Forgiven? Your Choice!

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LET GO & LET GOD!
2007-01-30 12:48:08
I was speaking with a dear sister in Christ this morning and she is in struggle with the spirit of guilt. Let me step back and fill you in on the situation that leads up to our conservation. Last year she had to have heart bypass surgery and even though the surgery was a success other complications arose. She is now on oxygen due to a collapsed lung and the fact that her diaphragm was ruptured some time ago in a completely unrelated incident. This leaves her tired, in constant need of her oxygen bottle and unable to take extreme hot or cold weather for any length of time as exposure could cause her body to react adversely and send her back to the hospital.  We now have to add the fact that she has a passion for teaching, church and the homeless ministry. Before she fell ill she and her husband worked with my wife and I on the ministry team for our church. She spent hours coordinating, speaking and praying for the woman’s ministry, sang in the choir, taught the childr...
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LET GO & LET GOD!
2007-01-29 22:42:00
I was speaking with a dear sister in Christ this morning and she is in struggle with the spirit of guilt. Let me step back and fill you in on the situation that leads up to our conservation. Last year she had to have heart bypass surgery and even though the surgery was a success other complications arose. She is now on oxygen due to a collapsed lung and the fact that her diaphragm was ruptured some time ago in a completely unrelated incident. This leaves her tired, in constant need of her oxygen bottle and unable to take extreme hot or cold weather for any length of time as exposure could cause her body to react adversely and send her back to the hospital.  We now have to add the fact that she has a passion for teaching, church and the homeless ministry. Before she fell ill she and her husband worked with my wife and I on the ministry team for our church. She spent hours coordinating, speaking and praying for the woman’s ministry, sang in the choir, taught the childr...
More About: Let Go

Over and over I hear politicians touting Family Values
2007-01-17 00:39:03
Over and over I hear politicians touting Family Values to get elected, but have you noticed that those values wavier depending on the group they are addressing? Many say that family values are just a term that means something different to each individual and are therefore not important. But they are more important than you could ever imagine. The breakdown of the traditional family unit has caused a myriad of problems that have eroded the moral core of our great nation. We have an epidemic of sexual predators and we seem to be at a loss at how to handle it. Our young men are growing up not understanding how handle the pressures of relationships and turn to dominance and abuse as their answer. We hear it all the time, how you don’t need a man to raise a child, or two men / women can raise a child as well as anyone. Statistics show that most sex offenders were raised in broken homes and have been abused by the men that came into their lives through their mother’s relationships. I...
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WHOSE FAMILY VALUES?
2007-01-15 18:00:00
Over and over I hear politicians touting Family Values to get elected, but have you noticed that those values wavier depending on the group they are addressing? Many say that family values are just a term that means something different to each individual and are therefore not important. But they are more important than you could ever imagine. The breakdown of the traditional family unit has caused a myriad of problems that have eroded the moral core of our great nation. We have an epidemic of sexual predators and we seem to be at a loss at how to handle it. Our young men are growing up not understanding how handle the pressures of relationships and turn to dominance and abuse as their answer. We hear it all the time, how you don’t need a man to raise a child, or two men / women can raise a child as well as anyone. Statistics show that most sex offenders were raised in broken homes and have been abused by the men that came into their lives through their mother’s relations...

What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because
2007-01-13 06:37:01
What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today? What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the Rain?What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?What if, God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?What if, God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger? What if, God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?What if, God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?What if, God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?What if, God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?What if, God met our needs the way we give Him our lives??? What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not o...
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What If?
2007-01-13 03:24:00
What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today? What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the Rain?What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?What if, God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?What if, God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger? What if, God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?What if, God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?What if, God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?What if, God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?What if, God met our needs the way we give Him our lives??? What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open t...

