Activated Magazine 2004 / 03

(Traditional Chinese Activated mag 3 -English text mostly from English mag issue 2)

cover:
Peter’s Transformation
Be Enthusiastic!

A new Life of Love

 

page 2

This is the third issue of Activated magazine. If you are interested in receiving more issues or ordering some of our inspiring and strengthening Bible-based publications, please write, phone or e-mail us today! Thank you!
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Editor: Sunny Hsu
Graphic Design: Giselle LeFavre, Marcus
Illustrations: Hugo Westphal,
Ana Fields
Production: Francisco Lopez
© 1999 Aurora Production, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved

Unless indicated otherwise, all
Scripture quotations in Activated! are
from the Chinese Union Bible, Chinese Living Bible,
Modern Chinese Bible & new Chinese Bible.

 

Personally Speaking

Dear Friends,
Have you ever wondered what it was like to have been one of Jesus’ twelve disciples?  Imagine being one of those chosen few who lived with Him day and night for the three-and-a-half years of His public ministry. Imagine sitting at Jesus’ feet while He unlocked the secrets of life and taught you the meaning and power of unselfish love! Imagine being an eyewitness to the miracles He performed!
Then imagine being told by Jesus that after His death you would go on to do even greater things than He had done, through His power working in you-and then going on to actually do them! What exceptional men His disciples must have been!
Actually they weren’t-at least not at first. They were just ordinary men, not much different than you or me. They had their faults and human frailties, just like we do, and their faith started out no bigger than ours did. In some ways they were at an even greater disadvantage. Most were uneducated, and before they answered Jesus’ call they knew very little about the world beyond the towns where they were born.
How was it, then, that they and the others they would win to the cause of Christ managed to start a chain reaction that reached the whole known world with the Gospel in only 200 years? -And it hasn’t stopped yet! Where did they get the inspiration and strength to accomplish so much for the Lord? Those and other big questions are answered in this issue of Activated! Happy reading!

Sunny Hsu
For your Activated! family

page 3

Never Forsaken
From Catherine Jane, South Africa

I saw just how true that saying is during a recent visit to one of Durban's largest hospitals, where some other Family missionaries and I do volunteer work a few days each week.
Before each visit, we pray for the Lord to lead us to those He wants us to meet, those who are most in need of His love and comfort. This time it was a man in the cancer ward and his wife.
The man was sitting on his bed alone when I entered the room. His face lit up when I offered him a gospel poster--and what a beautiful light that was! The cancer had wracked his jaw, and surgeons had performed reconstructive surgery, using half of his tongue and bone from one of his ribs. He was unable to speak, but his face continued to shine as he conveyed through impromptu sign language that he would die soon and go to Heaven.
A few moments later, his wife came in. She did not share his faith or his optimism. Bitterness had eaten away at her spirit like a cancer. She had been a Christian once, but had lost her faith when the Lord forsook her, she said. To her way of thinking, surely He had forsaken her; surely He didn't love her, or He never would have let her suffer all that she had. As she told her story, my heart was filled with compassion for her.
She was only in her early fifties, but had already lost her first husband and all four of her children. When this man, her second husband, had become sick a few years ago, he had had to sell his business and she had had to stop her work in order to care for him. Now they had absolutely nothing left. She needed medical care herself, but couldn't even pay the two-dollar registration fee at this public hospital.
I gave her some money and told her it was a token of the Lord's love for her. Then as she continued to tell me about her problems, I listened and tried to assure her of the Lord's love. “Even though we sometimes don't understand His ways,” I said, “He has promised to never leave or forsake us. In the end we will see that He was true to His promise.”
After an hour, her face began to brighten, and by the time I had to leave, the dying ember of her faith had been fanned back to life. “Faith comes from God's Word, the Bible,” I explained. “That Book is full of promises from your heavenly Father, promises that you can claim for yourself and your husband when you pray.” I also gave her a list of key verses to take home, read, think about, and claim.
Her problems hadn't changed in the space of those couple of hours, but she had found the faith to face them. To her husband's delight, her bitterness and fear had been replaced by faith in her loving, caring Savior.

 

pages 4-7

Peter’s Transformation

(Picture captions: “I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!” “Art thou also one of this man’s disciples?” “I AM NOT!” “Ye men of Israel, hear these words!”)

