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SUN 20 JUL 2008

This Devo is copied from Email from James Robison By Steve Bohannon

One Way Out
by James Robison

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

You're on the top floor and the building is burning. You don't know which way to go: the stairs, the elevator, the roof, a window? Which door do you take to get to a hallway that's not on fire?

With the smoke, the confusion and the sense of urgency, it is hard to know what to do. You don't know how much time you have and the wrong turn could be disastrous. Suddenly, a man shouts, "I know which way to go. Follow me!"

What do you do? If the person is a complete stranger, you won't know whether or not to believe him. If he is ignorant, it would be foolish to follow him. If the man set the fire himself, then it would dangerous to listen to anything he said. But if the man is the architect of the building and an expert on fire safety, not only would you believe him, but you would do exactly what he said because you'd know that your life depended on it.

"Go down this narrow hallway. Don't turn right or left. Go directly through the blue door that says 'Emergency Exit,'" he says with urgency. Again, how do you respond? Would you argue with him? Ask him why he knows so much about exiting the building? Tell him that you know a dozen other ways to get out?

Again, if you knew his impeccable reputation, you would know that he was attempting to save your life. You wouldn't think him arrogant, rude or cruel for telling you exactly what to do. You would probably thank him and rush to comply with his instructions. And if someone else refused to listen and died in the fire, you wouldn't blame the architect.

This is exactly how I view Jesus Christ. He is the Architect and Designer of this world, yet it's in danger. Sin is burning it to the ground. We are all trapped and there is only one way out.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," Jesus said (John 14:6). Not only does He know the way, He is the way. Do you want to live? Get with Jesus Christ!

A lot of people want to stop and argue. They want to convince you that any exit will do, as if they can see through the smoke. Some will tell you that it doesn't matter what you do because nobody gets out alive -- the building will burn and we will all die anyway! A few will tell you that the building is not even on fire, despite the fact that they're sweating and people are dying all around.

If you don't think that this world is on fire, just look around. Death and destruction are at your door. Evil abounds. Nobody is immune from pain. The real question is this: Who is Jesus Christ? Is He really the architect or is He a fraud? Perhaps He was just a nice guy who didn't really know what he was talking about.

C.S. Lewis addressed this when he pointed out that Jesus was either "lord, liar or lunatic." If he was a delusional cult leader who really believed he was God, then he was crazy and we need not bother with him. If he was a crafty, egocentric deceiver, then he was more akin to the devil than God and must be exposed. But if he was neither of these, then He can only be what He claimed to be: the Son of God sent to make a way for us to live eternally with our Heavenly Father. He lived a perfect life, setting the matchless example while conquering sin and the grave.

In this burning building called Earth, we must all decide: Who is Jesus? Obviously, the best way to answer that question is to get to know Him. We do that by reading His words, attempting to dialogue with Him and talking to others who know him (although this can provide mixed results, since people are fallible.)

We don't know how much time we have, so it's urgent that we decide whether to follow Him or plunge into the confusion on our own. If He really is the Architect, then we must believe Him when He claims that there is only one way to life. Otherwise, we discard him as crazy or deceitful. If we choose to not follow Him, we can't blame Him when we find ourselves at a dead end or surrounded by flames. And we can't call Him unkind or unmerciful when other people don't listen to Him. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17)

His instructions are clear, but it's our choice to heed his words. We must believe in Him and trust His guidance. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)

I believe that Jesus Christ is the real deal. He knows the building (our lives), knows the nature of fire (sin) and the only way out (Himself). I'm following Him down that narrow pathway and I know I'm safe. I hope you'll follow, too.

This Week
Consider Jesus Christ's sacrifice upon the cross, taking our sin upon Himself so that we may live. Heed His words and follow Him, for He is the way and the life.

Prayer
"Jesus, you are the way, the truth and life. Help me to live by faith and not by sight."

