I came across this website and in my own mind have often wondered this question myself. I believe this article strengthens my beliefs. What do you think?

 

Claims: What did Jesus Christ have to say about himself?

Is Jesus Christ a Legend, Lunatic, Liar, or Lord and GOD?

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.(emphasis: web author)"
Jesus could only have been one of four things: a legend, a liar, a lunatic--or Lord and God. There is so much historical and archeological evidence to support his existence that every reputable historian agrees he was not just a legend. If Jesus were a liar, why would he die for his claim, when he could easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? And, if he were a lunatic, how did he engage in intelligent debates with his opponents or handle the stress of his betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for his antagonists? Christ said he was Lord and God. The evidence supports that claim.
Here are some of the key claims Jesus made about himself.

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The Claims of Jesus

Christ claimed to live a sinless life

Jesus could look at a crowd of people angry at his claims to share God's nature and ask, "Which of you can point to anything wrong in my life?" Even more amazing is that none of them could give a reply! No human being has ever lived a sinless life, except for Jesus Christ.
John 8:28-29 "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.'"
John 8:46-47 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

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Jesus Christ claimed to be the ONLY way to God

Not one of several ways, but the one and only way. Not to teach the way, but to be the way to God. Nobody has ever made claims like that before and backed them, but Jesus did through his love, balanced life, and miracles.
John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."
Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Note: No other world religious leader, such as Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammed ever made this claim.

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Christ claimed to have shared the glory of God in Heaven

Jesus claimed to have pre-existed the people he spoke with. The apostle John--who shared bread with Jesus--wrote that Jesus was with God in the very beginning, and that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-5)
John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."
This is a claim distorted by groups like the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses.

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Jesus Christ claimed to be able to forgive sins

One of the reasons that the Jewish leaders were so angry with Jesus was his continual practice of forgiving people's sins. The religious leaders understood clearly that since sins were rebellion against God Himself, only God could forgive sins.
Luke 5:20-21 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.' The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'"(emphasis: web author)
Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'"

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Christ claimed to be a Heavenly king

Luke 22:69 "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."
Luke 23:1-3 "Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.' So Pilate asked Jesus, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied."
John 18:36-37 "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'"

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Christ claimed to be able to give everlasting life

Jesus didn't just tell people how they could find everlasting life, or deepen their own life experience. He actually claimed to give life himself.
John 6:40 "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."
John 10:28-30 "I give [my followers] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die...'"

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Jesus claimed that he would die and come back to life

John 10:17 "Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
John 12:32-33 "'But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."
John 16:16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up into Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'"

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Christ claimed that he would return again to judge the world

Matthew 24:27-30 "So as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man... At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."
Matthew 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats."
Mark 14:61-62 "Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
Jesus clearly claimed to be both God and Messiah.

Off and running today. I will be back with more great information tomorrow! Maybe God bless you in your travels today and keep you safe. Make today a perfect day, do something wonderful for yourself and your children.

I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)
“Submission is a key element in the smooth functioning of any business, government, or family. God ordained submission in certain relationships to prevent chaos. It’s essential to understand that submission is not surrender, withdrawal, or apathy. It doesn’t mean inferiority, because God created all people in his image and because all have equal value. Submission is mutual commitment and cooperation.
“Thus God calls for submission among equals. He didn’t make the man superior; he made a way for the man and woman to work together. Jesus Christ, although equal with God the Father, submitted to him to carry out the plan for salvation. Likewise, although equal to man under God, the wife should submit to her husband for the sake of their marriage and family. Submission between equals is submission by choice, not by force. We serve God in these relationships by willingly submitting to others in our church, to our spouses, and to our government leaders.” (Commentary from the New Life Application Bible)  This paragraph was borrowed from Marriage Missions International


Does this not speak mountains? Christians alike have thought and have had the notion that God expects women especially to be subservient to their husbands. This is not the case at all. Submission can also be described as sitting down at a table and discussing, calmly, the decisions needed in a family or partnership. When agreements are hard to come by on a subject, it is listening to each other and working out a compromise that is beneficial to all. Don't ever let anyone make you subservient by force. This is not living, this is not what God wanted for you. 

