activated august 2005

8/14/2019 Activated August 2005

1/16

CHANGE YOUR LIFE | CHANGE YOUR WORLD

DUMP

What to do whe

you feel dow

DANCING TH

LIMB

A novel way to de

with stre

ENDTIME INSIGHT

The Rise, Reign, and Wa

of the Antichrist, Part


2/16

For a wide range of books andaudio and video productions tofeed your soul, lift your spirit,strengthen your family, andprovide fun learning times foryour children, please contact

one of our distributors below,or visit our Web site at www.activated.org

Activated Ministries

P.O. Box 462805Escondido, CA [email protected](877) 8623228

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Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr.Enterprise WayLuton, Beds. LU3 [email protected](07801) 442317

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Westville 3630South [email protected] 55 68 213

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P.O. Box 5215G.P.O.Bangalore 560 [email protected]

August 2005Keith PhillipsGiselle LeFavreDoug CalderFrancisco Lopez

VOL6, ISSUE 8

EDITOR

DESIGN

ILLUSTRATIONS

PRODUCTION

ctiv te

Job-related stress has become a

worldwide epidemic according to the

World Health Organization (WHO). So

has depression. And the two are linked:

Chronic stress can lead to depression.If epidemic sounds overstated or alarmist, think about

it. How many people do you know who arent stressed out?

Bosses stress over production and profit goals, and workers

stress over the demands of their jobs. And stress isnt limited

to the workplace. Nearly everyone is under financial stressif

not to earn enough to get by, then enough to get more. Parents

stress about their children. Children stress about peer pressure

and their studies. Retired people stress about their waning

health and retirement funds. Many people even get so stressed

about not having enough leisure time that when they are able to

get away, they often cant relax and enjoy themselves.

Its enough to get almost anyone down, and it does.

According to another recent WHO study, depression is now the

leading cause of disability worldwide as measured by YLDs

(Years Lived with Disability) and the fourth leading contributor

to the global burden of disease.

Whats a person to do?

There are many products and services available for stress-

reliefpharmaceuticals, herbs, yoga, fitness and wellness

regimens, etc.but many of these can be costly, ineffective,

inconvenient, complicated, or have side effects.There has to be a better wayand there is. Believe it or

not, the safest, surest cure for both stress and depression is

a strong personal connection with our Creator. He made us, so

He understands our needs better than anyone. Whats more,

He has it within His power to supply those needs. He loved us

enough to send His only Son to save our souls, so surely He

can and will do whatever is needed to save our sanity. Hes just

waiting for us to turn to Him.

Keith Phillips

FORTHE ACTIVATEDFAMILY

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

2005 Aurora Production AG

All Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.

www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in Activated are from the New King

James Version of the Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. When other versions are quoted,

some typographical changes have been made for the sake of clarity and uniformity.

2www.activated.org

|ACTIVATED VOL 6, ISS


3/16

PEOPLECOMMEND ME for giving up a lifeof comfort and security in Europe forone of constant giving as a Christian

volunteer in Africa. Thats so noble! You

must be a saint! I could never do whatyou do. Sometimes I wonder if these well-meaning people realize that Im just asvulnerable to feelings of discouragement

and frustration as they are. With so muchto do and so few others doing the work Ivebeen called to do, the task can be daunting.

Recently I was preoccupied with problemswhen an old familiar song started playing inthe background. Eventually the lyrics brokethrough my melancholic introspection.

Morning has broken like the first morning;

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,

Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word.

Im sure these lyrics have been inter-preted in many ways by the millions of

people who have heard and sung themsince Eleanor Farjeon wrote them in 1930

and Cat Stevens set them to a new tune in

1970, but they stirred a fresh thought in me.Imagine the first morning that God createda

morning of peace and hope, free from stress,

frustration, and deadlines.That sounds so

amazing! Then I was reminded of a promisefrom the Bible: The Lords mercies are newevery morning (Lamentations 3:2223).

The truth was, morning hadbroken like

the first morning. The f irst rays of sunlightover the horizon had greeted me with thatsame peace and hope, but it was up to meto savor it. Would I welcome it with praise?Would I stop to hear the blackbirds song?

The song concludes with this:

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning,

Born of the one light Eden saw play.

Praise with elation, praise every morning,

Gods re-creation of the new day.

My previous feelings of frustration anddiscouragement dissipated as the thoughthit home again. Morninghad broken! Itwas mine! I looked at the beauty that sur-rounded me and realized that I was part of

Gods beautiful new day!