Dreaming of What?
2007-01-12 18:36:01
Dream ing of a White Holiday?We’re dreaming of a white Holiday, with Holiday trees being decorated and Santa Clause dressed up all in red. We have Holiday parades and Holiday gatherings. And we talk in schools across the country about the traditions of the Holiday season around the world including Hanukah, Ramadan and even Kwanza. To make sure that we are inclusive we take Christmas music and Christmas trees out of our airports, we have the police ask High School Choirs to refrain from singing Christmas carols in outdoor public spaces, and even threaten to close down Christmas festivals for allowing movies like “The Nativity Story” to help sponsor the event for advertising space. We have even Xed out Christ in Xmas! What will it take for us to remember what it is that we celebrate this time of the year; a family coming together is a wonderful byproduct, but that is not the reason, receiving gifts feels great, but that seems to breed selfishness, reaching out to others is somethi...
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Moral Compass?
2007-01-12 18:36:01
We grow more and more accepting as each day passes. Where once we fiercely fought for independent thought and individual rights we now go with the flow; If they say it on CNN who are we to argue? And day by day our moral bearings are blurred.The night time dramas are presented with a quality never before seen on the small screen, Academy Award winning actors play captivating characters in High Definition showing us and our children that we can not escape our immoral behavior so we might as well embrace it. Gone are the days when the family gathered around the table for dinner and spent time catching up about the days activities. Gone are the days when prayer was heard floating from the lips of children as they settled in for bed and parents took the time to pray over them. Next time you think, How did this country get in such a mess?ask yourself Whats happening in your own household?Has Greys Anatomy taken the place of your family time? Do you still pray with your children? Are...
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The Three Funerals
2007-01-12 18:36:01
Did anybody happen to notice the picture that God painted over a 4-day span recently, as we watched the events unfold on every news station around the world — the portrait of three men's lives shown clearly through the events of their deaths. One a wise man, one a foolish man, and one a wicked man.Three men captured the world's attention by their lives and their deaths. Their funerals spoke volumes about the course of life they had chosen to pursue with the few short years God had granted to them. In four days’ time, God opened the book of Proverbs and showed the world the truths contained in His sacred Word.All three men, President Ford, James Brown and Saddam Hussein had choices in their destiny. Today, they have all three stood in front of the God of this universe with those choices unveiled and judged. God allowed us to see these three men.On January 2, President Gerald Ford, a man of faith in God and service to his country, was eulogized by many speakers during the solem...
More About: Fun , Funeral

Who Did It?
2007-01-12 18:36:01
I Did It! We Did It! It seems that no matter how hard we try to give the glory to Christ we continue to fall short. We dont want to let go of the "look what I did" attitude. Oh sure, we are willing to let God have the glory for some things, but when it comes right down to it we still rob God of the fullness of His glory by taking credit for ourselves. Have you ever been so proud of something you've done or some way that you've acted that you left God out of the glory? That you forgot where that talent came from in the first place? Jimmy Stewart in the movie Shenandoah plays a farmer who has a bunch of sons. The Boys are of fighting age and the father will not let them go off to fight. The family gets the reputation of sitting out the war. There is a scene where they are all around the dinner table and they bow their heads for prayer. Jimmy Stewart says "Lord we planted this seed, we watered the plants, we picked the food and we cooked it, we did it all ourselve...

Letter to the Editor!
2007-01-12 18:36:01
Letter To "Singing News" Nov. 2006I am writing in response to the article in the October 2006 issue of Singing News by Roy Pauley “Are Pastors and Churches Too Critical of Song Lyrics”. In this article Roy seems to feel that Pastors are at times having trouble with some songs sung by the Southern Gospel Groups and making comments about or explaining why they have trouble with particular songs. Roy seems to feel that Pastors and Churches should back down and not voice their concerns. He states, “generally speaking, song writers should be given the freedom to write about their personal feelings and experiences concerning forgiveness, salvation and God’s great love and care for mankind.”I am a Pastor, a composer and a musician and I understand that as a musician and writer I need the freedom to express my feelings and experiences through the music that God has given to me. Each one of us has been given a different personality, a unique way at looking at life and the worl...
More About: Edit , Editor , Letter to the Editor