One of the most illustrious personalities
in the entire Bible is Simon Bar-Jona,
commonly known today as Saint Peter
the Apostle. One of Jesus’ first
disciples, Peter was a very colorful
character-a rough and rugged fisherman bursting
with energy and ready for action.

During his years under Jesus’ personal
leadership and teaching, Peter often bulldozed
his way around like the proverbial bull in a
china shop. By far the most outspoken of the
twelve apostles, he did not hesitate to speak his
mind or do whatever he thought should be
done, with little thought of the consequences.
Men of force are men of faults, and Peter’s
strong personality, self-confidence and forceful
opinions of how things should be done often
resulted in him making serious blunders.
However, shortly after Jesus’ resurrection,
Peter underwent a dramatic change. This
transformation is what our story is about. We
begin at the closing hours of Jesus’ ministry on
Earth, at the last supper that He ate
with His disciples on the eve of His
crucifixion.

“Before the cock crows … ”

Knowing that He would soon
suffer torture and death for the sins
of the world, Jesus looked upon His
disciples and said sadly, “You will all be offended
and leave Me this night. For as it was
foretold, ‘I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’” (See
Zechariah 13:7.)
Upon hearing this, Peter impulsively
proclaimed, “Though all men desert You, yet I
will not!”
Aware of what was to come, Jesus answered
quietly, “Before the cock crows, you will have
denied Me three times.”
Peter was offended at such a prediction and
even more adamantly insisted, “Though I
should die with You, yet will I not deny You!”
The other disciples quickly joined in, affirming
with Peter that they, too, would stand by Jesus
come what may.
But to Peter’s horror, Jesus’ prediction was
soon fulfilled. That very night, as Jesus was in
the Garden of Gethsemane praying with His
disciples, a band of temple guards, sent by the
chief priests and religious leaders, came with a
large crowd carrying swords, clubs and
torches. They seized Jesus, who, knowing His
time had come, peacefully went with them,
alone. Jesus’ disciples panicked at His arrest,
quickly forgot their vows of loyalty, and fled for
their lives into the night.

“Though all men desert
You, yet I will not!”

As Jesus was taken away to be tried by a
religious court hastily assembled at the high
priest’s house, Peter followed and watched
from a distance. In the courtyard outside the
house, a woman noticed the distraught and
nervous Peter and asked, “Aren’t you one of
that man’s disciples?”
“No! I’m not!” Peter brusquely replied.
Moments later, as Peter
stood warming himself by
the fire the night guards had
built, a man who had been
present when Jesus was
captured pointed to Peter
and loudly questioned him,
“Didn’t I see you in the
Garden of Gethsemane with
Him?”
“I swear I don’t know
the man!” Peter emphatically
answered.
Soon others standing
around joined in the
accusation: “You are one of
them! We can tell by your
accent that you’re from
Galilee, just like Jesus. You must be one of His
disciples!”
Fearing for his life, Peter became even more vehemently. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about! I don’t even know this Jesus character!”
he insisted.
Peter had barely finished his third denial
when a rooster began to crow loudly. At that
moment, Jesus, who was being led by His
captors through the courtyard to another
building, turned and looked directly at Peter.
Immediately Peter recalled Jesus’ words,
“Before the cock crows, you will have denied
Me three times.”
Overcome with remorse at what he’d done,
Peter stumbled out of the courtyard and ran
blindly into the night. Finally he sank to the
ground and wept bitterly.

The promise of power

The next morning Jesus was led off and
crucified.
His disciples, fearing for their lives, went
into hiding. But three days after His crucifix-ion,
Jesus rose from the dead and reappeared
to His disciples in their hiding place. Lovingly,
He forgave Peter and the others for their fears
and denials, and His words
filled them with renewed
strength and faith.
For forty days following
His resurrection, Jesus
continued to appear to His
disciples, to encourage
them and explain the
mission before them. On
the fortieth day, just before
ascending into Heaven, He
instructed them to return
to Jerusalem and wait for
“the promise of My Father.”
(See Luke 24:49.) The
greatest transformation of
their lives was about to
happen.
The apostles returned to Jerusalem and,
with over 120 other disciples and their wives
and children, prayed and waited together, as
Jesus had instructed. Their prayers were
answered ten days later, with a sudden and
awesome manifestation of God’s power. Saint
Luke later wrote: “A sound like the rushing of a
mighty wind filled the whole house where they
were, and they saw the appearance of many
tongues of fire that rested upon every one of
them. And they all were filled with the Holy
Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues
[languages] as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts
2:2-4, NIV).
This was it! This was what they’d been
waiting for-supernatural strength from the
Lord to empower them to continue His work,
now that He had departed! Suddenly, the fear,
worry, and inability to act on their convictions
was gone. Peter, transformed by the super-natural
power of the Holy Spirit, led the
disciples in one of the most spectacular
evangelistic experiences of all time!