BYC. H. SPURGEON (18341892) { SUFFICIENCY

MORNING HAS BROKEN } BYRIMA PARKER

THE OTHEREVENINGI was riding homeafter a heavy days work. I felt veryweary and depressed, when swiftly and

suddenly that text came to me, My [Jesus]

grace is sufficient for thee (2 Corinthians12:9 KJV).

I said, I should think it is, Lord, andburst out laughing. It seemed to makeunbelief so absurd.

It was as though some little fish, beingvery thirsty, was troubled about drink-ing the river dry, and Father Thames said,

Drink away, little fish, my stream is suf-ficient for thee.

Again, I imagined a man away up yonder,in a lofty mountain, saying to himself, I

breathe so many cubic feet of air everyyear, I fear I shall exhaust the oxygen inthe atmosphere. But the earth might say,

Breathe away, O man, and fill thy lungs.My atmosphere is suff icient for thee.

Be great believers! Little faith will bringyour souls to Heaven, but great faith willbring Heaven to your souls.

ACTIVATED VOL 6, ISSUE 8 |

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4/16

BYDAVIDBRANDTBERG

HI SMORNING I WASDISCOURAGED andfrustrated about something. My wifesensed it, so she cheerfully began tosing this chorus:

Cheer up, you saints of God, theres nothing to worry

about,

Nothing to make you feel afraid, nothing to make you

doubt!

Our God has never failed, so why not t rust Him and

shout?

Youll be glad you trusted Him tomorrow!

The problem is that when youre downcast,if you start talking about the situation, youusually end up voicing your complaints anddoubts and speaking defeat. Thats what I did

when I replied half-jokingly: Fold up, you

DUMPS

BYDAVIDBRANDTBERG

saints of God, theres nothingto be happy about! I was justsinging it lightheartedly, butit was really the way I wasfeelingand it was kind ofnice for a while. Poor me!

When you have the poor-mes, youre usually just tryingto get attention and sympathy.

When the children of Israelcomplained in the wilderness,

they were trying to makeMoses and the Lord feel sorryfor them (Exodus 16:23). Yourpride is wounded, your egohas been a little deflated, yourself-confidence has been alittle shaken, and you beginto wonder then if everythingis a mistake. Maybe you are

t4

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5/16

never right about anything! Income Mr. and Mrs. Doubt andall the little Doubtlets, andMr. and Mrs. Devil and all thelittle Devils, and you pull up achair and invite them to talkit overand pretty soon you

start agreeing with them. Yes,thats right! I never was verymuch of a Christian after all!How could God use me? I dontreally have a very victorious,overcoming life, and Im notperfect. Im just a big mess. Imight as well quit!

Its because you get youreyes on yourself instead of theLordintrospection instead of

Heaven-spection. You think somuch about yourself and yourown faults, frailties, mistakes,and sins that your self reallygets you down. The Devil, yourspiritual foe and the enemy ofhappiness, can tell you a lot oftruth about yourself thats hor-rible, not to speak of the lies hetells you, so if you start listen-

ing to the Devil, theres no endto it. If you listen to him, he canmake you sound even worsethan you really are, and thatspretty bad!

Then you start listening toyour critics, or perhaps somefriend or member of yourfamily makes some casualremark that they dont reallymean or that you misinterpret,

and the Devil exaggeratesthe situation until you getdisheartened and feel likegiving up.

It reminds me of King Davidwhen he said, Now I shallperish someday by the handof Saul (1 Samuel 27:1). Howcould David have made a

song out of that? It would have sounded ter-rible! Someday I shall surely die! Someday I

will be defeated. Someday the Devil will get mSomeday my enemies will ki ll me. Maybe its n

worth it after all! God has failed me. Im a fail-ure. I might as well quit!Which was exactly

what the Devil wanted to persuade David to d

by that barrage of doubt and self-pity.How could David have made a song out of

that? What kind of doleful dirge, sung in amournful minor key, would that have been? Iguess thats why you never find that in one ofDavids psalms. David evidently said it, becaushes quoted in the Bible as saying itone ofthose brief little outbursts prompted by theDevil that manages to get through before wecatch ourselves and realize how bad it reallysounds. But David had enough sense not tomake a song out of it and keep singing that tunInstead, in the book of Psalms he takes a positapproach, defying his enemies and praising Gin spite of his troubles, because he knew thatGod would work everything out, because Healways had and because He promised to.

