faith in God Archives - Page 26 of 27 - Suellen Estes And Friends

Jon Foreman…”Again”

This video from Jon Foreman and Switchfoot says it right! Our prayer is for God to turn our hearts back to Him.

Hope you enjoy the very dramatic display going on around us, recorded by the Hubble telescope.

Have You Made The Right Decision?

by Suellen | Successful Living, Uncategorized

I still remember the day when I gave my life to the Lord. I had been pridefully living my way, with my opinions, and my pursuits, but I found that my road had taken me to a dead end. On that night, I fell on the floor face down and surrendered, saying, “Jesus, if you are real, I want you and I need you.””

The liquid love that encompassed me at that moment was one of the most dramatic experiences ever. He was and is real and He changed my life forever. I have been walking with Him ever since.

Have things always been easy? Of course not. But whatever the external circumstances, I knew that He would empower me to live above the fray. And He has.

Today’s video is a composite of teachings from Billy Graham. If you aren’t free today – from shame, depression, anger, sorrow, you can be.

Just listen.

This video compliments of Peacewithgod.net

The Boldness Of John Adams

by Suellen | Quotes, The Church Awakening

JOHN ADAMS

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; JUDGE; DIPLOMAT; ONE OF TWO SIGNERS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.¹

The Holy Ghost carries on the whole Christian system in this earth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a sacrament can be administered but by the Holy Ghost. . . . There is no authority, civil or religious – there can be no legitimate government but what is administered by this Holy Ghost. There can be no salvation without it. All without it is rebellion and perdition, or in more orthodox words damnation.²

Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell.³

The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity.⁴

Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!⁵

I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world.⁶

Notes:

1, Thomas Jefferson The Writings Of Thomas Jefferson, (Washington, DC: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), Vol. XIII, pp 292-294. In a letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813. 2. Letter from John Adams to Benjamin Rush, from Quincy, Massachusetts, dated Dec 21, 1809. 3. John Adams, The Works Of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1856) Vol X, p 254, to Thomas Jefferson on April 19, 1817. 4. John Adams, Works, Vol III, p. 421, diary entry for July 26, 1796 5. John Adams, Works, Vol II, pp 6-7, diary entry for Feb 22, 1756 6. John Adams, Works, Vol X, p 85, to Thomas Jefferson on Dec 25, 1813

Are You Settling For The Norm?

by Suellen | Successful Living

My grandson, Charlie, recently sat on my lap and, with wide eyes, began to tell me his story. Spiderman, Batman, Pink Venom, Black Venom, and Green Goblin were having a “spend-the-night party.” He animatedly continued to create this adventure, which eventually led to a gi-normous (that’s bigger than gigantic or enormous alone) box falling on them and they had to fight it off.

All of us hearing the three year old elaborate enjoyed listening to his imagination on steroids. What a creative mind!

Later, in a quieter moment, I began to think how we adults lose that creativity. What happens to it? Why are we always so methodical and logical about our visions? Why do we always settle for the “norm?”

If everyone “settled for the norm,” we would have none of the cutting edge technology, space travel, or medical wonders of our generation. So some are not settling, but how about you? How about me?

The Bible says that faith is the substance of things “hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” The “hoped for” is the thing I want to talk about today. The hope is like a blueprint in your mind of what you are believing for. If you don’t have a picture in your mind of what you are believing for, then how can you have faith for it? You can’t! (more…)

Are You An Extravagant Believer?

by Suellen | Successful Living

Do you know someone who is an extravagant believer? I mean someone who holds back nothing as they expect God’s hand in their lives. I don’t mean someone who is foolish, but someone who knows that God can accomplish what we can never do on our own. Are you such a person?

The Bible has lots of stories about people who believed extraordinarily. There were those around them who believed … sort of, but these people believed in ways that seemed extreme. One such story is in Luke 8:43-48.

I want you to put yourself in the story – in the crowd. There was a huge throng of people following Jesus as He walked through the street. He had no body guards as He walked with His disciples. The crowd was pushing and shoving, trying to get closer. They wanted to get a good look at this unusual man, who was becoming famous.

Suddenly, Jesus turned and said, “Who touched Me?”

His disciples were confused. “What do you mean? The whole crowd is pushing up against you.”

Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I felt the power going out of Me.” And He turned and looked at the woman who was touching the hem of His garment.

In the crowd, there was a woman who had been sick for a very long time. She had a hemorrhage of blood which had lasted for 12 years. She had spent all of her money going to doctors, and no one had been able to cure her. In fact, the Bible says that she had just grown worse.

Yet that day, when she saw Jesus, she was inspired. She had heard about Him and she thought, If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made well. And that’s exactly what happened. When she touched Him, the flow of blood stopped, and just like that, she was well.

Jesus then said something very different from our mindset. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Let this picture sink in. Jesus didn’t even know that the woman was there until He felt the power go out of Him. Her faith had put a demand on the power within Him, and she received her healing.

Let’s fast forward to today. Our Savior is alive today. There is a crowd of people all around us, some believing in Him and some not – just like when He walked the earth. Within the crowd of “believers,” there are a few – maybe just one or two, who really believe. They are the ones who see His hand in their lives more than the norm. They are the extraordinary believers, and they see things happen that the others don’t.

So how do you fit in? Are you willing to believe for miracles in your life? In your health? In your family? In your finances? Don’t look around at the crowd. They probably aren’t believing that much.

If you would like to be extraordinary, but think that you just honestly can’t muster the faith, don’t be discouraged. Start reading the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and let the reality of Jesus be burned in your heart. He is looking for super believers to show Himself strong.

I want to be an extravagant believer, don’t you?

Forever Upward!