A miraculous change

The Jewish Feast of the Harvest, a major
religious festival, was being celebrated in the
streets of Jerusalem, and Jewish pilgrims from
many nations had come for the annual event.
Peter stepped into the street with the other
disciples-having just been filled to overflowing
with the Holy Spirit-and they all supernaturally
began to speak fluently in the foreign
languages of the multitudes visiting Jerusalem
that day, each in a language they had never
spoken before! As news of the miracle spread
through the city, multitudes quickly gathered.
Boldly, the disciples proclaimed to the crowds
the wonderful news of God’s love and salvation
through Jesus.
Peter climbed the steps of a nearby building,
raised his hands, and shouted to the
enormous crowd. A hush fell over them all. He
spoke to them with such authority and conviction
that 3,000 people were not only converted,
but committed themselves that very
day to become disciples of
Christ!
Here was a man who
had acted in so cowardly a
manner after the arrest of
Jesus that he had denied
Him three times. Now he
stood before thousands, in
the very city where Jesus
had been arrested, tried,
and executed less than two
months earlier, boldly
proclaiming God’s message
to all!
Peter had changed, just
as the Lord had prayed he
would. (See Luke 22:32.)
What caused this
sudden transformation?
The supernatural power
and might of the Holy
Spirit!

page 8
Answer to your ?uestion
Q: How can I get over my problem with shyness?

Many of us suffer from shyness, and it
can be very difficult to overcome. In
most cases, shyness is a combination
of fear and self-consciousness. We’re shy
because we’re worried about what others might
think or say about us. So how can we over-come
shyness and timidity?
Self-help books on the subject abound, and
most of them offer advice that is basically
sound:
_ Just be yourself. Quit trying so hard to
impress people or be something you’re not.
_ Know what you stand for. If you’re
behaving and speaking rightly and lovingly,
then you have nothing to be embarrassed
about or ashamed of.
_ Initiate contact and conversations with
others, even at the risk of rejection. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained.
_ Practice makes perfect. Instead of clamming
up or running from the next potentially
embarrassing situation, see it as a chance to
grow in social skills.
_ Get so concerned about helping others
and making them happy that you forget about
yourself.
These solutions are simple, yes, but often
easier said than done!-Especially since most
books stop there. The poor reader is expected
to muster up the courage and determination
and everything else it will take from within.
But here’s a classic situation where the Christian
is at a distinct advantage, because instead
of self-help, we can get His help. Instead of
having to work it up ourselves, we can ask God
to work in us and bring about the desired
change-and He will! How? Through the Holy
Spirit and the reading of God’s Word.
If shyness is a combination of fear and self-consciousness
(which stems from pride), then
faith and humility are the antidote. The Holy
Spirit gives us boldness and helps us overcome
our sensitivity and self-consciousness, and
God’s Word gives us faith that displaces our
fear. The Bible tells us that faith comes by
hearing the Word of God (see Romans 10:17),
so the more Word we take in, the more faith in
God we will have, the more love of God we will
have and the more love we will have for others.
We then become more concerned about other
people and their needs, and less conscious
about ourselves and what others think of us.
And of course when we show a sincere interest
in them, most people will think the world of
us.
The cure for shyness is only a prayer away.
With God’s help, encounters that we used to
dread become steppingstones to new friend-ships,
happiness, and success!

page 9

Your New Life of Love
Holy Spirit Power
-It Can Happen to You!