Getting the children back to school has proved to be exhausting when not a single one wants to go back. They love being home with Mom that much! lol

Ok so now the info you all have been waiting for times two!

- 2 reasons per day of why you should be celebrating your life.
- 2 Inspirational messages
- 2 Scripture passages of gratitude
- 2 Tips for receiving help on how to get safe!
- 1 New featured product from our online gift store each day

Why celebrate your life when you feel your at the end of your rope; when your feeling trapped, depressed, anger for a life you didn't ask for?

1) Today is a new day, what can happen is only limited by your own fears or stops. You want a free life, you want friends and family that have been alienated back in your life. Today celebrate and make that first move to bring your desires into action.
2) Celebrate because even when the rest of the world seems so far away from you, Jesus is always in arms reach. You just have to speak to him, pray, ask him to help you because with out him, nothing is possible.
3)Celebrate life because you breathe. If you would rather be gone from this life becuase you just don't feel there is anything worth while living for, it is time to reach out for help. There are organizations all over that can help you my friend. They can change your life around for the better.
4) Celebrate life if you have children. Children have a way of keeping us young, they teach us lessons about ourselves, they are not the burden, the way you live your life is the burden if you blame them. They came into this life expecting you to protect them, love them, and nourish them. Do something out of the love you have for them to change your situation today!

Inspirational Messages for today!

1) When the world beats you down, get back up and dust off. Your the only one that can let the world do this to you.

2)Seasons change, people change, lives change, everything around us changes. The only thing that does not change is the core of who we are. If you have tendencies to harm others you will always carry those tendencies. They don't just go away. Extensive help, counseling, determination to be different is the only way you will see a change. So what does this tell you about your abuser? Are they getting help? Are they determined to change? Or do you just see empty promises and many "I am sorry". "It won't happen again"  until the next time comes........  See the red flags and listen to them. God is trying to tell you to be safe and live life the way he wanted you too. Your breaking his heart by staying in a relationship that evil exists. Make today the day you promise God with his help to find a way out.

3)  All violence, all that is dreary and repels is not power, it is the absence of power. This statement said by Ralph Emerson is thought provoking. It is true if you look at the abuser. He/She tries to manipulate their partner, have power over them for the simple reason I can guarantee, they lack power in the rest of their lives. They feel out of control, unhappy, addicted to some kind of drug or alcohol, they are unhappy with themselves....... They lack power of oneself. Is it the abused persons fault? Of course not. Then why do you allow yourself to stay in this situation?

4) There is violence that liberates, and a violence that enslaves, there is a violence that is moral and a violence that is immoral.  - Benito Mussolini


Scripture passages: I hope God will forgive me for not listing Scripture today, but I believe there is an important message that he would like you to see instead. Some very profound statements that you need to think about in your own relationship.

1) Marriage is for committed lovers, not hostages. Marriage is sacred and is for two people that are very much spiritually complete with each other. It requires sacrificial service but not martyrdom.

2) In every abusive relationship violence usually occurs in cycles. The cycle begins with tension building, anger, blaming and irritation. The violent stage comes next and it's point is to afflict physical hurt, pain by hitting, slapping, pulling hair, kicking, throwing things etc.... After the physical has quieted down the abuser than feels remorse and will promise never to do this again. This is often called the honeymoon stage because they will seem overly loving, considerate as in the beginning of a relationship. They will sweet talk you but again, the cycle will continue another day. If you view this pattern happening often, you need to get out! It doesn't get better without any intervention. You are in danger and your children may be as well.

3) How to know if someone has truly changed and is really going to stop the abusive behaviors: Look for these signs, Look for consistency every single day, he shows you that he values and appreciates you, you mean something important to him. He listens now without making you feel tensed. He can show compassion and cares how you feel even if you do not agree with him. He respects you as an equal and doesn't try to control you or dismiss you based on your opinions. He shows affection without having to go to sex. He understands that his guilt, shame, anxiety, anger, are his own and not to be blamed on you.

