Refresh Your Mind

 

 

 

     

Your grace and mercy brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You and praise You too
Your grace and mercy brought me through.

Thank You for saving a sinner like me
To tell the world salvation is free
There were times when I just didn't do right
But You watched over me all day and night.

Your grace and mercy brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You and praise You too
Your grace and mercy brought me through.

Justice demanded that I should die
But grace and mercy said
Oh no, oh no, oh no
We've already paid the price.

I once was blind
But thank God I can see
It was because grace and mercy
Came along and rescued me.

Your grace and mercy brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You and praise You too
Your grace and mercy, your grace and mercy
Your grace and mercy brought me through.

song by Mississippi Mass Choir

 

 

 

Refresh Your Mind

God Uses Broken Things

 

If you’re a cracked pot, don’t despair. God delights to use cracked pots. God can shine through the cracks and flaws of your life if you’ll just surrender yourself to Him.
 

J. Hudson Taylor was one of the first missionaries to the take the gospel to China. Although he suffered from extremely poor health, God used him. He was a weak man, but he was a plain, empty clay jar that God filled with the treasure of Jesus Christ. Taylor once wrote, “All of God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on Christ living in them.” Hudson Taylor was too humble to call himself a giant, but he understood that a mighty God can use broken, cracked, weak vessels.

There is a beautiful fable from China that illustrates exactly what I’m trying to teach. Once upon a time there was an elderly Chinese woman who owned two large clay pots. She would hang each pot on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. Each day she would walk from her house to the nearby stream to fetch water. She would fill up both pots, pick up the pole and walk back to her house. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full pot of water. At the end of the long walk back to her house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full. Because of the crack, half the water had leaked out during the trek.

For two full years, this happened daily. The Chinese woman arrived home with only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud that it had never lost a drop of precious water. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and was miserable. The cracked pot thought of itself as a complete failure. One day, the cracked pot was so tired of failing that it spoke to the woman. The cracked pot said, “I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. I have failed you, and I’m sorry. Maybe you need to replace me with another pot that isn’t cracked.”

The old woman smiled and said gently, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side. And every day as I’ve walked back you’ve been watering those seeds. For the past two years I’ve been able to pick the flowers to decorate my table. Without you being just the way you are, there would have been no beautiful flowers to grace my home.”

Brothers and sisters, it’s okay if you’re a cracked pot. There is a tremendous value in being broken. We throw away things when they’re broken, but God cherishes broken people. God uses broken things. Jesus took the five loaves from the little lad and broke them before He multiplied them. He wants to multiply your effectiveness but He can only do that when you’re broken. When Mary brought the alabaster box of perfume, it was only when it was broken that the fragrance filled the house. And when you are broken, the fragrance of Christ can be detected in your life. Jesus even said, “This is my body which is BROKEN for you.” So, broken down, cracked pots, rejoice because God uses cracked pots so that He and He alone will get the glory!

~David Dykes

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NIV)

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

29 so that no one may boast before him.

Refresh Your Mind

 

 

Grind or Shine

by Christine

 

A

dversity is the grindstone of life. Intended to polish you up, adversity also has the ability to grind you down. The impact and ultimate result depend on what you do with the difficulties that come your way. Consider the phenomenal achievements of people experiencing adversity. Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the History of the World during a thirteen year imprisonment. If Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, considering the constant adversity he endured. Of course, no one would have remembered him either. Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness by his display of wisdom and character during the devastation of the Civil War. Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of Wartburg. Under a sentence of death and during twenty years in exile, Dante wrote the Divine Comedy. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress in a Bedford jail.

Finally, consider a more recent example. Mary Groda-Lewis endured sixteen years of illiteracy because of unrecognized dyslexia, was committed to a reformatory on two different occasions, and almost died of a stroke while bearing a child. Committed to going to college, she worked at a variety of odd jobs to save money, graduated with her high school equivalency at eighteen, was named Oregon’s outstanding Upward Bound student, and finally entered college. Determined to become a doctor, she faced fifteen medical school rejections until Albany Medical College finally accepted her. In 1984, Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis, at thirty-five, graduated with honors to fulfill her dream.