The Forgotten Word!
2007-01-12 18:36:01
There is a forgotten word that in all levels of our society tears at the very fabric of whom we are as a nation, and that word is “Authority”. Elementary, Middle and High School students openly defy their teachers knowing that their parents will stand on their side no matter what happens. Watching our professional athletes, movie stars and politicians shows us that if we have the right attitude we can get away with anything we want without consequences.When we teach children that we are all the same and we all get trophies no mater how we play the game, what we learn is “Why listen to the guys in the striped shirts?We have literally nurtured our leaders and taken away any vestige of “Authority”.We say, “I’ll follow you as long as it goes my way”. Losing respect for and not understanding “Authority” is a direct by-product of Bible Illiteracy. Listen to;1 Peter 2:13-17 (NIV)13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as t...
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BLAME!
2007-01-12 18:36:01
The first time we see the word ‘Deceived” is in Genesis 3 and has to do with the first time the human race didn’t take responsibility for their own decisions. When God found Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit and confronted him, Adam blamed God and Eve; Genesis 3:1212 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." And when God turned to Eve she blamed the serpent! Genesis 3:1313 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."And there began the human condition called “BLAME”. Blame allows us to be free of reasonability for our actions and continue any lifestyle we find pleasure in. But we are “Deceived”. Satan even wants us to blame him, “the devil made me do it!” When we allow ourselves to be pulled into the trap of blame we take one more step away from God just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We need to stop being deceiv...
More About: Lame

BLAME!
2007-01-11 22:03:00
The first time we see the word ‘Deceived” is in Genesis 3 and has to do with the first time the human race didn’t take responsibility for their own decisions. When God found Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit and confronted him, Adam blamed God and Eve; Genesis 3:1212 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." And when God turned to Eve she blamed the serpent! Genesis 3:1313 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."And there began the human condition called “BLAME”. Blame allows us to be free of reasonability for our actions and continue any lifestyle we find pleasure in. But we are “Deceived”. Satan even wants us to blame him, “the devil made me do it!” When we allow ourselves to be pulled into the trap of blame we take one more step away from God just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We need to stop being d...
More About: Lame

The Forgotten Word!
2007-01-11 05:37:00
There is a forgotten word that in all levels of our society tears at the very fabric of whom we are as a nation, and that word is “Authority”. Elementary, Middle and High School students openly defy their teachers knowing that their parents will stand on their side no matter what happens. Watching our professional athletes, movie stars and politicians shows us that if we have the right attitude we can get away with anything we want without consequences.When we teach children that we are all the same and we all get trophies no mater how we play the game, what we learn is “Why listen to the guys in the striped shirts?We have literally nurtured our leaders and taken away any vestige of “Authority”.We say, “I’ll follow you as long as it goes my way”. Losing respect for and not understanding “Authority” is a direct by-product of Bible Illiteracy. Listen to;1 Peter 2:13-17 (NIV)13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king...
More About: Word , Gott , Forgotten

Letter to the Editor!
2007-01-10 18:06:00
Letter To "Singing News" Nov. 2006I am writing in response to the article in the October 2006 issue of Singing News by Roy Pauley “Are Pastors and Churches Too Critical of Song Lyrics”. In this article Roy seems to feel that Pastors are at times having trouble with some songs sung by the Southern Gospel Groups and making comments about or explaining why they have trouble with particular songs. Roy seems to feel that Pastors and Churches should back down and not voice their concerns. He states, “generally speaking, song writers should be given the freedom to write about their personal feelings and experiences concerning forgiveness, salvation and God’s great love and care for mankind.”I am a Pastor, a composer and a musician and I understand that as a musician and writer I need the freedom to express my feelings and experiences through the music that God has given to me. Each one of us has been given a different personality, a unique way at looking at life and the worl...
More About: Letter , Editor , Letter to the Editor

Who Did It?
2007-01-10 01:10:00
I Did It! We Did It! It seems that no matter how hard we try to give the glory to Christ we continue to fall short. We dont want to let go of the "look what I did" attitude. Oh sure, we are willing to let God have the glory for some things, but when it comes right down to it we still rob God of the fullness of His glory by taking credit for ourselves. Have you ever been so proud of something you've done or some way that you've acted that you left God out of the glory? That you forgot where that talent came from in the first place? Jimmy Stewart in the movie Shenandoah plays a farmer who has a bunch of sons. The Boys are of fighting age and the father will not let them go off to fight. The family gets the reputation of sitting out the war. There is a scene where they are all around the dinner table and they bow their heads for prayer. Jimmy Stewart says "Lord we planted this seed, we watered the plants, we picked the food and we cooked it, we did it all ourselves, we...