4) Seek wisdom and talk to someone who can give you a clear unbiased viewpoint on whether or not you should try to reconcile your relationship. You must make sure your abuser has demonstrated strong accountability and really has changed. In order to reconcile, you must feel stronger, secure, not have fear to voice your opinions in the relationship any longer. You absolutely must feel valued. If you do not, this relationship is not ready for reconciliation and more help is needed.
Most of all, pray to God and the Holy Spirit to help you, guide you, and give you the wisdom, strength, and courage you need to make these decisions.


HOW TO BE SAFE!

Money - You must stash some money away. Pawn, sell, anything you can to get a bit of money saved up. Collect change from his pockets. Save some extra money from grocery shopping. Every quarter, dollar adds up and your going to need money to survive on your own. This will make the transition easier. Just what ever you do, keep it secret, keep it at a friends house or in the bank account you should have opened. Make sure he does not find out about it though, it could send him into an abusive cycle again.









Credit in your name - This can be done even if you don't have credit or bad credit. You can place 200.00 in a bank account that can't be touched. Get a secured credit card from your bank on this and ask a friend or relative to co-sign for you. Be financially responsible though! This is a matter of your life. In order to establish good credit, you must use the card to make small purchases and pay if off in the same month. Once this has been done for approximately a six month period, go to a department store and get a card in your name. Again do the same thing. Make small purchases that you know can be paid of that month. You want to establish at least three good lines of credit.







Protect your new accounts - Instruct your financial institutions to replace your social security with a password that only you know. Change your account numbers. You can do this even though they don't advertise it.

Department of Motor Vehicles -  Do you have a vehicle to take with you? Is it registered in your name only? Wonderful if it is. Do you have a vehicle that the title states his name OR your name? You can take his name off the title and I would absolutely do this! If it states husbands name AND your name on the title it will require his signature in order to turn the vehicle over to you. I would suggest getting another vehicle.






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Christian love vs. being a doormat!