Adversity – the grindstone of life. Will it grind you down or polish you up?  

His Blood Cleansed Me

  

 

 

His Blood Cleansed Me

 



Nancy Mathews

I was raised in a Christian home.  I went to church, sang in the choir, and tried to be a good person.  I knew of Jesus but I did not have a personal relationship with Him.  By that I mean He and I didn’t talk to each other.  I would pray and ask for things and that was the extent of our conversation.



It wasn’t until I was in my early 20’s that I realized something was missing in my life.  I was watching a T.V. program and the pastor asked “If you died today, do you know where you would go?”  I didn’t know the answer.  So I prayed the sinner’s prayer and at that exact moment I felt brand new, like a heavy weight had been lifted off of me.  I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.  I knew the answer to the question – if I died I would go to Heaven. 

I’m in my sixties now, and although I am truly blessed, I can’t tell you that my life has been perfect.  There have been good times and bad, but through it all Jesus has never left my side.  During the rough times, when I didn’t think I could make it, Jesus lifted me up and carried me.  I remember Him holding me in his arms, while I wept uncontrollably, when my husband and my daughter died.  The Holy Spirit comforted me during those dark days.  He reminded me that I would be reunited with them one day.  You see, now our conversations are two way.  We talk and listen to each other.  It’s a rewarding and wonderful life knowing that my Father in Heaven loves me and wants good things for me, but it’s not just me, He wants that for you too.

My testimony of how I came to Christ may, to some, seem boring and dull.  It’s anything but that.  My Lord and Savior Jesus shed His blood, bore stripes on His back, died on a cross and rose again for me.  He bought me, He paid for my sins, and I belong to Him.  When the Father looks at me, He sees me through His son’s blood, washed clean, righteous and redeemed. That’s the most exciting, wonderful thing that has ever happened to me.

The Word tells us “For God so greatly loved [and dearly prized] the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten [unique] Son, so that whoever believes in [trusts in, clings to, relies on] Him shall not perish [come to destruction, be lost] but have eternal [everlasting] life”.   John 3:16 (AMP)

My prayer for all people is to come to the realization that they need a savior and give their lives wholly and completely to JESUS.

 
Your Sister in Christ,

                                  Nancy

Refresh Your Mind

 

 

 

 

Bishop Vaughn Mclaughlin

 

 

 

I

 am convinced that nothing is more important than being sure that you're saved. Think about all of the folk "in church" who don't have a clue about salvation. Please, if you're trusting anything except Jesus for your salvation, stop it. Your denomination can't save you. Your pastor, your bishop, your family, your works, your title nor any position you hold in the church can save you. Only JESUS can save you. He did everything that is necessary for you to be right with God. You don't try Jesus. You receive Jesus.

John 1:12 TLB

 But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.

Stopping smoking, lying, drinking, fornicating and stealing won't save you. Only Jesus can save you.

Listen to Jesus.

 John 5:39-40 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.

 Jesus is standing right before you. Don't get caught up in doing and forget about "being". Religion says, "DO", Jesus says, "BE".

Are you sure your'e saved????? If you're not, ask Jesus to come into your heart right now. If you are saved take a moment and give him praise.

(Be sure now! When did you get saved???)

---Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin

Refresh Your Mind

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ…

2 Corinthians 5:20

    

 

Refresh Your Mind

 

Today’s Thought

T

hough he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand (Psalm 37:24)

 

Reflection:

 From His undying love and grace, God sustains us in all things as we continue to trust in Him. We were firmly established in His love when He removed us from our iniquity and securely planted our feet on the Rock. Even as we stumble in this life, the Creator of the universe is there to grab hold and bring us to His side. May we commit our way to Him and see His unfailing greatness and mercy each day.