WED 23 JUL 2008

here's something more accurate about what Kay Arthur said at the conference By Steve Bohannon

A Kind Response from Kay Arthur about her teaching at the Deeper Still Event in Atlanta, Georgia

Published by Pastor Joel on July 23, 2008 08:01 am under Revival

Precept Ministries International has had numerous inquiries concerning Kay’s teaching at the Deeper Still Event in Atlanta several weeks ago. We would now like to take this opportunity to have Kay personally respond to the comments made about a famine in America. Here is Kay’s response below: My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I would like to clarify what I said about a famine at the Deeper Still Conference.  I just finished listening to the CD of the message so I could know exactly what I said. I did not say that God had revealed to me that a literal famine is coming to America. Physical, not spiritual.   Those words were not said, not indicated. I did not have a revelation from God rather I was simply saying what the Bible teaches.  Let me repeat what I said in the context of famine as a judgment and the sale of rice by Wal-Mart…  I said, America “is set for famine”.   This was said in the light of the context of my reference to Ezekiel 14.  In other words, we are inviting a famine because a famine is one of the judgments of the Lord on a nation that commits unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 14:12-20).  I also mentioned that the sale of rice had been ‘rationed’ by Wal-Mart.    And while I did not mention it, the price of wheat had gone up significantly.  We are having crop failures because of the weather.   As you can see there is a big difference between saying I had a revelation from God and what I actually said. Thank you all for your prayers for our nation.….press on, 2 Timothy 4:1-4 Kay Kay Arthur, Co-CEO Precept Ministries International

THU 24 JUL 2008

This Article came via email from a friend.. Somebody's scared... but we are not! By Steve Bohannon

Are feds stockpiling survival food?
'These circumstances certainly raise red flags'

 

Posted: July 24, 2008
12:00 am Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

 

A Wall Street Journal columnist has advised people to "start stockpiling food" and an ABC News Report says "there are worrying signs appearing in the United States where some … locals are beginning to hoard supplies." Now there's concern that the U.S. government may be competing with consumers for stocks of storable food.
"We're told that the feds bought the entire container of canned butter when it hit the California docks. (Something's up!)," said officials at Best Prices Storable Foods in an advisory to customers.
Spokesman Bruce Hopkins told WND he also has had trouble obtaining No. 10 cans of various products from one of the world's larger suppliers of food stores, Oregon Freeze Dry.