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 by Jan Koester
It’s 10:30 Saturday evening and Susan’s phone rings. Wanting to ignore it, she lets it ring four times, then out of guilt picks it up. “Hi, how are you? This is Pat,” a woman’s voice announces. Before Susan can respond, Pat continues, “Hon, I know this is asking a lot, but could you pick me up at the bus station and drive me home? I just got in from San Diego.”
“Do you have the money for a taxi?” Susan asks. “If I have to,” Pat responds. “But you know, Christmas is only a month away, and I really need to conserve . . .”
Susan, already worn out, still has work to do on a junior high Sunday school lesson she has to teach. The bus station is twenty minutes away, and Pat’s home is on the other side of town. By the time she’d get back she’d have no energy left to prepare. Besides, Pat has taken advantage of her more times than Susan can remember.
Susan would like to tell Pat she has neither the time nor the energy to come for her. And, when she can collect herself, she would like to speak honestly with Pat about her presumptuousness. Yet Susan remembers Jesus’ admonition to go the second mile. “Isn’t this clearly a situation where I need to bend for someone else?” she wonders. “Wouldn’t confronting Pat violate Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek? Doesn’t God require me to deny myself for Pat’s sake?”
The Ongoing Question
To assert yourself or not to do so? To stand up for yourself or go along with someone else’s wishes? We struggle with this issue often as Christians. For Susan, the question is whether to cave in to a friend’s unreasonable expectations. Like her, we each face situations where people try to take advantage of us-occasions when friends expect too much of us, for instance, or when someone in business tries to exploit us. The sensitive Christian wonders, “Should I stand up for my rights–or is it more Godly to give in?”
In other cases our concern isn’t with standing up for our rights but with whether to express ourselves straightforwardly. Should I speak up and say what I’m thinking in this class? Should I tell her how much I care for her? Should I share my faith with him? Should I state my qualifications confidently in this job interview?
Many of us are uncomfortable asserting ourselves in some situations, and some of us are uneasy doing so in any setting. One problem may be that we are shy or feel awkward with people. We fear we’ll fail in our attempt to be outspoken and experience unbearable embarrassment. Learning how to confront and manage our fears is a major step forward in becoming more assertive. We need to strive, too, for greater optimism about our possibilities for success.
Yet we’re often hindered as well by misconceptions about biblical teaching. We assume that being assertive implies behavior that is patently un-Christian: demanding our rights, trampling over the needs of others and feeling the freedom to blow our lid whenever we feel like it.
Healthy Assertiveness
Most writers and teachers who promote assertiveness have two goals. One is to help individuals “own” their own lives–to break free of the control of others’ expectations and to stay in control of their emotions when they speak. If I ventilate anger at others, for example, it suggests that I’m not being freely assertive but am letting their expectations control me, for I’ve allowed them to upset me. Owning my own life is more likely reflected in my responding calmly, even politely to them. Thus the feisty Manuel J. Smith, author of a best-selling book on assertiveness, devotes a surprising portion to helping readers learn to accept criticism graciously and nondefensively.*
The other aim of assertiveness training is to encourage individuals to take initiative to express their convictions and concerns honestly to others. Such self-expression shouldn’t be at the wholesale expense of others’ feelings; indeed, assertiveness is most effective when exercised with empathy and compassion. Still, expressing yourself is important. It contributes not only to your own well-being and productivity but to the quality of your relationships as well.
When defined this way, assertiveness is not incompatible with Paul’s instruction to speak the truth in love to each other in Ephesians 4:15. There, he clearly admonishes Christians to be assertive, at least within certain boundaries.
Still, we may be more inclined to think of the boundaries than of the freedom or mandate implied in any biblical teaching on assertiveness. And the notion of owning our life, at the heart of assertiveness training, seems to fly in the face of what we’ve long been taught–that we must sacrifice our interests for others’ needs. Can such unselfishness possibly reconcile with owning our life?
Owning Your Own Life
In fact it can, and the two concepts go hand in hand in Scripture. In the biblical understanding, I am called to give myself to another’s needs as an act of free will. It’s this free-choice aspect of my decision to help another that makes it a true response of Christian compassion. Yet I can only give myself freely if I own my life in the first place.
It’s in this spirit that Paul declares, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Cor 9:19 NIV). Here and elsewhere Paul emphasizes about equally his cherished liberty as a child of Christ and his deliberate decision to invest his life for the sake of others. Because he is free to begin with, he can make the choice to sacrifice for others from compassion and healthy motivation.
Whenever the Scriptures instruct us to give ourselves to others’ needs, in fact, the assumption that we must first own our life is implicit. We see it in various descriptions of Jesus himself. He was able to wash his disciples’ feet, for instance, because of his strong sense of identity (Jn 13:4-5).
We find it, too, where we might least expect it–in Jesus’ teaching about turning the other cheek in his Sermon on the Mount. There he cautions against a retributive spirit and mentions three occasions where we should give double compliance to an aggressor:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Mt 5:38-42 NIV)
It might seem that Jesus was exhorting us to be a doormat to others’ aggression and abuse, and many Christians have taken his teaching in exactly this way. This is certainly the last thing Jesus meant. Rather, by urging double compliance, he was telling us to take control of an unjust situation.
By choosing to walk a second mile with someone, instead of the single mile they demand, I demonstrate that I am deciding for myself what my response will be. From this angle, going the second mile and turning the other cheek are profoundly assertive acts. Such double compliance also aims to have two redemptive effects on the other person. It shows him I will not let him manipulate me, and perhaps erases his desire to do so. It also shames him for his decision to take advantage of me.
Considering the Outcome
This perspective is truly liberating, for it suggests that if turning the other cheek will not affect another redemptively, or will result in someone’s harm, I’m not expected to respond in this way. Certain Christian men during the Russian revolution who stood by and allowed soldiers to rape their wives, believed they were fulfilling Jesus’ requirement for passivity yet seriously misunderstood his intent.
Numerous unjust situations occur where we benefit no one by complying with the injury or by rolling over and playing dead. A woman whose husband abuses her helps neither him nor herself by allowing him to treat her cruelly.
In the same way, I am usually kidding myself if I think that any positive Christian witness results from allowing someone in a modern business situation to cheat me financially. An impersonal climate exists in most business transactions today that renders turning the other cheek ineffective.
If a car dealership performs shoddy repairs on my car, for instance, I help no one in their spiritual journey by choosing not to complain. Employees won’t likely connect my silence with my Christian convictions. The proper Christian response in this case is to point out the problem to them and to calmly but persistently insist that they make the proper repair–for by doing so, I’m denting their conviction that they can take advantage of their customers.
Does the Shoe Fit?
I also doubt that Jesus meant to lay the mandate of turning the other cheek upon all believers at all stages in their spiritual development. He gave this instruction to his “disciples” (Mt 5:1)–that is, to those who were at a stage of growth where they were ready to respond to others at this level.
Not once in the Gospels, for instance, did Jesus preach self-denial or the need for noble sacrifice to someone who was physically or emotionally ill. Instead–and without exception–he healed the sick or needy person and did not immediately lay the burden of moving mountains upon him or her. It was to those who were well, in body and mind, that Jesus urged self-denial. They were able to give themselves to others for his sake because they had a self to give.
There is, in short, a developmental process in becoming assertive that accords fully with biblical teaching. Turning the other cheek is the ideal. Yet we must be honest with ourselves about whether we’re ready to do it in a healthy manner. If you’re shy, you’ve probably found it difficult to stand up for yourself and to make independent decisions. Allow yourself time to grow and to learn to own your life more fully. Then, when you can truly do it freely, be open to those special instances when Christ may call you to turn the other cheek. Focus first upon becoming more assertive, as part of taking responsible stewardship of your life as a Christian.
One other point is helpful to keep in mind in turning-the-other-cheek situations. As my friend Omar Omland points out in his inspiring book The Third Mile, Jesus spoke of double compliance in certain situations, but never of triple compliance.** While he encouraged the second mile, he didn’t necessarily recommend a third. There may be limits, then, to how fully he expects us to sacrifice in order to help someone. In every case the vital matter is that we give ourselves freely. We’re called first to own our life, then to respond to others’ needs in light of the energy God gives us and the priorities he lays upon us.