The Three Funerals
2007-01-09 22:23:00
Did anybody happen to notice the picture that God painted over a 4-day span recently, as we watched the events unfold on every news station around the world — the portrait of three men's lives shown clearly through the events of their deaths. One a wise man, one a foolish man, and one a wicked man.Three men captured the world's attention by their lives and their deaths. Their funerals spoke volumes about the course of life they had chosen to pursue with the few short years God had granted to them. In four days’ time, God opened the book of Proverbs and showed the world the truths contained in His sacred Word.All three men, President Ford, James Brown and Saddam Hussein had choices in their destiny. Today, they have all three stood in front of the God of this universe with those choices unveiled and judged. God allowed us to see these three men.On January 2, President Gerald Ford, a man of faith in God and service to his country, was eulogized by many speakers during the solemn a...
More About: Funeral

There Is a Way
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          ;      &nbs p;  From man’s days in the Garden of Eden he has sought a way, a way to be equal with God or to be above God.  Man has struggled to find his way to accomplish immortality and life eternal.  Ever since the fall of man the search has been paramount in the hearts and minds of man.  Man has endeavored to build a tower to reach to the heavens, the abode of God.  Man has devised all forms of religions and rituals to meet the requirements for eternal life.  Man has searched and still today searches for the way; the Bible tells us that few there be that find it.         ;      &nbs p;  Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  Are man’s attempts to find a way in vain?  That is what the Bible seems to sa...

No Hope for Tomorrow
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The other day I was discussing with my long time boyfriend I never thought I would turn 47.  He did not understand my statement.  I began to tell him that before I knew Jesus as my personal Savior I lived a life never thinking about tomorrow I was just trying to get through the day at hand.  You see when you think about tomorrow you live with hope.  I did not have that hope I was to busy trying to end my life.  Growing up in an alcoholic home you had drama after drama.  You never knew what was going to happen. I did not have any close friends, and I definately did not have anyone ever come over.  So for most of my teenage life, and part of my adult life.  I was busy trying to kill myself, and every time I woke up it was just a reminder of my fail attempt.  Living with no hope was a very sad time in my life, but the day God revealed Himself to me.  He reached His hand out to me, and God lifted me from the darkest pit of my life and br...
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Abel's Offering
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You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. [Matthew 5:21-22 ESV] Abel did nothing to deserve death He offered God an acceptable sacrifice. His heart, and the thinking of his heart, was wholly devoted to God, in line with what God wanted from him. If anything, the motives of his heart, maybe not completely pure, were directed toward his Creator. He knew to bring a sacrifice with the correct attitude. God accepted his sacrifice because of his attitude. Abel's sacrifice was not given with the expectation of receiving anything in return. He sacrificed as a show of his love and affection for God. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and...

Deeper Look At Apostasy
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The Greek meaning for Apostasy is --to stand away from God and refers to abandoning what one has previously believed and experienced in Christ. It is the deliberate choice of one to turn away from a living God. Since the beginning of creation apostasy has been around. It started in the garden with Adam & Eve. Satan has been relentless in his efforts to distort the truth with lies. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden' ?"Gen: 3:1 Satan questions the truth God reveals, contradicts that truth and then he concocts an alternative to that truth. In each of these ways the enemy has elements of truth mixed in but it is only a lie that will lead to death. Many today are following blind guides (Christian Leaders)who are leading people to a pit a pit of hell with their teaching. (John McArthur) Leave them; they are blin...

Isaiah - Day 672
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Scripture:  Isaiah 37: 15 (NIV):  “And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:”   Thought:  To me, prayer is singularly important.   Question:  Do I pray enough?   The previous verse began a new context in which King Hezekiah of Judah acts out a response to the verbal attacks of his enemy, king Sennacherib of Assyria.  Briefly it was seen that in reacting to a devilish assault, we must first exercise our worship in the presence of the LORD, then let go of the “bad words” given to us and yield them to God.  Today’s verse clarifies the next step:  PRAY!   “And…”  There are steps to be taken!  First this, then that must be done when it comes to resisting evil and latching on to the goodness and peace found only in God.  As we saw in the previous verse, the first step when presented with a vicious attack is to immediately look God in the face via the act of “wors...