When youre discouraged, the Devil makesyou mad at the truth because hes about tobe defeated by it. He makes you angry whenpeople try to cheer you up, and makes you

upset at the very people who are trying tohelp you, because you cant enjoy your miseryas much if theyre trying to make you happy.

Youre ashamed because your defeatism looksso bad alongside their victorious attitude, so

you attempt to cover up in a fit of fury againstthem, or you try to find fault with them andothers and everythingeven Godto excuse

yourself for being such a grouch.So this morning I was tempted to get mad

at my wife when she tried to cheer me up with

that song, and I responded, Oh, yeah? andjokingly began to sing the reverse: Fold up,you saints of God, theres nothing to be happyabout; everything to make you feel afraid,everything to make you doubt. That far was little funny because it was so obviously defianand my sin was so apparent, but when I got tothe next line and saw what the reverse of thesong was leading to, it scared me and I didnt

INCOME

MR. AND

MRS. DOUBT

ANDALL

THELITTLE

DOUBTLETS,

AND MR.

AND MRS .

DEVILAND

ALLTHE

LITTLE

DEVILS, AND

YOUPULLUP

ACHAIRAND

INVITETHEM

TO TALKIT

OVER.

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6/16

care to go on singing it. I knew God wasntwrong and He had never failed. So how couldI sing, Our God has always failed, so why notmurmur and doubt? Youll be sorry you trustedHim tomorrow! If theres anyt hing I know, it isthat God has never failed and Ive always beenglad I trusted Him tomorrow. So I knew that

was a lie and I just couldnt possibly sing thesong in reverse, no matter how bad I felt. It just

wasnt the truth!Look what a horrible lie even that little

song is, if you sing it in reverse. Thats the waythe Devil operates: He starts out seeminglyinnocent and honest with something thatdoesnt seem too bad. Fold up, you saintsof God, theres nothing to be happy about

which is the way we sometimes feel when weget discouraged. But its the horror that thisleads to that shakes us up and shocks us intorealizing what a liar the Devil is and how bad astate were getting into.

Thank God for His shock treatments whenwe realize what a terrible thing were saying ordoing as a result of some little doubt or fear ordisobedience that we started with. One of thethings that helped snap me out of it was whenI realized what a terrible example I was beingto my wife, who was trying to lift me up and

encourage me, while I was resisting it. Even ifI was half joking, the danger of dragging herdown with me fina lly woke me up. I realizedthat I had to get the victory for her sake, ifnothing else!

My grandfather used to say, If you must goto Hell, at least dont let somebody else stumbleover you into Hell too! But this isnt possible,because if youre going to Hell youre bound todrag others with you. Everybody has influence.No man lives to himself, and no man dies to

himself (Romans 14:7). Each of our lives isbound to affect others. No man is an island.Everybodys inf luencing somebody, even whenthey seem to be alone.

Sometimes just a word or a glance or a smilecan make a big differencehow we act or soundor seem. If its not cheerful and victorious anduplifting, then it could easily hurt others andpull them down with us. Were either going to

No man lives to himself ,

and no man dies to

himself (Romans 14:7) .

Each of our l ives is

bound to af fect others.

No man is an island.

Everybodys inf luencing

somebody, even when

they seem to be alone.

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7/16

pull people up to our level ordrag them down to it, one orthe other.

Just a little bit of doubt, alittle bit of fear, a little bitof complaint, a litt le bit ofdiscouragement, can grow and

grow until you are completelydefeated and a terribleinfluence on others. You neverstop until you hit bottomunless you repent and snap outof it and ask God to forgive youand throw out the Devils wholepack of lies and all your doubtsand fears and discouragement,and follow Jesus and His Word,and hold on to His promises.The future is as bright as thepromises of God!

Youre going to either bepositive or negative, one orthe other. You cant be just alittle bit of both. Thats whatthe Devil will try to tell you: Itdoesnt hurt to be just a littledisheartened, to feel just a littlebit sorry for yourself. After all,

you deserve to enjoy a little bitof discouragement so you canget some sympathy from others.

Why not? Misery loves com-pany! Lets make everybodyelse a little bit miserable, too,so we can all enjoy it!

The minute you start listen-ing to the Devil youre donefor, because theres no end to it,no stopping place! Hell never

quit until hes dragged you to the very bottomand left you utterly defeated, a terr ible reproato the cause of Christ and a drag on everybodyaround you.