I missed the boat already! At least we all know I am human. I was supposed to start yesterday with very certain info for the first of January and I posted goals instead.

/ kick in the behind.....



Ok so now the info you all have been waiting for times two!

- 2 reasons per day of why you should be celebrating your life.
- 2 Inspirational messages
- 2 Scripture passages of gratitude
- 2 Tips for receiving help on how to get safe!
- 1 New featured product from our online gift store each day

Why celebrate your life when you feel your at the end of your rope; when your feeling trapped, depressed, anger for a life you didn't ask for?

1) There is always a way out to a better life! You may not see it right now but trust me there is. If you obtain help, counsel, a plan, you can get away and live life the way you want.

2)There are people around you that you may not even know who care and want to help, mankind is for the most part a loving, compassionate being. Not everyone is like your partner or spouse. Not everyone degrades and/or abuses. There are really people who want to celebrate you and lift you up. Can you really accept that?


3)Believe in God? Maybe you say no, maybe you say yes. It is hard to believe in something so wonderful when the rest of your life seems in turmoil. I was there, I understand. I thought my Jesus had forsaken me, it truly was the other way around. God is there to fill your heart with acceptance, love, support, and the feeling that your never alone. Trust me and start writing down the little things you can be grateful for, such as a flower, a picture a child has drawn, a hug from a stranger, a kind word, whatever the case maybe. If you keep this in a small book and look back at it, life doesn't seem so bleak. There is hope in small gratitude. Pray to God for what your heart truly seeks and he will give you strength and encouragement. Don't believe me? I give you a challenge of 1 month. Do this faithfully and start to notice the change in you and how you view life.