Refresh Your Mind

Today’s Thought



Refresh Your Mind

Today’s Thought

 

S

o often we are focused only on the things we like, we are good at doing, or we are interested in accomplishing. God wants us to use every piece of his spiritual armor. He wants us to be disciplined and grow in the areas of our spiritual weakness and the areas we don't necessarily find exciting or interesting. Our evil opponent is crafty and will try to attack us in the areas of our weakness and vulnerability. So let's not just commit to be diligent in the areas of our interest and strength, but especially in those areas where we are not. The victory has already been won. Not by power, not by might…..but by my Spirit says The Lord!!!

Refresh Your Mind

 

Today’s Thought
 

I

f you’re in Christ today, you’re in a powerful position. First Corinthians 1:24 says that “In Christ is all the power of God. In Christ is all the wisdom of God.” That means that in Christ is everything that we need: peace, joy, wisdom, direction, hope and provision!

The way we tap into His power inside of us is through obedience to His Word and by our faith in Him. Scripture tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches. A branch won’t last very long if it’s disconnected from the vine because the vine is its life source. It’s the same for us. We have to stay connected to God and not let the cares of the world pull us down and distract us from our relationship with Him. When you are diligent to stay in God’s Word and spend time with Him through prayer and worship, when you talk to Him throughout the day, that’s how you stay in Him.

Today, don’t let the clutter of the world keep you from spending time with the Father. Know that He loves you and He is for you. He has everything that you need, so stay connected and keep your heart and mind always in Him.

 

Refresh Your Mind

Today’s Thought

 

 

T

here’s one thing that’s guaranteed in life: change. People change, fashion changes, technology changes, seasons change. Change happens.

Some people struggle with change because they think it’s difficult or because they feel comfortable where they are. If we aren’t careful, we can easily become complacent and coast through life, never really growing or experiencing what we are fully capable of. We have to change in order to grow, and when we refuse change, we limit our lives. We limit our options, and ultimately, we limit what God can do in our lives. That’s why it’s so important to stay flexible and be willing to adapt in order to embrace the new things God has in store.

So many people live narrow lives based on what they’ve experienced in their past. If no one else in their family went to college, they think they can’t either. They let other people define their limits, or they allow their resources or circumstance to define their limits. If that’s you today, realize that you are not limited by your past, the economy, or what you have been told you can or can’t do. You are only limited by your own belief. Your thoughts drive your belief system. So be proactive and renew your mind to the Word of God. Be open for change; be open for the new things God has in store.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? ...” (Isaiah 43:19, NIV) ‪

----Victoria Osteen

I Was...But Still

 

I was a liar, I was a thief, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

I was conniving, I was deceiving, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

I disrespected my parents and disgraced my family, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

I was an Adulterer and broke the vows of my marriage, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

I sold drugs, I knew no love, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

I toted guns, some things I should not have done, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

My child was born that I left alone, but still,

Jesus Saves People Like Me.

Above all, God called and I answered, because,

Jesus Saves People Like Me!

Jamel Brown ©2015

 

To all who read this, I pray you understand that no matter what you’ve done, Jesus can and will save you, if you let Him. No matter what you look like, where you are or what other people may say or judge you by, because still,

Jesus Saves People Like You and Me 2!

Amen!!!

 

 

Refresh Your Mind

Today’s Thought

 
 

E

very day brings new challenges and new experiences, but for each day our God supplies new mercies. (New mercies are defined as exactly what you need to handle what you awake to each day of your life). What if I told you that, it's okay to feel tired when you get up after you've slept all night? What about, it's okay to know what the word says and still "feel" as if you can't make it because of what you're facing today? How about, it's even okay to feel like you just want to walk away from it all and ride off into the sunset. You don't have to feel superhuman to be superhuman (Anointed of God). So,

Refresh Your Mind

 

 

Today’s Thought:

A

nybody hurting this morning? You feeling some kind of way? You had a bad night and things didn't go like you planned and even today is filled with uncertainty and stuff you wish you didn't have to
face? Do you wish you had better control of your situation? This word is for you.

 

Refresh Your Mind

 

Today’s Thought:

D

arkness dominates our world. Despite appearances, darkness controls so much of what is said and how it is viewed by the world. When someone lives for Christ, they will be
noticed. Their allegiance to Jesus and his righteousness cannot be ignored.