The Power of Faith

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Faith and belief are two different things. Lots of people believe in God, but that belief makes no difference in their lives. Faith, however, acts on what it believes. Faith may look like a "leap" to those who don't want to risk putting their trust in something unseen. But through faith, what is unseen is far from unknown. As you actively respond to the Bible and God's Spirit, your faith continues to grow stronger. Your personal experience confirms that God is everything he says he is.

Hebrews 11:1-2 is the introduction to a section of Scripture known as the Hall of Faith. The list of ancients that follows includes people like Moses, Noah, and Abraham, people who are remembered for putting their beliefs to the test. The Jewish Christians this letter was written for complained that following God was too difficult for ordinary people. The truth found in these verses refutes that claim.

Faith in God is what sets ordinary people apart - like Moses, Noah, and Abraham - so they can do extraordinary things. Through simple trust and active obedience, faith makes unseen spiritual realities more visible. Faith is what makes them certain, which in Greek is legal term similar to our title deed that guarantees a possession will be yours in the future. You have God's guarantee that what he has promised will be yours. The faithfulness of that guarantee is what makes the foundation of your faith enough to step forward in confidence.

Faith follows four steps: (1) God speaks, (2) you hear, (3) you trust (4) you act. As you respect these steps day by day, you'll be writing your own unique chapter in the Hall of Faith.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God to guide you through your faith walk in life. Each day is new and brings opportunity for God's mercy and grace to reign on earth. As a follower of Jesus Christ you have stated with your "words" that you believe in God. That your heart desires to live eternally alongside our Father God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the kingdom of Heaven. God's love, his promise will lead us safely through the trials and tribulations of this world - He will guide our "actions" as we move in faith. Thank you Father God for one more day to declare that YOU are my Savior and I TRUST IN YOU. ~ MME Team

Buried Treasure

In [Christ] all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept.

Colossians 2:3

In ancient Colossae, Gnosticism was all the rage. It was a religious cult that promised salvation through secret knowledge that was said to be delivered by angels. Even the group's name was derived from the Greek word for "knowledge," gnosis. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wanted the church to be able to discern what was false from what was true. Instead of seeking secret knowledge, Paul told people to seek Jesus - the source of knowledge itself.

Today people continue to seek the answer of life through intellectual pursuits, philosophical debate, and even angelic revelation. Yet what was true in Paul's day is still true today. Faith in Jesus is the only road to salvation and to the secrets of life. Faith comes from knowing God through personal experience, not intellectual pursuit. Any knowledge derived from that perfect source bonds people together in love, they do not pit themselves against one another to show off what they know. Knowing God encourages a state of mind that is peaceful and secure.

Yet this kind of knowledge isn't a treasure trove you acquire the moment you invite God into y our life. It is something that's revealed one gem at a time as you dig deeper into the Bible. Focus on Jesus. Get to know him intimately, with your whole being. You'll find knowledge that's practical, eternal and worth infinitely more than any doctoral degree.

When you act on what you've learned by focusing on Jesus, you demonstrate wisdom. The more you put wisdom to use, the wiser you become.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for a stronger will to seek Jesus in all things. In the good times and bad times - seek the source of knowledge that will lead you to peace and security of salvation. ~ MME Team

Running to Win

One thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.

Philippians 3:13-14

When the apostle Paul said there is "one thing I always do," it is time to sit up and listen. Paul summarized his goal in life and shared a couple of quick tips on how to persevere toward reaching it. That makes his advice not only important, but extremely helpful to those with that same goal in mind.

Paul's images of "straining toward what is ahead" and "trying to reach the goal" paint a picture of a long-distance runner whose focus on the rewards of the finish line gives him the strength to persevere, one step at a time. The goal Paul pointed to is God's call to run toward a Jesus-centered life, leaving his self-centered life behind in the dust. The prize he longed to reach was not eternal life, because Jesus's death has already achieved that. Instead, Paul pursued a mature Christian life, one that yielded rewards both in heaven and on earth. 