BE FILLED TO OVERFLOWING!
Everyone who receives God’s gift of eternal life by praying to
ask Jesus into their heart has also received a measure of the
Holy Spirit. But receiving the complete infilling, or what the
Bible calls “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, is usually a separate
experience that happens after you have received Jesus.
A glass of water makes a good illustration. A glass may not
be full, but if it even has some water in it, it’s still a glass of
water. That’s how a lot of Christians are. They have just a little
bit of God’s Spirit.
Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is like filling the glass to
overflowing. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”
(John 7:38). In the next verse John explains, “But this He spoke
concerning the [Holy] Spirit, whom those believing in Him
would receive” (John 7:39).
TAP INTO THE POWER!
The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help you share
God’s message and love with others. Being filled with the Holy
Spirit also helps you greatly in your personal relationship with
the Lord. It gives you a stronger contact with Him and better
communication through prayer, as well as much deeper under-standing
when you read God’s Word.
And one of the most wonderful things about it is that you,
too, can be filled with the Holy Spirit of God-right now!
All you have to do is ask. Like salvation, you can’t earn it or
be good enough to deserve it. It’s a gift. Then, whether you feel
any change or not, you will know that you have received it
because of His promise. (See Luke 11:13.)
Receive the Holy Spirit now by praying this simple prayer:
“Dear Jesus, please fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit
so that I can love You more, follow You more closely, and have
greater power to tell others about Your love and salvation. Amen.”

Prayer for The Day
Our Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, causing my heart to be totally changed, & guide my thoughts, teaching me with your Word. When I’m down, the Holy Spirit will comfort & encourage me, & help me to reach out to others with Your Love. You know perfectly what I need!

pages 10  - 11

The Future Foretold
PART 2

In Part 1 of this series, we began to examine Jesus’
description of the events that will occur shortly before
His return to Earth-events that are now happening
on a much broader scale than ever before. Our study
continues …

“MOMMY, I’M HUNGRY!”

“There will be famines … ” (Matthew 24:7).
Are we living in a time of increased famine?
The World Bank reported
that more than 800 million people go hungry
every day, and some 40,000 hunger-related
deaths occur every day.1

40,000 hunger-related
deaths occur every day

 

The terrible irony is that the world can
produce enough food to feed its expanding
population. While some famines are caused by
drought or other natural disasters, most
starvation in the world today could be avoided
were it not for man’s selfishness and inhumanity.
War, embargoes, government corruption
and economic oppression are all symptoms of
the real problem. Such daunting
problems as world famine could be eliminated.

A PLAGUED PLANET!

“And there will be pestilences ... ” (Matthew
24:7).
As with war and famine, the increase in
severity and frequency of pestilence (plagues)
is alarming.
Less than 20 years ago the medical profession
claimed victory over a wide array of
bacterial and viral killers. But instead of fading, the cases of infectious diseases have skyrocketed throughout the
’90s. Doctors now warn that the current
resurgence of drug-resistant bacteria strains
could prove to be more deadly than AIDS.5

VIRAL KILLERS

The medical community is now warning
that not only are bacterial plagues on the rise,
but viral killers like AIDS and Ebola are occurring
more frequently than ever. More than 16,000
people every day become infected with HIV.
Experts warn that other killer viruses could
sweep through the human population as a
result of genetic mutation or social changes
that favor the disease.
Aside from the above-mentioned plagues,
there is, of course, cancer, which is considered
non-infectious. Virtually unheard of among
our ancestors, over 100 different kinds of
cancer now kill over 6 million people every
year.
Jesus said there would be an abundance of
plagues (deadly infectious diseases) and diseases
(such as stomach flu that’s difficult to cure & foot & mouth disease that affects animals, etc.) marking the time of His
return. Even though these things will become
increasingly widespread in the days to come,
the Bible also tells us that God can protect and
even heal those who trust in Him: “No evil shall
befall you, nor shall any plague come near your
dwelling. To you who fear My name the Sun of
Righteousness shall arise with healing in His
wings” (Psalm 91:10; Malachi 4:2).

THE BIG SHAKE-UP
“There shall be earthquakes, in various places” (Matthew 24:7).
TheUniversalAlmanactells us that there were only 21 earthquakes of major strength between the years 1000 and 1800. Between
1800 and 1900 there were 18 major earthquakes. In the next 50 years, between 1900 and 1950,
there were 33 major quakes-almost as many as the number in the preceding 850 years! Between 1950 and 1991 there were 93 major earthquakes-almost triple the number of the
previous half century-which claimed the lives of 1.3 million people around the world.

