of the state’s major parties
on this issue. This battle however, is not without its heroes.  State
Senator Ruben Diaz, Rev. Duane Motley, Jason McGuire and the National
Organization for Marriage worked tirelessly for the families of New York
in this battle, and they should be praised for their work—it is not
all for naught,” Perkins says.

“The New York state legislature’s denial of its citizens a chance to
vote on the issue of marriage shows it is long overdue that the U.S.
Congress begin taking these threats to marriage seriously. They should
move to allow the people of the U.S. the right to vote on an issue they
clearly understand, as evidenced each time the issue of marriage is put
to a direct vote of the people.”

Hundreds of people used to go to Sampat for healing. His
witchcraft would temporarily rid them of their ailments. Yet when Sampat
fell sick, he wasn’t able to heal himself.

He tried using his powers to find a cure, and when that didn’t work,
he sought the help of doctors. But the doctors weren’t able to do much.
Instead, they gave him the bad news that his kidneys were failing, and
he didn’t have much longer to live.

In deep discouragement, Sampat was awaiting his death—that is, until a
Gospel for Asia-supported missionary visited his home and prayed for
him. It was after that prayer that Sampat began to feel “a little free
inside, like some burden was removed from his body,” said a GFA field
correspondent.

That evening, he asked for something to eat, which surprised his
family because the sickness had robbed him of his appetite. They had
been forcing him to eat. Slowly but steadily, Sampat felt improvement in
his body. Although he isn’t completely healed, Sampat gave his life to
Christ and is quick to share his testimony about how the Word of God
changed his life.

Just like Sampat, Laboni Badaseth experienced the Lord’s mercy in her
life after a terrible bout with boils. Swollen, infected lumps covered
her body. The pain kept her confined to bed. When GFA-supported
film-team missionaries saw 13-year-old Laboni lying in bed, compassion
filled their hearts and they asked her parents what happened. But
Laboni’s parents couldn’t give a lot of details about the boils. They
didn’t know what caused them and were too grief stricken to talk about
it much.

When the missionaries prayed, asking Jesus to heal this young girl,
God heard their prayers, and Laboni’s strength began to return. Her
father rejoiced at seeing this small miracle and invited the
missionaries to visit and pray for his family again, which they did.

The missionaries request prayer for Laboni and her family, that she
will be completely healed and they will embrace the love of Christ.

After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” —Acts 13:20-22

King David has been a puzzle, a mystery, a holy conundrum for thousands of years. His life perplexes, maddens, and humbles students of the Bible. To many, it doesn’t make sense that this man who was so prone to personal weakness was able to “get away with” so much and still have God treat him with special favor. He was many things: a shepherd, a psalmist, a king, a liar, a murderer, and an adulterer. But most important of all, he was the only person in the entire span of the Bible to be called a man after God’s own heart. Can you think of four more stunning words in all of creation? A man—lowly and often full of doubts and sin, like all of us—and yet God singled him out and called him a man after His own heart. What an awesome, almost unfathomable compliment! But in saying those words, God threw open the door to every person on the planet to be, like David, a man or woman after God’s own heart.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Father, like David, there are many who wonder how You could possibly love me as You do. I too am full of doubts and sin, yet you allow me to become a man or woman after God’s own heart.

We all have the same opportunity to embody in our
own personality and in our own way the kind of
heart that reflects the very heart, emotions, and
personality of God.

And he said, thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. —2 Kings 3:16-17

The armies were dying of thirst when they received the prophet’s words. God instructed them, through His prophet, to do something first in the natural: Dig a ditch! It’s too late to dig a ditch after the rains come. Get prepared. Stay ready. Be armed. When God says to act, don’t delay. Do exactly what He commands.

The man with the withered arm wasn’t healed until he stretched forth his arm. Farmers don’t expect a harvest until they sow seed. God will not send your increase until you have prepared to receive it. What will you do today to prepare to receive what God has for you?

God has something He wants to give you—so prepare for increase. If you want to make room for Him in your life, you have to dig a ditch.

Jesus, I want to receive all you have
for me. I am digging a ditch, preparing
a place for all You have for me. I am
ready, Lord. Send Your rain. Amen.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. —1 Corinthians 13:11

We expect children to behave in certain ways—to talk, think, and reason like children. We all recognize the sound of a child. For example, we don’t expect a teenager to talk and act like a small child. Similarly, we can listen to people who claim to have been Christians for years and yet talk like a baby Christian. Immature speech in people who have been Christians for many years is to their shame, and Paul is challenging the believers over this.

Childhood is marked by a particular way of talking and also a particular way of thinking: “I thought as a child,” said Paul. A child is the most selfish person that ever was. As far as he is concerned, the whole world revolves around him. He thinks only of himself and wants immediate gratification. He wants to be loved, but it never crosses his mind to be loving. And some of us, who have been Christians for quite some time, have never moved beyond just wanting to be loved, pampered, and encouraged. When will we take the responsibility and begin to grow up? If we are still waiting for others to show if they care about us, we need to start caring instead.

A third characteristic of children is shallowness. A child is easily influenced, is gullible, and has no discernment. This is why Paul says we should no longer be infants who are tossed about by every wind of doctrine.

So immaturity in Christians is just like the painless pursuit of childhood, characterized by baby talk, selfishness, and shallowness.