Paul's purpose and process for perseverance provide practical applications you can use every day of your life. Put your past mistakes, victories, and self-reliance behind you. Focus your attention and energy on Jesus, not on those running the race alongside you. Keep moving forward - your endurance increases the harder and the farther you run. Keep the finish line in sight. It doesn't mark the end of your life; it marks the beginning of an eternity spent in the winner's circle with Jesus, the One who enables you to be victorious.

Persevering toward maturity in your faith takes both personal effort and the transforming power of God's Spirit. God works through you as you do his work.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for obedience over your mind and body to run the race he has laid out for you. Let us not get lost in our own self-reliance and/or abilities. Rely only on God's will and seek sustainability to worship him even in the times of pain and hurt. Our flesh is weak but our spirit is strong when we a-line our life's purpose with that of God's gifts.

Leaning on the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

If you are going to lean on something, the first thing you want to do is to make certain it can hold you up. The greater the risk, the more certain you want to be. You may not test the strength of every chair you're considering sitting on, but it's fairly certain that you will test the integrity of a bungee cord before attaching it to your feet and leaping off a bridge. Your trust in the strength and reliability of the bungee cord allows you to lean on its ability to save you. It still may take a lot of courage to go ahead and jump, however.

Believing in God is all about risk and trust. It tells you to turn away from what you're accustomed to relying on - your own strategies for making life work - and instead to trust God implicitly, even when what he's asking you to do may not make sense from a human perspective. Think about what God asked of Moses at the Red Sea or of Daniel in the lion's den. Moses and Daniel were able to rely on God instead of on their own understanding because past experience had shown them he was wholly trustworthy.

Every past experience was once a present choice. God challenges you to choose wisely today. You can lean on your own limited understanding and abilities or on a God of unlimited power and love. Only one choice can take you where you really want to go.

Put what you've learned to practice. List why you believe God is trustworthy, focusing on his promises and past faithfulness. Reread the list anytime you need the courage to lean on him instead of on yourself.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray and give thanks to a God that will always have your back. Man will change his mind but God's perfect love and mercy is 100% true no matter what the world puts out. Do not put your faith in man but in the God that moves man to live in righteousness. ~ MME Team

Gift of Life

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. Charis, the Greek word for grace, literally means "free gift." That's what God promises, a gift of eternal life with no strings attached, one that you can't receive any other way than through the unmerited generosity of the Giver. You can't gain eternal life through good works or lose it through bad. Faith in Jesus is the only channel through which you can receive this priceless gift.

Yet God was extending grace long before Jesus came to earth. It began in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve chose to turn away from God, he allowed them to suffer the consequences of their actions, but the depth of his love for those he had created would not let that be the final word. He extended the free gift of grace by promising to send Someone who could redeem, or pay for, what had been done. He fulfilled that promise through Jesus.

Good works are evidence of a growing faith in God and demonstrate the power of God's grace to transform a life. Good works bring honor to God, blessing to others, and joy to the one who performs them. But they have no power to open the doors of heaven. Remembering this truth will turn any urge to brag into an occasion for praise.

When comparing Christianity with other religions, focus on God's grace. Explaining God's free gift to you will help others understand you don't put yourself "above" them. Everyone's imperfect and therefore in need of God's grace.

Pray for grace that transforms and bears good fruit. ~ MME Team

Life-or-Death Decisions

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and cures. Now choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19

After forty years of wandering through the desert, the Jordan River was all that stood between the people of Israel and the Promised Land. Most of the generation of Moses called together to speak to on that day had never known the Egyptian captivity of their parents. Their home had been the desert, and their hope had been the land across the Jordan. From where the Israelites stood, it looked like the hard times were finally over. Stability and prosperity lay ahead.

Yet Moses knew that even in a land of promise and plenty, every individual had a choice. The choice Moses shared with the people of Israel is the same choice to follow God and receive the benefits of an obedient life. Or you can make a choice to dishonor God and reap the natural negative consequences of your actions.

Although crucial to determining your eternal destiny, accepting or rejecting God's gift of salvation is only one choice you make in this life. Every minute is filled with choices, choices that draw you closer to God or farther away from him. Choosing life means choosing God. When you choose life, you prevent curses (which are simply the opposite of blessings) from taking hold. Moses's words are a reminder that your choices, both big and small, matter, choose wisely. Choose life.