So, if youre discouraged, friend, for Godssake dont murmur, complain, a nd voice yourdoubts and fears to others! They may already

have burdens more than they can bear. Yoursmay be the last straw.

If we dont keep our eyes on the Lord andour mind on His Word, were doomed to defeadoubt, disillusionment, and final fa ilure!

DUMPS WASEXCERPTEDFROMTHEARTICLEOFTHESAMENAME.

THEFULLVERSIONISAVAILABLEINGREATER VICTORIES,ABOOK

FROM AURORA PRODUCTION.

All through life, my

brother, if youd be

a happy soul,

Keep your eye upon

the doughnut, not

upon the hole!

Keep your eyes on Heaven. Keep your eyeson the goal, and the victory in your soul.

Always shout, never doubt! When the Deviltempts you to get down and discouraged, fig

Dont even listen to hi m, much less surrendeStart doing something positive. Start sayingsomething cheerful and encouraginglike m

wife did for me this morning, when she begato sing, Cheer up, you saints of God in hersweet way, the best she could, trying to remime to trust the Lord.

Only Jesus, only Jesus, only He can satisfy.

Every burden becomes a blessing,

When I know my Lord is nigh!


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8/16

IT HAPPENED TO M

Dancingthe Limbo

BYMARIA MOR

Lifes struggles

are not meant to

crush us. They

are the chal

lenges that help

us to grow, the

stretching of

the muscles that

make us more

limber so we

can play limbo

like a pro

THE YSAYTHATASENSEOF HUMORCA NHELP save the day and ease

tensions during difficult times. I think God has a sense of humor. After al l,

He created us funny people.Several years back, my husband Andy and I were going through a very

stressful time. With three small children and number four due in a fewweeks, circumstances were such that we needed to move out of the house

we were living in. One after another, all of our options for new housing hadfallen through. I felt like Mary on Christmas Eve, when she and Josephwere told there was no room for them at the inn.

With each passing day, things seemed to go from bad to worse and oursituation became more desperate. I had tried to keep faith, tried to staypositive, but couldnt help getting discouraged. What was wrong? We hadprayed so hard. How much worse could things get?

Then I had the strangest revelation. I knew it was God applying His senseof humor to an otherwise serious situation. I heard Jesus saying to me in truelimbo-dance style and rhythm, How low can yougo? How low can yougo?

In case you arent familiar with the limbo, its a dance that originated inthe West Indiesa sort of high jump in reverse. The dancers form a single file,bend backward from the knees, and move with a shuffling step under a hori-zontal bar that is lowered after each successive pass. Dancers are eliminatedwhen they knock the bar from the uprights or fail to keep their balance as they

pass under the bar. The dancer who goes under the lowest bar is the winner.I had to laugh as I imagined that limbo rod being lowered to the next rung.

It gave me new courage to face my problems as a challenge. How low can yougo?Not in a bad or despairing way, but in a fun way.

Lifes struggles are not meant to crush us. They are the challenges thathelp us to grow, the stretching of the muscles that make us more limber sowe can play limbo like a pro.

I put on my smile. I lifted my chin and said, I can do this. I can go alittle lower. I havent fallen yet, and Im still in the game! Each time morebad news came and things got a little worse, I would smile at Andy and say,

How low can yougo? It became sort of a joke and certainly helped to takethe fear and tension away.

You see, I was cheating. I knew that Jesus, who had the sense of humor

to give me this revelation, also had His hand under my back so I couldntfall. He had it all under control, and all I had to do was play along. Bythis time I was feeling quite proud of myself for dancing the limboso professionally, and nothing seemed quite so bad anymore.

Youve probably guessed by now that we won the game. Asour prize, Jesus gave us exactly what we neededa wonder-ful home, just in time.

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9/16

One of the greatest lessons ofthis life is faithlearningto believe in the unseen.

John 20:29Romans 1:17bRomans 8:24252 Corinthians 5:7

With some people, onlyseeing is believing.Mark 15:32a

John 4:48John 6:30John 20:25b

But thats not how faithworks; seeing is therewardof faith.