4)Make a list of at least 20 things you like to do now or used to like to do or even want to do. Make them small things at first. It takes time to start a new tradition or activity. It is very important that in your daily life you take time to enjoy something you like or feel is worthwhile.

Inspirational Messages for today!

1) "God, I ask You to come into my life today, and fill this thin flask that I am. Give this outer and inner shell of mine strength, comfort and the assurance that I am in harmony with You. Forgive me for being impure against a perfect God. Take control of my life so that I can live for You. I realize that reasoning has it's limits but faith in God has no limits. I thank You for supplying an answer to my feeble attempts in understanding myself. Amen!" Original prayer may be found here.

2)You Shall Know


Walk with Me. I will teach you. Listen to Me and I will speak. Continue to meet Me, in spite of all opposition and every obstacle, in spite of days when you hear no voice, and there may come no intimate heart to heart telling. As you persist in this, and make a life habit of it, in many marvelous ways I will reveal My will to you. You shall have more sure knowing of both the present and the future. But that will be only the reward of the regular coming to meet Me.
Original can be found here.

3)Swift Help

There is nothing lacking in your lives because really all is yours, only you lack the faith to know it. You are like a King's daughters who sit in a rags, and yet around them are stores of all they could desire.

Pray for more faith, as a thirsty man in a desert prays for rain, for water. Swift comes My help, swift and strong. Do you know what it is to feel sure that I can never fail you? As sure as you are that you still breathe? How poor is Man's faith! So poor. Do you trust Me as much as you would a friend if that friend came and said he would send you help? Pray daily and most diligently that your faith may increase.

4)First the Father—Then the Children

Once you start loving the Lord and receiving His love that way, you are going to love others. It's inevitable! First John 5:1 leaves no doubt about that. It says plainly, "Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." In other words, every one who loves the Father also loves the children!

We start off loving God because He first loved us. We practice our love on Him and we end up falling in love with everybody around us. As His love begins to flush the fear out of us, suddenly we can drop the barriers that have separated us from other people. We aren't afraid to love them anymore because we know they can't hurt us. We are safe in the love of God.

As a result, we can abandon ourselves to each other. We can forget about our own protection and preservation and just lose ourselves in helping meet the needs of those around us. We can draw on the ministry of Jesus—not just to meet our own needs or to prove we're spiritual hotshots—but because we need His power to take care of others. We need it to help them and heal them and get them free!

It doesn't make any difference how impossible a situation might be, when we have that attitude and that heart of love, the gifts of the Spirit are going to operate. Signs and wonders, healing and miracles are going to break forth. People all over the world—spiritually hungry people—will finally get what they need. They get to see Jesus. They'll see His love. They'll see His life. And they'll see His power.

As we grow up in love, we will walk in the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ. We will reveal Him just as He revealed the Father…and the world will see Jesus again!

Scripture passages:


1)2 Samuel 13:38,39 "After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. And the spirit of the king longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death" Flee, speak out to find refuge with in your family. You will find safety. Don't let abuse go silent. It is not your fault no matter what your being told. No one deserves to be beaten down. You are a child of God and in his eyes your worth Gold. Tell your friends, tell a trusted person. Tell anyone that will listen.

2) Job 25:1-6 Where is God? To those that are poor, meek, suffering, God does seem to have abandon us. But it is actually we have stopped hoping, praying, believing in him. The devil is at work in these areas. The devil wants us to lose our relationship with God so he puts us through hardships to see if he can draw us away from him. Keep your faith, believe, trust in the Lord and over time you will see that the Devil has no place in your life. The Devil will attack hardest to those that believe in God. Why you might ask? Because he has the hardest job here....trying to take a believer and turn him away from God. Makes perfect sense does it not?

3) Psalm 118 5-11 In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. - 13,14 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song: he has become my salvation.
Turn to the Lord and you will find the help and strength you need to finally live your life free from the dangers and oppressions you face now. Denounce those that hurt you, you will find the strength to move on. God is love, he wants you to live this life by feeling love and loving other man. You can't have love in your heart if you do not believe you are loved. You must love yourself and God first.