Dream on 2/21/2011:
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 In my dream,  I repaired a leak in a pipe system and the repairs failed.  I wrestled with installing a better repaired system at no extra charge. Commentary:  Having honor and pride in doing a good job requires installing a better system (at no extra charge) and is a proper attitude in the sight of God.  Years ago in the business community, this good service mentality was the norm.  Unfortunately, today, the financial bottom line has become the leading driver in most industries.  The loyalty to employees and excellent service to customers today has become a very low interest to the majority of companies, both small and large.  These situations breed a prideful heart with an attitude of self worth that can do no wrong.  God teaches that we should have a humble and contrite heart.  It is all about a condition of your heart that either lines up with, or is against the Word of God.  Today, is your heart in agreement with our L...
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Gather with Me
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  14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trust...

Any Day Can Be New Year's
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Within the last couple of weeks, several individuals have stopped me and asked for advice on losing weight. I guess that was their New Year 's Resolution, but for me it brought back memories. Several years ago, I weighed over 300 pounds. Three hundred was as high as the scales read and I "pegged" the scale. I woke up one morning in May and realized I felt really rotten. It wasn't a cold or the 'flu, it was because of my weight. Right then and there I decided to get serious and do something about it. That very day, I started with a sensible eating plan and mild exercise. It took about 4 years, but 100+ pounds came off. It was a struggle, but I never wanted to go back. I was reminded of a quotation by Thoreau: "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." I wasn't then and I'm not now, planning to go back. I still need to lose more. To that end, I still maintain a sensible eating plan. I've increased the exercise, but that's okay. I've a...

Truth
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  There are have been numerous times when I have thought about many of the topics in which you write about. I have not however, been capable of capturing the essence that you, in fact, have. You are very eloquent and incredibly articulate. I am envious beyond words. I do find truth in your writing, as I'm sure, do many others. Truth that, at times, would be difficult to hear, to feel, to consider. Thus, many would suppress your ideas, afraid of what they might find if they accept them, terrified of the possibilities that their superficial world, as they know it, may just be a facade, a disguise, in which to hide their true identity, that may expose themselves to ridicule, or condemnation. People's insecurities surface and allow them to fall victim to reality, a reality in which they may not want to accept, or least prefer not to. Your writings have arose a fear in me. I began to question myself, my existence, my insecurities, and perhaps my facade that I have cre...

The Bald Eagle
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Dear Readers,      Here is a journal entry I made just this past December...      Journal Entry-  12-29-11      Four days past Christmas and it's 61 degrees outside at 1:30 in the afternoon.  I must journal what I have seen twice this month of December, 2011.  A stunningly breathtaking Bald Eagle!      The first time was a couple weeks ago coming south on Highway 13 heading home from my volunteer job at CMH.  I was going about 65 MPH, when out of the sky came the most incredible black wing span.  "What is that?" I shouted to myself in the car.  As it flew directly in front of my vehicle, a massive white-feathered head looked towards me.  "Wow, what a beauty!"  It was like looking at the American flag flying over the highway.      When I got home I told my hubby never expecting to experience another sighting.&...

Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough
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My heart has been stirred toward fasting for several years.  I have tried to do it and failed more times than I care to recount.  I think my focus was always on not eating rather than drawing nearer to God in the time of fasting.  Surely that is why my inner-glutton always won the tug of war with the spirit-man!   Fasting is something that God uses at times in people’s lives.  It is not a necessary spiritual discipline, such as acts of compassion and prayer, but it has a place in God’s economy for Spiritual growth.  My former professor at Liberty University, Dr. Elmer Towns, records this in his valuable book Fasting For Spiritual Break Through, in a section titled “Get in Touch with the Symbolic.” “Not Eating.  When Israel came to Mizpah, “On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the Lord.” (1 Sam. 7:6 CEV)  Their heartfelt s...

The Earth is the LORD's and the Fullness Thereof
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For the earth [is] the Lord 's, and the fulness thereof.  1 Corinthians 10:26 KJV[[A Psalm of David.]] The earth [is] the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  Psalms  24:1 KJVBehold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens [is] the LORD'S thy God, the earth [also], with all that therein [is].  Deuteronomy 10:14 KJVThine, O LORD, [is] the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all [that is] in the heaven and in the earth [is thine]; thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.  1 Chronicles 29:11 KJVThou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.  Nehemiah 9:6 KJVAnd one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts...
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