John 11:401 Corinthians 13:122 Corinthians 3:18

Hebrews 11:61 John 3:2

If we are carried about byour feelings or circumstances,were in for a rough voyage!Matthew 14:2531Ephesians 4:14aJames 1:6

We dont have to be

governed by circumstancesor conditions, as our faith isa determining factor.Matthew 8:13Matthew 9:29bMatthew 15:28Matthew 17:1920Mark 11:24Hebrews 11:11 John 5:4

Faith is trusting inthe Lord and His ways,which often defy naturalreasoning.1 Samuel 16:7bIsaiah 11:3bIsaiah 55:891 Corinthians 1:211 Corinthians 2:14

Gods Word is the only su

foundation for faith.Psalm 119:89Isaiah 40:8Matthew 24:35Romans 10:171 Peter 1:25a

When we walk by faith,love the Lord, and obey HWord, then our relation-

ship with Him stands firregardless of the outlook ohow we feel.

Jeremiah 31:3bIsaiah 42:16Isaiah 44:21bIsaiah 49:15Isaiah 54:10Hebrews 13:5b

When were walking by

faith, we can approach eanew test positively, as achallenge.Psalm 27:132 Corinthians 4:1618

James 1:241 Peter 1:67

FEEDING READING

Faiththe key to overcoming stress

discouragement, and more

A PRAYER FOR TROUBLED TIMES

Dear Jesus,

This seems to be one of those times

when troubles abound, but I know that You

understand and can take care of us.

Where there are problems and pain, giveYour peace and mercy.

Where there is tiredness, please give

understanding of Your strength, and show

us how to tap into that strength by leaning

on You.

Where there are difficult decisions to

make, or confusion or stress, make Your

way plain and give everything needed for us

to follow where You lead.

Where there is loneliness, I ask You to

renew the experience of Your nearness and

draw us into greater intimacy with You.

Where there is insecurity or self-doubt,

please grant renewed confidence in Your

abilities, more faith in You inside each of us.

Where there is fear, please demonstrate

Your love and give courage, as we know You

can work out any situation for the best.

Where there is something blocking

fellowship with You, please reveal the

obstacle and take it awaywhether sin,circumstances, or lack of faith.

Where there is a need for finances

or other provision, please supply as You

promised in Your Word, God will supply all

your need (Philippians 4:19 KJV) .

Where there is illness, send healing

by Your miracle-working power and give

instruction for healthful lifestyles.

Where there is a need for friendship and

love, send other believers to fill up the void,

as the Bible says, If we are living in the

light of Gods presence, just as Christ does,

then we have wonderful fellowship and joy

with each other (1 John 1:7 TLB).

Where there is a spiritual emptiness,

send Your Word for inspiration, and grant

sweet communion with You in prayer.

Whatever the need, please fill it, Jesus,

as the Giver of all good things. Amen.


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10/16

BREAKING POINT

a N

You have t o know

your l imits

and not

push

yourself beyond them.

You have t o know

your l imits

and not

push

yourself beyond them.

HAVEYO UEVERSEENANOI LREFINERY? Onthing that amazed me about the first onI saw up close was the intricate maze o

pipes that was used to produce gas, keroseneplastics, and a host of other petroleum produBesides the complexity of it a ll, one wondershow it can all be maintained safely and still bfinancially viable.

Proper pressure is maintained in every pipto ensure that the oil flows at just the rightratenot too fast lest it burst the pipes, and ntoo slow. All this apparent confusion of pipeshas rhyme and reason to it. Of course, it tooksome geniuses to design it, and it takes an armof experts to maintain and monitor it all tomake sure that it is properly regulated.

We may sometimes feel that our lives arelike that maze of pipes under a lot of pressure

Besides our jobs and the endless chores thatmake up everyday living, we have a multitudeof obligations to our families and friends. Thethere are our responsibilities to the communand appeals to help a world ful l of needy caus

We also have spiritual commitments to live o

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11/16

Ntfaithto maintain our relationship with theLord through prayer, reading His Word, andhaving fellowship with other believers. Some-times the pressure seems too much to bear. Howdo we keep from bursting apart at the seams?

It may surprise you to know that a certainamount of pressure is good for us. It helps usnot to slip into a state of physical, mental, andspiritual lethargy. It can motivate us to wingreater victories as we overcome new obstacles.

A certain amount is good for us, but too muchcan be our undoing. Thats why we need a pres-sure valve, a way out. Jesus offers us just that.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavyladen, Jesus tells us, and I will give you rest.Speaking in terms that His followers of 2,000

years ago could understand, He likened thepress of daily responsibilities and problems to

the load of a beast of burden: Take My yokeupon you and learn from Me, for I am gentleand lowly in heart, and you will find rest for

your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burdenis light (Matthew 11:2830). If we find our yoketoo heavy, perhaps we have fashioned one forourselves that is much heavier than the one He

wants us to bear.A large part of an engineers job is to know

exactly how much stress the structure he isdesigningwhether it is a bridge, an elevator, or

a boat, or whatevercan take. Thats why yousee signs in elevators or boats telling you howmany people they can safely hold. If you exceedthat limit, the bridge could collapse, the boatsink, or the elevator fall.