He said a company official told him on the telephone when he discussed the status of his order that it was because the government had purchased massive quantities of products, leaving none for other customers.
That, however, was denied by Oregon Freeze Dry. In a website statement, the company confirmed it cannot assure supplying some items to customers.
"We regret to inform you Oregon Freeze Dry cannot satisfy all Mountain House #10 can orders and we have removed #10 cans from our website temporarily," the company tells frustrated customers. "The reason for this is sales of #10 cans have continued to increase. OFD is allocating as much production capacity as possible to this market segment, but we must maintain capacity for our other market segments as well."
The company statement continues, "We want to clarify inaccurate information we’ve seen on the Internet. This situation is not due to sales to the government domestically or in Iraq. We do sell products to this market, but we also sell other market segments … The reason for this decision is solely due to an unprecedented sales spike in #10 cans sales.
"We expect this situation to be necessary for several months although this isn’t a guarantee. We will update this information as soon as we know more. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We sincerely hope you will continue to be Mountain House customers in the future," the company statement said.
But Hopkins wasn't backing away from his concerns.
"The government just came in and said they're buying it. They did pay for it," he told WND about the summertime shipment of long-term storage butter. "They took it and no one else could have it.
"We don't know why. The feds then went to freeze dried companies, and bought most of their canned stock," he said.
A spokeswoman for Oregon Freeze Dry, sales manager Melanie Cornutt, told WND that the increasing demand for food that can be stored has been on the rise since Hurricane Katrina devastated large sections of the Gulf Coast, cutting off ordinary supply routes.
"We are currently out of stock on our cans. We are not selling any of our cans," she confirmed.
She then raised the issue of government purchases herself.
"We do sell to the government [but] it is not the reason [for company sales limits]," she said.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told WND whatever government agency is buying in a surge it isn't them. They reported a stockpile of about six million meals which has not changed significantly in an extended period.
But Hopkins said it was his opinion the government is purchasing huge quantities of food for stockpiles, and Americans will have to surmise why.
"We don't have shelters that [are being] stocked with food. We're not doing this for the public. My only conclusion is that they're stocking up for themselves," he said of government officials.
Blogger Holly Deyo issued an alert this week announcing, "Unprecedented demand cleans out major storable food supplier through 2009."
"It came to our attention today, that the world's largest producer of storable foods, Mountain House, is currently out of stock of ALL #10 cans of freeze dried foods, not just the Turkey Tetrazzini. They will NOT have product now through 2009," she said.
"This information was learned by a Mountain House dealer who shared it with me this morning. In personally talking with the company immediately after, Mountain House verified the information is true. Customer service stated, 'I'm surprised they don't have this posted on the website yet.' She said they have such a backlog of orders, Mountain House will not be taking any #10 can food requests through the remainder of this year and all of the next.
"Mountain House claims this situation is due to a backlog of orders, which may very well be true, but who is purchasing all of their food? This is a massive global corporation.
"One idea: the military. Tensions are ramping up with Iran and news segments debate whether or not we will implement a preemptive strike in conjunction with Israel," she wrote.
Hopkins raised some of the same concerns, suggesting a military conflict could cause oil supplies to plummet, triggering a huge increase in the cost of food – when it would be available – because of the transportation issues.
The ABC report from just a few weeks ago quoted Jim Rawles, a former U.S. intelligence officer who runs a survival blog, saying food shortages soon could become a matter of survival in the U.S.
"I think that families should be prepared for times of crisis, whether it's a man-made disaster or a natural disaster, and I think it's wise and prudent to stock up on food," he told ABC.
"If you get into a situation where fuel supplies are disrupted or even if the power grid were to go down for short periods of time, people can work around that," he said. "But you can't work around a lack of food – people starve, people panic and you end up with chaos in the streets."
At his California ranch, the location of which is kept secret, he said, "We have more than a three-year supply of food here."
In the Wall Street Journal, columnist Brett Arends warned, "Maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
"No, this is not a drill," he wrote.
His concern was about various food shortages around the globe, and the fact that in a global market, prices in the U.S. reflect difficulties in other parts of the world quickly.
Professor Lawrence F. Roberge, a biologist who has worked with a number of universities and has taught online courses, told WND he's been following the growing concern over food supplies.
He also confirmed to WND reports of the government purchasing vast quantities of long-term storable foods.
He said that naturally would be kept secret to avoid panicking the public, such as when word leaks out to customers that a bank may be insolvent, and depositors frantically try to retrieve their cash.
"[These] circumstances certainly raise red flags," he said

FRI 25 JUL 2008

The Housing Bill.... Oh Man! Wicked! By Steve Bohannon

I've been a staunch Bush boy all the way.... but now... my respect is waning... Not because of anything the shortsighted socialists complain about... It's the completely crazy thing with the housing bill and the push from the Treasury Dept to 'takeover' the free market and nationalize it!!! THIS IS WRONG! This is the most SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST action ever taken by our government next to the 'New Deal'!

 The government is rewarding bad behavior and penalizing good behavior!

Here's the scene:  a Corporation loans money to people who have no business in a loan... they don't have the 'score' they don't have the means.. they don't have the discipline... BAD BEHAVIOR on the Corporation's part... bad behavior on the borrower's part and the government is going to pass the consequences of these BAD BEHAVIORS to who?... Those who have BEHAVED... The responsible middle class tax payer...and remember the presentation on government spending from the 7/1/08 post. Why won't they just let the market purge bad behavior! Weak, Weak those who should not be.

We should storm the Capital building and dismiss them handily.