How God Wants to Help You Receive Your Promise

- Scripture "By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them" (Hebrews 11:33) - The People Please pray for those who are far away from hearing about Jesus. Jesus came for the sick, not the healthy; the sinners, not the righteous. Pray that God would give every Christian access to the hearts of unbelievers to tell about Jesus' amazing salvation and forgiveness. - The Power Of Internet I want to hear from you! What issues are most important to you? What do you need help with and want to see at www.godlife.com ? Every day this week, I will be asking you at our Facebook page for your thoughts and dreams and needs. Get the daily posts by "Liking" our page! Thanks! http://www.ichristianlife.com/site/R?i=Ew0LLy686NI7L3IE6J1C8w- Prayer Focus Just Keep Swimming. When I was little, my parents made me go to swimming lessons. I was so afraid that I got sick to my stomach every time I stood in front of the pool. But I had a nice coach who wanted to give me the accomplishment of swimming the entire pool. It was so long! There was no way I thought I could do it, but here's what he would do: He would stand in the shallow-end of the pool and invite me in. "Just swim to me," he said. Ok, that I can do. But then he would move back a little farther. "Just keep swimming, Amy. Don't stop paddling." I swam a little more. He kept doing this until suddenly I was at the end. I was so amazed-I never dreamed I could do that! He helped me the entire way with his closeness, the promise of his reach to save me, his encouraging voice saying, "Just keep swimming." That's what faith is. It is the continual reach to get something great. Try this with me now, even though it seems a little silly: Reach out your hand as far as it will go, as if for something just at the edge of your grasp. I want you to remember that feeling as we read about one unlikely woman's amazing reach of faith: As Jesus went with him, He was surrounded by the crowds. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. "Who touched Me?" Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, "Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against You." But Jesus said, "Someone deliberately touched Me, for I felt healing power go out from Me." When the woman realized that she could

not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of Him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched Him and that she had been immediately healed. "Daughter," He said to her, "your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Jesus said it was her faith that made her well, showing how much God values faith. Imagine this woman's obstacles: all the crowds, the larger men, the people who disdained her because of her sickness, and the countless disappointments of failed cures. But to push through the crowds, bear the shame, and reach out to Jesus, she had to believe that what was on the end of her reach was worth it: that Jesus had the power no one else had. This is the essence of faith. "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Maybe you've been treading water awhile in the pool of your promise. You haven't quite given up, but you don't feel you have the strength to keep paddling. God wants to help you today. Just like my swim coach was there to help me if I got tired or scared, God is near you to uphold you and encourage you to keep going. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful- for He cannot deny Himself." God wants you to know today that He is faithful when you are faithless, and He wants to help get you to the other side to receive your promise. Reach out today and tell Him, "Help! I want to keep kicking. Please give me Your strength." So this week, let's all pray together-for ourselves and each other-that:

* God would renew the vision of the promise He has given us * We would reach out to God to receive His strength to keep going in faith * Global Media Outreach would reach those we haven't been able to reach before Why don't you post about the promise you are believing for at the GodLife Prayer Wall? We can all pray for each other and see God help us as a united group get to the other side.

How to Win the Waiting Game, plus, NEW PRAYER WALL!

- Scripture "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:3,4) - The People Please pray for all the people who came to one of our featured sites this week. Thousands of people with emotional needs heard the gospel this week because YOU shared with your friends! Pray that they will continue to grow in their new relationship with God! Thank you, you made an amazing impact! - The Power Of Internet Wow! This is a big deal. GodLife now has a LIVE Prayer Wall where you can get LIVE, FREE prayer, anytime, anywhere! In the supermarket, in the car, at home, join with others around the world in prayer and see God work miracles! Post a prayer request today and let us know what you think! http://www.ichristianlife.com/site/R?i=v7IzrBffieTdxt7kj1UTuQ ::xxe9edffe59edfef6eda9a5d20e0166d1exx::::?auth=e9 edffe59edfef6eda9a5d20e0166d1e]] - Prayer Focus They say, "A watched pot never boils"-meaning, if you impatiently obsess over what you're waiting for, it's going to take forever. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever had something you wanted SO bad that it was all you could think about-and it almost drove you crazy? I know I have. There is a way to not only survive the waiting game, but to win it. You win by making THE MOST of your wait. Imagine waiting for that pot of water to boil. You could either stand tapping your foot in front of the stove, getting more impatient by the minute. OR, you could realize that the pot will whistle when it's ready and find something productive or fun to do in the meantime, like clean the kitchen or read a book. Not only will the time go by faster, but you will have accomplished much while you waited! The Bible confirms this secret to maximizing our wait in Psalm 37:3,4; Look for the 2 key words: * "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness" * "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" Did you see the 2 keys? Faithfulness and Delight. Faithfulness is when you're tempted to give up but you keep holding onto God in