You have to know your limits, too, and notpush yourself beyond them. When thingsbegin to get too much for you, let Jesus regu-late the pressure. He knows how much is good

for you and how much you can take. Let Himtake the controls, and He will make sure itsnever too much.

He gives power to the weak, and tothose who have no might He increasesstrength. Even the youths shall faintand be weary, and the young men shallutterly fall, but those who wait on the Lordshall renew their strength; they shall mount u

with wings like eagles, they shall run and notbe weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isaia40:2931).

BYCURTIS PETER VAN GORDER

Thesecrettoo

vercoming

stress

islearning

torestinthe

Lord.

Jesuspromise

stogiveus

restforours

ouls,

butHehasse

toneconditio

n:CometoM

e

(Matthew11

:2830).Whe

nyouarewea

ried

withthestrai

nofitall,you

canflytoJe

sus

onthewings

ofprayeran

dfaithandg

etth

reliefthatHe

alonecangiv

eyou.Hekno

w

whatyounee

dmostofall

:restofbody,

mind,an

dspirit,fellow

shipwithHim

,and

thespiritualstrengtheni

ngthatcome

s

fromreading

andabsorbingHisWord.

Andyouwill

findrestfory

oursouls.

Notmanype

opleunderst

andthataso

u

isbothbodya

ndspirit.Ifyo

udontrest

spirituallyin

theLord,you

aregoingto

wearoutyou

rbody.

DAVIDBRAND

TBERG


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12/16

Ive learned to trust God and haveseen Him answer some of myprayers, but one thing that prayerdoesnt seem to be able to do forme is help me overcome the boutsof depression that I go throughfrom time to time. Why does Godseem so distant when I need Himmost?

A

: DEPRESSIONAND ANXI-

ET Y are rampant in theworld todayeven chronic

depression, overwhelming depres-sion, to where people completelylose the desire to live.

When depression hits, itssometimes hard to know what todo or how to cope. But even if youfind that youve made your bed in

the middle of Hell itselfwhichthe world today sometimes resem-

blesGod will be right therewith you. Read it in Psalm 139:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I flee from Yourpresence? If I ascend into Heaven,

You are there; if I make my bedin Hell, behold, You are there. IfI take the wings of the morning,and dwell in the uttermost partsof the sea, even there Your handshall lead me, and Your right hand

shall hold me (Psalm 139:710).[Jesus] will never leave you norforsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

What can help you more thananything else to stay upbeat andpositive and free from the grip ofdepression, or help you pull out

of it if you get sucked down, is

keeping a connection with Godthrough reading His Word andseeking Him in prayer. His lovis always there for you. Even inthe times when youre down, vdiscouraged, or depressed, evewhen you feel He couldnt pos-sibly love you or care about yoHe still does!

One fundamental point toremember is that its not Godwho sends discouragement anddepression your way, but theDevil. The Devi ls ultimate goato separate you from God, and

of the main tactics he wil l try tuse to that end is telling you th

God doesnt love you personal lyFirst he gets you depressed ovesomething elseoften somelittle thing that he blows up waout of proportionand then htries to get you to doubt or eveblame God for not immediatelycoming to your rescue. He tempyou to doubt Gods love, to stopbelieving that He cares aboutyou personally, or even to stop

believing that He exists.Whatever you do, dont belie

those lies! Hold on to your faithand trust in God, because whengets down to the wire, He is yoonly hope and the only One whcan help you make it through y

CombatingDepression

ANSWERS TO

YOUR QUESTIONS

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13/16

present difficulty and the othersthat are sure to come your way.

Those who choose to hold onto their faith when difficulties

come their way find that it ispossible to keep their faithandGod does help them through theirdifficulties. It may not happen

immediately or exactly the waythey hoped and prayed for, butin the end God makes things gosmoother and turn out betterthan if they had tried to go italone by letting go of their faith.Theyve seen that their faithcan get them through the roughtimes. They find that their faithconnection is their greatest assetwhen depression strikes.