God's grace gives you the freedom to choose between good and evil. God's love allows consequences to act as a guide, helping you make decisions that honor God while improving the quality of your life.

Pray for wisdom from God to make the choice of the Father and not of our will. ~ MME Team

Panic Attack

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Worry is a stealthy, yet formidable, enemy. Worry can creep into your life quietly, masquerading as an acceptable human response to living in an imperfect world. But worry is neither acceptable nor harmless. Worry is a dangerous diversion that leads you to focus on your problems instead of on God, who loves you and is in control. There is an easy, effective way to eliminate worry - pray.

Praying about both the big and the small things in your life is a way of constantly realigning your point of view with God's perspective. Prayer is more than simply asking God for help. It is also a time of worship and thanks. Thanking God for his past help and blessings is a gift to yourself, as well as to God. Every thank-you serves as a personal reminder of God's love and faithfulness in your life, and it provides you with a source of comfort, strength, encouragement, and peace.

Peace and worry cannot coexist. Where worry is the potential enemy, peace is the faithful sentinel guarding your mind and heart. There is nothing passive about the word guard. It's a Greek military term that paints a picture of a stronghold being protected by vigilant garrison of watchmen. When you allow prayer to defeat worry in our life, God's peace will be your watchman through any and every situation.

At the first sign of worry, practice the life-changing principle found in Philippians 4:6-7. Tell God what you're anxious about. Thank him for who he is, for what he has done, and for the peace he provides.

Pray to God and give thanks for the sustainable peace he provides us when we declare that he is in control. ~ MME Team

Empty Tombs

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

1 Corinthians 15:17

The moment Jesus rose from the dead, everything changed. How God related to people in the Old Testament (by speaking to the whole nation through prophets) gave way to the New (by speaking to people individually through the Spirit). God forgave the sins of those who chose to follow him. Death was defeated. Eternal life was certain. There was absolute proof Jesus was who he said he was, God and Savior.

The apostle Paul's' words to the Corinthian church remove the option of believing the Bible is collection of morality myths. His words do not allow for Jesus to be regarded as a prophet or a good teacher. Either Jesus rose from the dead, proving he was who he said he was and that he did what he said he would do, or your faith is useless. Paul, the writer of 1 and 2 Corinthians, went on to say that if Jesus did not rise form the dead, then Christians are to be pitied as the most miserable people on earth because they base their faith, their hope, and their purpose in life on a lie.

History says otherwise, however. More than five hundred witnesses saw Jesus alive after he died on the cross. The bodies of other great religious leaders, such as Buddha and Mohammed, remain dead in their graves. Only Jesus lives beyond the grave. This important verse is a subtle reminder that because of Jesus, one day you will too.

Through Jesus's death paid the price for people's transgressions, Jesus's resurrection is evidence of God's acceptance of that payment. Let Paul's words help keep you grounded in the historical facts that support your faith.

Pray that your wisdom on earth will not take away your victory with God in heaven. When mankind speaks of history and science they speak from wisdom derived from their own assessments; when God's people speak of history we speak of the Bible and the eternal truth. ~ MME Team

Watching and Waiting

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

James 5:7-8

          God's timing is always perfect. He parted the Red Sea when his people needed it most - when they were trapped between the rushing waters and an approaching army. God allowed the water to flow again, but only after Moses and the Israelites had made it safely across. God provided what the people needed at the precise moment that it would make the greatest difference.

          For a human vantage point, it isn't always easy to recognize that opportune moment. Waiting for God's answer, when your own internal timer has already gone off, can make you feel as if God isn't listening or he simply doesn't care. When you find yourself in that situation, take a lesson from this important verse in James and put yourself in a farmer's shoes. You can't rush a perfect harvest or an answer to prayer. As a farmer waits for the fruit of his labor, he doesn't just sit around complaining about how long the growing season is. He continues to work. He trusts God, and his patience grows right along with his fruit.

       James provides a valuable tip for those who wait. He advises you to establish your heart, which means "to firmly plant your life and expectation in the fertile soil of God's truth." There is a bountiful harvest as certain as the fulfillment of God's promises: the Lord will return; the hard times you face will end; and God will answer your prayers when the time is right.