trust and doing what He wants you to do. And delight is just enjoying your relationship with God, regardless of your circumstances. Let's look at Joseph for a perfect example: Joseph had dreamt early on that he would be a great leader. But then his brothers sold him into slavery, and on top of that, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison! Talk about the opposite of his dreams! But instead of giving up or cursing God, Joseph served God faithfully, no matter where he was. "But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed" (Genesis 39:21-23). Even in the terrible wait, Joseph was faithful and delighted in God. What Joseph didn't know was that he would be promoted from the prison to Pharoah's palace and manage all of Egypt's land. God was preparing him for this responsibility while he was waiting in slavery and prison. What if Joseph had given up early? What if he had denied God in the hardship? Now let's talk about you. What's your dream? Maybe it's been a long time coming and you've almost given up hope. Don't! God is preparing you to do the great works He has called you to. I Corinthians 2:9 says, ""No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." But you have to wait for His perfect timing. You can come out on the other side by doing what God wants and enjoying Him while you wait. Like Jospeh, you will be so thankful that He prepared you so well when it comes! Let's wait for God's dreams for us together! Find support for your dreams at the GodLife Facebook Community! http://www.ichristianlife.com/site/R?i=CTs2XVaN_h6LtupErzMCbg So this week, let's pray together that: * We would make the most of our waiting time * We would continue to enjoy God and be faithful to Him * Global Media Outreach would expand to the right and the left We here at Global Media Outreach love you SO much! We pray for you everyday. Please let us know how we can pray for you specifically by responding to this e-mail. Your Friends at GodLife.com

The Key to Living your Dream Life

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- Scripture "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character" (Psalm 105:19) - The People Please pray for those without a home or family to go to this holiday season. Many people are displaced out of their homes or don't have good families to find refuge. Pray that God would be their Father and Refuge. He says that He is a "Father to the fatherless." - The Power Of Internet Last week went so well! Thank you to all of you who particated in JET! Let's keep it going! Starting today we will begin our Advent Countdown. Join us daily on the GodLife facebook page for a daily reminder to keep Jesus at the center of Christmas. Let's honor Him together this season! http://www.ichristianlife.com/site/R?i=fKugzpp9YNinCgRM4DqdEQ - Prayer Focus What is your dream life? When you close your eyes and think about the life that would bring you the most peace and deep joy, what do you see? Take a minute right now. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and ask God to show you His dreams for you. What did you see? Anything? Don't worry if you don't know your dreams yet; God will show them to you with time. He says, "Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come" (Jeremiah 33:3). But if you DO know your dreams, what is the key to fulfilling your dream life? You know, MANY people in the Bible had to wait for their dream. Abraham waited decades to have a baby; Moses had to endure Pharoah's intimidation and 10 plagues until God's people were released; and David had to run for years in the wilderness until he was made king. These are just a few examples! But the greatest wait in the Bible was for Jesus, the Messiah. God promised Him thousands of years in advance, and only a few were still waiting for Him when He finally came. One of them was Simeon. "At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 'Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel!'" (Luke 2:25-32).

Simeon WAITED for his promise, and that's the KEY for you too. Waiting isn't glamorous. In fact, it's really hard. But it's the key to obtaining your promise from God. Maybe He has promised you healing, maybe a great marriage, or maybe your kids serving the Lord. Whatever it is, it's going to take patience. That's just the way God is. He uses the waiting period to make us better, to make us ready for the promise. "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character" (Psalm 105:19). While You Wait In the meantime, what is the best thing to do while you wait? The Bible gives you several tips, and that's what we are going to talk about this next month, while we wait to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Together, we are going to learn from the Bible on how to wait effectively and obtain our promises, because I am right alongside you in this! I have many things I am waiting on, and sometimes it gets hard to keep believing! But God wants us to renew our faith and wait in great expectation. "Indeed, none who wait for You shall be put to shame" (Psalm 25:3). Let's do it together.

What does the Bible say about being left-handed?