4)Jeremiah 5:1 "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth I will forgive this city." Seek out people of honesty in your life, those that tell the truth even if you do not want to hear it. They are the one's that will lead you to the path of God and happiness. Do not seek out advice from those that have lied, are untrustworthy, don't stand by their commitments, you will surely stay in the dark life you are living now.









HOW TO BE SAFE!


Change Of Address
If you read nothing else, read this. Did you know, that when you file a change of address with many financial institutions, they will automatically send a confirmation of your new address to your old address? If you are living with him (and I am assuming you are), this will tell him exactly where you have gone! Even worse, many of the employees of these companies do not even know that their computer automatically generates these letters and sends them out. One particular company told me that they could not override this automatic sending out of letters to the old address despite my pleas for their intervention and help.

What can you do? Get an alternate address right now, use your work address, a friend or relatives address or get a post office box and use it for anything that will be moving with you. Why take the chance? Use this address when opening new bank accounts in your own name, applying for credit cards, jobs, whatever.

When you do eventually move, simply file a change of address with the post office from your 'alternate' address to your new home. If you file a change of address with the post office from the home you share with the abuser, there is always the possibility he could go to the post office and ask if any mail has been forward and find out where you are. Don't take the chance, this is easily avoided by getting an alternate address NOW.

If you live in California you're in luck! Check out the Safe At Home program. This is a no-cost mail forwarding service designed to help victims of domestic violence and stalking keep their new addresses confidential.

Somewhere to go
Where will you go when you leave? Do you have a friend or relative you can stay with? If not there are many shelters you can go to while you sort your self out. If you would prefer, you can always book yourself into a cheap motel for a few days until you find a more permanent place - I did. Start thinking about it now and have a short list of places to go. For more information on shelters in your area, check the links page. We have a link on our website at www.jesusdaygifts.com that will show you shelters in your area by zip code.

Social Security
If you feel the abuser may try to use your social security number to track you down or to abuse your credit, you can have it changed. The Social Security Administration domestic violence page offers new social security numbers to victims of domestic abuse, on request. For information on benefits, medicare and all other social security questions, go to their main site at www.ssa.gov (Tel 1-800-772-1213, TTY 1-800-325-0778)

Get a Bank Account
Your gonna need one of these! And in your own name too. Remember that alternate address we talked about? Use that when opening your new bank account. When choosing a bank account, make sure they have branches in the area you plan on moving too; it's no good getting an account at your local credit union in Ohio and then moving to New York! Do your homework, make inquiries, call banks or credit unions and ask questions.

Featured Products from our site made by women who support our cause. Profits are given to support the opening of a new shelter at Jesus Day Gifts.



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Our Witness bracelet is made of beads that stand for different Christian values.

I am very excited a new year is upon us and my goals should take me further in a relationship with God, myself, my family and with mankind.

This year my resolutions are of course the old standby, to lose weight. This is always a struggle and I find myself starting and stopping exercise routines. I will pray heavily that God blesses me this year with persistence, stamina, and the deep desire to make my body strong and healthy. He after all only gave us one body to use, I should be taking better care of it.

My next goal is to do more with my family. To help my oldest son with his struggles in ADHD, to find the right doctor for my daughter's up coming surgery, to help my next son with his socialization and learn to rely and trust in people and my youngest to keep installing strong manners and get him on the path to reading, spelling, etc.... I ask God to give me the persistence to find the correct path to accomplish what I need to for my family.

My next goal this year is to help MUIB become a true organization that people truly want to be involved in and to be seen as a serious place for business education.

Next, to learn every aspect of running a non-profit, to find the right people for a board of directors, to raise awareness to domestic violence, and to get my online gift shop stats higher.

Building stronger relationships with my fellow friends, acquaintances and family.

My last goal and the most important is to start reading my bible and journaling. I need and want a relationship with God that has even more meaning, closeness, and trust with our savior.