          The image of a patient farmer is an encouraging visual picture for prayer. Picture every prayer as a seed planted in God's will. As you wait, picture them ripening, trusting in God's perfect harvest time.

          Pray for God's grace to intervene and plant in your heart patience rooted in faith as big as a mustard seed. ~ MME Team

Matthew 6:8

Jesus said, "Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him."

The more you recognize your dependence on God, the more thankful you become, and the deeper your love grows. 

Jesus gave his disciples the Lord's Prayer as an example of how to pray. Right before he spoke those famous words, Jesus shared a few reasons why one should pray. To do this, he provided two examples - negative ones. Jesus said the Pharisees prayed in public because they wanted to be seen as holy by other people. He also said idol worshipers prayed, repeating themselves over and over, because they believed that the more frequently they asked for something, the better chance they had of having their request granted. After those negative examples, Jesus spoke the reassurance that God already knows what you need.

At first, his words may seem to provide a reason why not to pray, instead of why to pray. If God knows what you need before you ask, why bother asking in the first place? Jesus's point is, the purpose of prayer isn't to be noticed by other people - or even by God. God already notices you. He knows everything about you and your life. Prayer is not a way to draw God's attention to your needs. It is a way to draw your attention to how much you need God. 

Your greatest continual need is to better know and love God. Communicating with him about details of your life keeps you aware of how involved he already is. It also helps you see how many of your needs he fills every day. The more you recognize your dependence on God, the more thankful you become, and the deeper your love grows.

The Lord's Prayer teaches you to pray for your daily bread. Jesus's words form Matthew don't contradict that lesson. They're a reminder that God needs to be involved in your life, not merely informed about it.

Pray now and thank him; submit to his will in your life and hold the hand of your Father, the Creator, who made you and loves you unconditionally. 

Amen,

~MME Team

God's plan for our life.

We may think we are in control of our destiny, our future, but how wrong we are. God is at the head of all our success and blessings. It is not how hard, how smart, or how brave we believe ourselves to be that defines our purpose, our placement, or even our success in this world. 

It is only by the grace and mercy of God's love that we live in peace, tenderness, love, and hope... all descriptive words that define how Jesus lived his life in this world. A world that is hurt and many times heart broken. It was not by the flesh that Jesus found salvation and eternal life but by the spiritual father's love, OUR GOD, that he/we are all saved and have the Holy Spirit to lean on daily during our battles with temptations and weaknesses. 

Let us not rely on ourselves but instead put all energy in our faith in our Lord that His plan is active and living in us. When we struggle then that is when we must fall to our knees in prayer and speak with our God in a private intimate relationship that only He and us will ever know. Your relationship with God is as unique and special as His unique individualized plan for each of our lives. Rejoice in God's goodness that His love is perfect and always available. We must only ask for it and we will receive it. 

God Bless  ~ MME Team

Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Consider giving a donation of $1.50 today to help feed a child in need in Ventanas, Ecuador. When we are weary, tired and hungry God provides us nourishment and rest. Today when you sit down to take comfort in your home to rest and give thanks to God for his generosity will you remember that He also wants you to show that same generosity to the children of His nations. What is $1.50 to you... as they say "a mere cup of coffee" but for a child hungry, tired and anxious of where he will find food today it is EVERYTHING. We are grateful for the blessings God has provided us and we verbally call out to him in prayer and say "Thank you Lord for I have asked and you have provided"...Let us give to those who do not have a voice, let us give to the children in need. The children who are orphaned or otherwise under nourished because of single parent households that cannot provide them the meal they need. One meal a day to sustain them in good health to be a testimony to God's good work. Please give today - donate what you can to Ministry Minjah Elohim's food program in Ecuador. All money goes directly to feed the children. May you always know God's love and generosity in your life. 

God bless,
Ministry Minjah Elohim
  

Proverbs 25:11

Proverbs 25:11 

The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl. Let's take time to hear each other during this busy holiday time. Your words can be a blessing to someone in need. God is Love

Love Binds - Colossians 3:14

"Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”  ~ anonymous author 

Love binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

Colossians 3:14

Hebrews 12:1-2