OUR VIOLENT WORLD
Another condition that Jesus said would be prevalent immediately prior to His return
would be unrestrained violence: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the [second]
coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37, NIV).
How were things in the “days of Noah”? The Book of Genesis tells us that “the earth was corrupt before God, and was filledwith violence” (Genesis 6:11). We are all painfully aware that today’s news headlines are full of tragic stories of senseless violence. In the U.S. alone, the statistics for violent crime are staggering.
(footnote about Noah)

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT?
Why the unprecedented increase in violence among today’s youth? Behavioral scientists
have concluded that one of the main culprits is so-called entertainment. In times past, you had
to be on the scene where the violence was perpetrated in order to personally witness it. Not now. Dr. Leonard D. Efron, Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago,
observes: “There can no longer be any doubt that heavy exposure to televised violence is
one of the causes of aggressive behavior, crime and violence in society.”

But even in this violence-filled
world, we don’t
have to live in fear.

But even in this violence-filled world, we don’t have to live in fear. Scripture refers to
Jesus as “the Prince of Peace” (see Isaiah 9:6), who promises to all those who love and trust
Him: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

(To be continued in the next issue of Activated!)

1. “800 Million People Go Hungry,” UPI, Washington, 23
Sep 1996
2. AP, Washington, 23 May 1995
3. Figures taken from the Report on the Global HIV/
AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS/WHO, December 1997.
4. TheUniversalAlmanac, Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews
and McMeel, 1993
5. Harwood, Richard. “Ten Times the Dead in Vietnam,” Washington Post (WP), 7 May 1994.
6. Feder, Don. AJewishConservativeLooksatPagan
America. Lafayette, LA.: Huntington House Publishers,
1993

 

Excerpted from The Future Foretold, by Michael Roy. If you would like more documentation of the fulfilled prophecies explained in this series, as well as an explanation of those prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled, order a copy of TheFutureForetoldtoday! For details please refer to the order form included with this magazine, or find out more information via the reader’s hotline on page 2.

page 12
AN INSTANT ANSWER!
From Eli Steven, a missionary in Bulgaria
One evening Sarah and I went for a walk along the beach, and as we were returning, we
saw a young man gazing sadly at the waves. I felt strongly that the Lord wanted us to stop
and talk to him, so we did. As soon as our conversation turned to Jesus, the boy became
enthralled and listened without saying a word for about 20 minutes.
Then he told us, to our surprise, that we were the answer to his prayer. He had become
disillusioned with life after his girlfriend left him for somebody else, and had just finished
praying to God when we approached him. In his prayer, he had asked God to prove to him
right then and there that He was real. He had also asked God to show His love by helping
him in his personal life.-And there we were! Knowing nothing of his prayer, we had told
him of Jesus’ great love for him!
This young man was thrilled and amazed that the Lord had answered his prayer so
quickly, so literally and so completely. He wanted to know more about his new best Friend
and Savior, Jesus, so we spent another hour or two talking with him.
“At first I thought you were angels from Heaven,” he told us. “While you were talking, I
didn’t want to move for fear that you would disappear!”
“We aren’t angels,” we assured him, “but we are God’s agents. We’ve devoted our lives to
helping others, and tonight He sent us to you!”

 

Feeding Reading
THE HOLY SPIRIT

For this month’s “Feeding Reading,” we’ve chosen some Bible selections about the gift
of the Holy Spirit-its promise, its power, and its purpose.

Jesus promises
a Helper, or Comforter
John 14:16-17,26
John 16:7

The disciples
wait for the promise
Luke 24:49
Acts 1:4-8

The first outpouring
of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-21

The baptism
of the Holy Spirit
Acts 8:15-17
Acts 10:44-46
Acts 19:1-2, 6

The purpose
of the Holy Spirit:
power to witness
Acts 1:8
John 15:26-27
Acts 4:29,31

More prayer power
Romans 8:26-27
Jude 20

The Spirit of truth
John 16:13
1 John 5:6
The fruits of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23

The gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:4-13

pages 13-14
Be Enthusiastic!
-Getting on fire for God

(Picture captions: “I heard you’re a Christian?” “Oh, yes… I guess so.” “Jesus really loves you, Loria!” “Oh, thanks! That really made my day!” “The Holy Spirit can strengthen your convictions and give you boldness”)

If there’s anything that catches
people’s attention and causes them
to take notice of what you’re saying
or doing, it’s enthusiasm! The word
enthusiasm is derived from two Greek
words: en, which means in, and theos,
which means God. So enthusiasm
literally means “in God,” or “God in us”!
Thus the truly enthusiastic person is
one who acts and speaks as if he were
possessed by God.
God’s Word tells us, “Whatever your
hand finds to do, do it with your might”
(Ecclesiastes 9:10), and “Never be
lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual
fervor, serving the Lord!” (Romans
12:11, NIV).
The same driving passion, the same
irresistible compassion that motivated
the apostles and martyrs and every
great man or woman of God throughout
the ages should motivate every child of
God in everything they do, everything
they say, everywhere they go, with
everybody. The great fanatical Apostle
Paul summed it up in these few famous
and ringing words which have cried out
from the heart of every true Christian in
every true good deed he has ever done,
and for which indeed he is willing to
die: “The love of Christ compels us!” (2
Corinthians 5:14).
Regardless of what you may lack in
the way of natural talents, abilities, or
even material goods, if you obey God’s
Word and let Him live in you and through
you so that your heart burns with His
love, then He will be able to greatly use
you and make you a blessing to many!

The enthusiast
changes the world!

As a young man, the great pioneer missionary
David Livingstone faced an important
decision. “I have found that I have no unusual
endowments of intellect,” he wrote in his
diary, “but this day I resolve that I will be an
uncommon Christian!” He “purposed in his
heart” to give his all to the Lord, and deter-mined
to become an enthusiast for the truth-
and he was! He became one of the greatest
missionaries the world has ever known.
The British historian Arnold Toynbee said,
“Apathy can only be overcome by enthusiasm,
and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two
things: first, an ideal which takes the imagination
by storm; and second, a definite intelligible
plan for carrying that ideal into practice.”
What greater ideal could anyone have than
to bring everlasting salvation and eternal
heavenly life to a lost and dying world that is
perishing without it? And what better “intelligible
plan” could anyone have than that given
by Jesus to His followers: “Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every creature”? (See
Mark 16:15.) As Christians, we should be the
most enthusiastic people in the entire world!

Paul: another
determined enthusiast

The Apostle Paul was another of God’s
greatest enthusiasts. Even before his conversion,
he showed a great deal of enthusiasm-
but with the wrong ideal and the wrong plan.
He was fanatically anti-Christian!
But as soon as Paul was converted, he
became an enthusiastic fanatic for the right
side. When others saw his total dedication and
enthusiasm for the Lord, they got on fire for
God too. The work he started spread Christianity
throughout the Roman Empire.
Nothing could quench Paul’s enthusiasm!
At one point he testified, “Five times I received
from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three
times I was beaten with rods, once I was
stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent
a night and a day adrift in the open sea, I have
been constantly on the move. I have been in
danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in
danger from my own countrymen, in danger
from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in
danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in
danger from false brothers! I have labored and
toiled and have often gone without sleep; I
have known hunger and thirst and have often
gone without food; I have been cold and
naked” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27, NIV). Did Paul
let these difficulties and obstacles stop him?-
No! He went right on serving God no matter
what hardships or difficulties befell him.
Nothing can stop the man who is on fire for
God! He will keep going no matter what,
because he knows he is doing the right thing
for the right cause and for the One who is
always right!

Getting on fire for God

So where do we get such enthusiasm, this
inspiration that fills a life with fire and fervor
for the Lord?-From the Holy Spirit of God! The
Bible says, “Our God is a consuming fire”
(Hebrews 12:29), and repeatedly compares His
Spirit to a fire, or flames of fire. (See Matthew
3:11; Acts 2:3-4; Revelation 4:5.) So if you want
to be enthusiastic for the Lord, full of His fiery
anointing and inspiration, just pray and ask
Him to fill you with the power of His Holy
Spirit, and He will!
Someone once asked a great man of God
what was the secret of his success and he
replied, “I just get on fire for God, and the
world comes out to see me burn!”