Question: "What does the Bible say about being left-handed?" Answer: The Bible presents the right hand as the hand of strength (Exodus 15:6; Psalm 118:16). Sitting at someones right hand is considered a position of honor (Psalm 110:1). The right hand is consistently valued over the left hand in Scripture (Genesis 48:1318;Galatians 2:9). What does this mean about left-handedness? Is being left-handed considered a curse or a weakness? No. The Bibles emphasis on the right hand is simply a reflection of reality. The dominant arm is almost always stronger than the other arm, and 85-90 percent of people are right-handed. So, in the vast majority of people, the right hand is stronger. Thus, the Bible uses the right hand as a symbol of strength and honor. This does not carry any negative connotations for left-handed people. It is simply a matter of symbolism. Whenever the Bible mentions left-handed people, it does not present lefthandedness as a weakness. Ehud, a judge of Israel and a mighty warrior, was left-handed (Judges 3:15-21). Judges 20:16 mentions 700 left-handed warriors who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. First Chronicles 12:2 seems to reference bowmen who were ambidextrous. When the Bible refers to left-handed people, it speaks of left-handedness as an advantage, not a weakness. While it is not as honorable as sitting at someones right hand, sitting at the left hand is still a position of honor (Matthew 20:21). Sitting immediately to a persons left was considered

the second-most honorable position. It was not as if everyone to the right was more honored than those to the left. The right hand is used in the Bible as a symbol of strength due to the right hand usually being stronger than the left. This should not be understood as a slight against left-handed people.
Question: "Why is it important to believe in biblical inerrancy?" Answer: We live in a time that tends to shrug its shoulders when confronted with error. Instead of asking, like Pilate, What is truth? postmodern man says, Nothing is truth or perhaps There is truth, but we cannot know it. Weve grown accustomed to being lied to, and many people seem comfortable with the false notion that the Bible, too, contains errors. The doctrine of biblical inerrancy is an extremely important one because the truth does matter. This issue reflects on the character of God and is foundational to our understanding of everything the Bible teaches. Here are some reasons why we should absolutely believe in biblical inerrancy: 1. The Bible itself claims to be perfect. And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times (Psalm 12:6). The law of the Lord is perfect (Psalm 19:7). Every word of God is pure (Proverbs 30:5 KJV). These claims of purity and perfection are absolute statements. Note that it doesnt say Gods Word is mostly pure or scripture is nearly perfect. The Bible argues for complete perfection, leaving no room for partial perfection theories. 2. The Bible stands or falls as a whole. If a major newspaper were routinely discovered to contain errors, it would be quickly discredited. It would make no difference to say, All the errors are confined to page three. For a paper to be reliable in any of its parts, it must be factual throughout. In the same way, if the Bible is inaccurate when it speaks of geology, why should its theology be trusted? It is either a trustworthy document, or it is not. 3. The Bible is a reflection of its Author. All books are. The Bible was written by God Himself as He worked through human authors in a process called inspiration. All scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). See also 2 Peter 1:21 and Jeremiah 1:2. We believe that the God who created the universe is capable of writing a book. And the God who is perfect is capable of writing a perfect book. The issue is not simply Does the Bible have a mistake? but Can God make a mistake? If the Bible contains factual errors, then God is not omniscient and is capable of making errors Himself. If the Bible contains misinformation, then God is not truthful but is instead a liar. If the Bible contains contradictions, then God is the author of confusion. In other words, if biblical inerrancy is not true, then God is not God. 4. The Bible judges us, not vice versa. For the word of God...judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Notice the relationship between the heart and the Word. The Word examines; the heart is being examined. To discount parts of the Word for any reason is to reverse this process. We become the examiners, and the Word must submit to our superior insight. Yet God says, But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? (Romans 9:20). 5. The Bibles message must be taken as a whole. It is not a mixture of doctrine that we are free to select from. Many people like the verses that say God loves them, but they dislike the verses that say God will judge sinners. But we simply cannot pick and choose what we like about the Bible and throw the rest away. If the Bible is wrong about hell, for example, then who is to say it is right about heavenor about anything else? If the Bible cannot get the details right about creation, then maybe the details about salvation cannot be trusted either. If the story of Jonah is a myth, then perhaps so is the story of Jesus. On the contrary, God has said what He has said, and the Bible presents us a full picture of who God is. Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Psalm

119:89). 6. The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice. If it is not reliable, then on what do we base our beliefs? Jesus asks for our trust, and that includes trust in what He says in His Word. John 6:67-69 is a beautiful passage. Jesus had just witnessed the departure of many who had claimed to follow Him. Then He turns to the twelve apostles and asks, You do not want to leave too, do you? At this, Peter speaks for the rest when he says, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. May we have the same trust in the Lord and in His words of life. None of what we have presented here should be taken as a rejection of true scholarship. Biblical inerrancy does not mean that we are to stop using our minds or accept what the Bible says blindly. We are commanded to study the Word (2 Timothy 2:15), and those who search it out are commended (Acts 17:11). Also, we recognize that there are difficult passages in the Bible, as well as sincere disagreements over interpretation. Our goal is to approach Scripture reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something we do not understand, we pray harder, study more, andif the answer still eludes ushumbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.