So when you find yourselfbesieged by feelings of depression,melancholy, or hopelessness,when you feel that God doesnt

love you, or whatever the sourceof your depression may be, dont

try to fight it out on your own.Recognize depression as thespiritual attack of the Enemy thatit is, and take a stand against it inthe spirit.

It often helps to get prayerand encouragement from peoplewho know and love you andunderstand the spiritual warfareyoure fighting. But even if thereis no one around who you can call

on for backup, call out to God forHis help, and Hell be there. Yourenot stronger than the Devil, butGod is. Ask Him to come to yourdefense, and He will. He loves youand He is ready and waiting tofight for you!

Have you prayers that seem to be unanswered?

Anxious moments, trials hard to bear?Have faith in His promise unfailing.

God will hear; He will answer your prayer.

Are there loved ones yet for whom youre burdened?

Lonely nights spent bowed in fervent prayer?

God sees evry tear and your heartache,

So just cast upon Him all your care.

Then keep faith, although the way be rugged.

Do not doubt His deep, unfailing love.

Sufficient each day for the trial

Is His promise of grace from above.

Faith in God can move a mighty mountain,

Faith can calm the troubled sea;

Faith can make a desert like a fountain,

Faith can bring the victory.

JOHN W. PETERSON, ALFRED E. SMITH,AND GRACE WATKINS-BOLTON

faith in God canmoveamighty mountain

PUTTING THINGS IN

P E R S P E C T I V

How brief is our span of life compared with the time since

You created the universe. How tiny we are compared with the

enormity of Your universe. How trivial are our concerns comparewith the complexity of Your universe. How stupid we are

compared with the genius of Your creation.

Yet during every minute and every second of our lives You are

present, within and around us. You give Your attention to each

and every one of us. Our concerns are Your concerns. And You

are infinitely patient with our stupidity. I thank You with all my

heart, knowing that my thanks are as nothing compared to You

greatness.

SAINTFULBERTOFCHARTRES (9601028)


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In Parts 1 and 2 of thisarticle, the prophet Daniel(circa 538 BC) recounted avision concerning the latterdays, also known as the End-timethe time in which weare living. In verses 21 through38, Daniel described in somedetail the coming world dicta-tor known as the Antichrist, aswell as the first three wars hewill wage to seize and try tohold on to power. But there isstill more.

VERSE 39: Thus he [the

Antichrist] shall act againstthe strongest fortresses witha foreign god, which he shallacknowledge, and advance itsglory; and he shall cause themto rule over many, and dividethe land for gain.

This foreign god couldturn out to be the image ofthe Beast, which is describedin Revelation 13:1415: He

[the Antichrists false prophet]deceives those who dwellon the earth by those signs

which he was granted to do inthe sight of the Beast, tellingthose who dwell on the earthto make an image to theBeast who was wounded bythe sword and lived. He was

granted power to give breathto the image of the Beast, thatthe image of the Beast shouldboth speak and cause as manyas would not worship theimage of the Beast to be kil led.

This image is likely tobe an incredibly high-techsupercomputer accessingmassive unified databasescontaining detailed personalinformation on most ofthe worlds population andlinked to the Antichriststelecommunications network.Through the image of the

Beast, a universal economicand financial system will beinstituted. The number 666

will somehow be central tothis system.

Revelation 13:1618: He[again, the Antichrists falseprophet] causes all, bothsmall and great, rich and poor,free and slave, to receive amark on their right hand or on

their foreheads, and that noone may buy or sell except one

who has the mark or the nameof the Beast, or the number ofhis name. Here is wisdom. Lethim who has understandingcalculate the number of theBeast, for it is the number of aman: His number is 666.

DANIEL 11:4042THE

FOURTH ANTICHRIST WAR?

Verse 40: At the time of thend the king of the South shaattack him; and the king ofthe North shall come againsthim like a whirlwind, withchariots, horsemen, and withmany ships; and he shall entthe countries, overwhelmthem, and pass through.

This war takes place durinthe three-and-a-half-yearGreat Tribulationprobablynear the end because the

Antichrist meets hisend just

few verses laterand is onceagain fought between the kinof the North (the Antichrist)and the enigmatic king of theSouth (possibly U.S.-backedIsrael). Daniel could only useterms he was familiar with todescribe the modern warfarehe saw in this visiontanksand personnel carriers aschariots, massive air strikes

as a whirlwind, and so on.Verse 41: He [the Anti-

christ] shall a lso enter theGlorious Land [Israel], andmany countries shall beoverthrown; but these shallescape from his hand: EdomMoab, and the prominentpeople of Ammon.