Kindling the fire
in another’s heart

As Christians, our hearts should be so full of
the love of Jesus that we want to overflow and
share it with others. You’ve got to be alive and
enthusiastic to be able to show others that
what you’ve got with Jesus is better than what
they’ve got without Him.
Why did people listen to Jesus? Jesus spoke
from His heart, from the Spirit, and it brought
life, it moved people. It didn’t just tickle their
ears, but it reached and touched their hearts.
He said, “The Words that I speak to you are
spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). The words
the Scribes and the Pharisees (the religious
leaders of Jesus’ day) spoke were well-educated,
but they were dry and dead and only
brought death. Why?-Because they only spoke
from their heads.
That’s the difference! You cannot kindle a
fire in any other heart until it is burning within
your own.
William Booth, the bold witness who
started the Salvation Army, said, “Unless I go
about my business of saving the souls of men
with an energy and a zeal almost amounting to
madness, nobody will take any notice of me,
much less believe what I say and profit from
it!”
Of course, we should not only be enthusiastic
in our preaching and presenting the
Gospel to others, but in everything we do.
Whatever task is set before us, the Bible tells us
we’re to “do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to
men” (Colossians 3:23). In everything you do,
even the most menial tasks, you can be happy,
inspired and full of enthusiasm. If you’re
asking the Lord to inspire you, He will give you
that divine spark of His Spirit that will make
every little task a joy!
Let’s get on fire for God by earnestly praying
and faithfully reading His Word. Let’s ask for
His Spirit to inspire us with the vision of the
great things He wants to do through us. And
then let’s do our part by putting our whole
heart into whatever He asks us to do for Him
and others!
Come, let’s set the world afire for God and
enlighten the hearts of all men everywhere!
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it
shine!”

 

page  15

 

Once upon a
time there was a
little girl who spent her
days sitting beside a
pond watching a frog on
a lily pad. Now the little
girl knew that the frog
was probably a prince.
And the frog, who was
indeed a prince, knew
that the little girl could
kiss his nose and break
the magic spell that had
been cast upon him by a
wicked witch. But the
little girl on the bank of
the pond was too shy to
begin a conversation
with a frog, and the frog
could simply not bring
himself to tell her how
badly he wanted her to
kiss his nose. So the little
girl went on sitting there
watching the frog, and
that is the end of the
story.

Coming Next…

God’s Power is under your control!
The Bible is full of God’s promises for people, these are promises that He wants us to use in our daily lives. Some of His promises is for the general public, such as, “Whosoever who calls upon the Lord shall be saved.” (Ro 10:13) Other promises are for specific persons or groups, such as, “If you shall ask anything in My name, I’ll do it.”-A promise the Lord gives to His initial 12 disciples. (Jn 14:14)
But God’s promises are not only for those He’s promised, it’s for anyone who has enough faith to believe God will fulfill them, including you! God’s is a man of word, He keeps His promises, you only need to reach out in faith & ask in conviction, then He’ll fulfill every single word of His promises.
The more you are familiar with God’s Word, the more you can recognize His promises, & use them as your own. When you do that, it shows you have faith. When you make a positive stand of your faith in God & knowledge towards His Word, this not only pleases God, but He’ll start doing mighty things to answer your prayer.
To learn more about how to channel God’s power into your life, don’t miss the next Activated mag.

page 16
To You, with Love

I love you, just you, as if you were the only
one. My love is reaching out to you right now.
My love, My forgiveness and My mercy are all
right there, just for you, if you will only receive
them.
I love you just the way you are. I am not
stacking up all your faults and failures and
mistakes to hold against you. My eyes are
blind to all of these. I see only the good, and I
see possibilities that others do not see.
I see your every tear. I hear your every cry. I
feel your every frustration, your every worry,
your every burden, your every desire. I know
everything about you-all your wants, all your
lacks. I see straight through to your heart of
hearts and all that is in it, and I deeply love
you.
I long to hold you close, here on
My gentle breast. I am right there by your
side, and I will never, ever forsake you.
I love you, just you, and here I patiently
wait-for you! Won’t you please come running
into My arms, where we can live and love and
revel in this love forever, eternally, immortally,
without end? I’m yours.

-Jesus