Rather, let us demonstrate the love of God through mature speech, selflessness, and discernment. As Christians, let us love one another and put away childish things.

Excerpted from Just Love (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1997).

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. —1 Peter 4:5-6

Three faces of Jesus Christ—Bridegroom, King, and Judge—will be revealed and emphasized in the unprecedented end-time activities of the Holy Spirit. The revelation of the Bridegroom is what God will use to restore the first commandment to first place. Seeing the passionate Lover will make us passionate lovers of God. The revelation of the King will cause us to operate in the power of God as we go out to meet the great harvest. The revelation of the Judge will cause us to participate with Him in loosing His judgments. As you reach your heart toward Him, be encouraged that a powerful new dimension of His presence is waiting to unfold; it is the mystery of eternal ages, the heavenly Bridegroom and you—His beloved. The explosive power of this revelation will change you and make you ready to meet the challenges of holiness, compassion, and beauty that await you in the glorious age in which you live.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Jesus, You have awakened a passionate love for You within me. I pray that You will fill me with Your power to win the lost to You. I loose Your judgment in this world and pray that You enable me to bring a harvest of souls into Your kingdom.

Open up your heart to the passionate Lover who is
exhilarated and thrilled about you even while
you are maturing in Him.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. —John 15:1

God will put people in your life to perfect the fruit of His Spirit in you. But if you say, “We have a personality conflict, and I am just going to have to get away from that person,” you take the pruning shears of the Holy Spirit out of God’s hands.

When He wanted to cut that thing off that hindered your growth, you said, “No, God, I won’t change there. I like that fruit. Don’t change that, God. Get your pruning shears away from me.”

God brought that person or situation into your life, because there is an area of your life only that person, that relationship or that situation can perfect in you. They may be God’s sandpaper, smoothing out the rough edges in your life. They may be the irritation, like sand in an oyster, that produces a pearl in your life. Notice the people God brings into your life, and you will begin to see the kind of person you are with God. He says, “Show that person the same love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, and tolerance I have shown you.”

Lord, help me stop complaining about
irritating people in my life. Use them
to help me grow in faith, wisdom, and
maturity. Thank you, Lord, for pruning
the dead wood and rough areas out of
my life. Amen.

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. —John 17:25

Perception relates to our opinion and how we see things. Are you having a running argument with somebody at the moment? Arguing with your spouse? Having a problem at the office? You are just sticking to your guns on something and everybody but you can see that you are being ridiculous, but you say that you know that you are right. You are making the situation miserable by being a difficult person to work with. Is that possible?

Are you afraid to admit to the possibility that you could be wrong? Are you afraid of what might happen if you lost the argument? Do you worry about what other people would think about you if you gave in or someone just showed that you had gotten it wrong?

Now Jesus had a perception about Himself, that He was equal with God. But He did not think it necessary to hold on to that. In becoming like us He was not even omniscient. This may shock you, but He did not know everything. He admitted He did not know the day or the hour of His own coming. He had to learn.

In addition, Jesus was right. His opinion was infallibly right, but He even let that go. You say, “Well, I know I’ve got it right. I can’t let it go.” Jesus did. The amazing thing is that God Almighty did not even take Himself seriously, in this sense. That is your example, and yet you cherish your opinion. Why do you not just be like Jesus? He was right, and He let it go. You could be wrong, and if you are wrong, how much better that you let it go. By the way, if you are right, the truth will come out. It will win in the end. You do not have to do a thing about it. Let Jesus be your example.

Excerpted from Meekness and Majesty (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1992, 2000).

And this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. —Luke 2:37, NKJV

Anna—what an interesting woman! She served the Lord (ministered to the Lord) with fasting and prayer night and day. The word ministered is often exchanged with the word serve. What an unusual idea for a woman to minister to the Lord in prayer and fasting. Anna was probably about seventeen or eighteen years old when she was married, and after seven years she was widowed. So beginning in her early twenties she began ministering to the Lord night and day. At eighty-four years old, sixty years later, Anna was still faithful in this! She was constantly in prayer in the temple. What a woman! This calling is not reserved only for Catholic monks. The Protestant church must call the Annas forth, find a place for them, honor them, and find ways of releasing them into their calling.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Father, I may not be remembered for sixty years of faithful intercession, but I pray that I will be remembered as a faithful intercessor—no matter how many years I have left to live for You.

Beloved, in this very hour the Lord is wooing the
Annas of the end-time church, and He personally
is setting them into their place.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6

When you give in to temptation, it is because you have not secured your victory for one of two reasons:

1. You are receiving His Word but choosing not to walk in it. When you know what the Bible says about your situation and walk in the light of that knowledge, you will not fall into temptation. You will see the snares of the devil and avoid them.

2. You are yielding to temptation because you are uninformed of God’s instructions.

We are required to walk in the revelation of the Word, whether we have received it or not. Just because you don’t know the law doesn’t mean you won’t get arrested for disobeying it. People get into all kinds of sin, die of cancer, and live in poverty. Why? Because they are ignorant of the power available to them.

Secure your victory by finding out what God has to say about your situation and then determine to do what He says to do about it.

Lord, teach me Your Word and Your
ways. I will read, study, meditate upon,
and apply Your Word this day in all
that I say and do. Amen.