ENDTIME INSIGHTS

THE RISE, REIGN, AND WARSOF THE ANTICHRIST Daniel 11, Part 3

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15/16

Edom, Moab, and Ammonare contained in modern-day

Jordan.Verse 42: He shal l stretch

out his hand against the coun-tries [that sided with the kingof the South], and the land ofEgypt shall not escape.

Verse 43: He shall havepower over the treasuresof gold and silver, and overall t he precious things ofEgypt; also the Libyans andEthiopians shall follow at hisheels.

He shall have power overthe treasures of gold andsilver indicates that the

Antichrist will hold economiccontrol, which we also knowto be the case from Revelation13:1618 and other passages.

The Libyans and Ethiopians

shall follow at his heelsmeans that these countries

will be subservient to theAntichrist.

DANIEL 11:44THE FIFTH

ANTICHRIST WAR?

Verse 44: But news fromthe east and the north shalltrouble him; therefore heshall go out with great fury to

destroy and annihilate many.That sounds like either

another war, or a continu-ation of the war describedin verses 40 through 42, andprobably happens near theend of the Tribulation. If thisis another warthe fifth warof the Antichristit seems it

is against eastern nations.News from the north could

mean a threatened coup orother problems of dissent inhis own country, or possiblytroubling developments inNorth America.

He shall go out with greatfury to destroy and annihi-late many. This could be the

warpossibly nuclearinwhich the Antichrist and hisal lies obliterate Babylon, asdescribed in Revelation 14:8;17:16; and chapter 18. Thiswar probably takes place notlong before Jesus return andthe Rapture.

Verse 45: And he shallplant the tents of his palacebetween the seas and theglorious holy mountain; yethe shall come to his end, and

no one will help him.The glorious holy moun-

tain is Jerusalems MountMoriah. That doesnt neces-sarily mean that the Anti-christ waits until this pointto set up his headquarterson Mount Moriah; its justan acknowledgment of whathe most likely did three anda half years earlier when he

broke the covenant, placedthe image of the Beast in theTemple area (Daniel 11:3031),sat in the Temple claimingto be God, and abolished allreligions other than worshipof himself (2 Thessalonians2:34)these events trigger-ing the Great Tribulation.

Yet he shall come to his

end, and no one will helphim. At Megiddo, overlookinthe plains of Armageddon innorthern Israel, the Antichristmusters his armies for hisgreatest campaign against thenations that still oppose him,but Jesus and His heavenlyarmy, including the resur-rected believers from throughout the ages, intercede by

returning to earth and utterlydestroying the Antichrist andhis forces at the Battle of theGreat Day of God Almighty(Revelation 16:1216; 19:1121He then ushers in 1,000 yearsof peace on eartha periodknown as the Millennium.The happy beginning!

>> BYJOSEPH CANDEL


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THERESABIGDIFFERENCE BETWEENPRESSURE AND STRESS.

Pressure ca n be either good or bad for you, depending on whereits coming from and how you deal with it. Sometimes a littlepressure is just what you need to help you reach your full potential.But stressmental, emotional, or physical strain that wears youout and gets you nowhereis never good for you. If youre feelingstressed, then something isnt right. Youre either going aboutthings the wrong way, or youre looking at things the wrong way.

When faced with a challenge, difficulty, or some other formof outside pressure, if you try to handle it by yourself instead ofasking for My help, the pressure will turn into stress. You will feelanxious, rushed, frustrated, discouraged, and ultimately over-

whelmed. When you try to handle pressure on your own, when youswitch into self-works mode, its really self-destruction mode.

You think you dont have time to pray and wait for Me to workor show you what to do, so of course youre going to ma ke moremistakes than you would with My help. That compounds the stressand makes a bad situation worse. It can become a vicious cycle if

you dont recognize the problem, slow down, and do things differ-ently.

The pressure situations I have designed for your life are meant

to help, not hurt youand theywillif you handle them the rightway. If it causes you to recognize your own limitations and becomemore dependent on Me, youre sure to come out ahead. If it causes

you to turn around and transfer that pressure to Me by askingMe to help carry the load, I will. I will also give you the strength,patience, wisdom, understanding, or whatever it is you need inextra measure so you can doyourpart. Together we can tackle anyproblem without you getting stressed.

How to take

PRESSURE

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

activated august 2005

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