Activated Magazine 2005 / 11

(Traditional Chinese Activated mag 11 of volume 2--text mostly from November 2003 issue, March 2003 issue)

Cover:

Be a Positive Person

How to overcome negative mindsets

Depression

A survivor tells her story

The Magic Mask

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he

 

Page 2

This is Activated magazine volume 2 issue 11. 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!

(address of various Activated desk around the world)

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All Rights Reserved

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

 

Personally speaking

            Who doesn’t get discouraged from time to time? It usually starts over some small thing—a little disappointment or mistake, a careless remark by a friend or coworker, or a negative thought about ourselves or our situation—but how it grows! Pretty soon everything seems wrong and our outlook becomes so clouded that we want to quit. We wish we could find a hole, crawl into it, and shut out the world. But it usually isn’t long before something or someone comes along to help us get back on track, thank God.
The real problem is, the longer we continue in that negative vein, the deeper we sink and the harder it is to pull out of it. Worse yet, if we habitually give in to feelings of discouragement, it can lead to depression, and depression is a killer! It destroys the lives of those who are overcome by it, and it can have a devastating impact on loved ones and others who can’t help but be affected.
If you are prone to discouragement or depression, there are two things you need to know: First, discouragement and depression are linked to not only your emotional state, but also to your spiritual state; second, there is a sure and simple antidote—a way out!
Just as God is constantly trying to influence you to make the right decisions and have the right mindset, sinister spiritual forces are constantly trying to bring you down. Learning to recognize the negative broadcasts from the dark side is half of the battle against discouragement and depression; learning to take action against that negative input by tuning in to the Lord’s positive broadcasts and believing and doing what He tells you is the other. Victory guaranteed!

            Hsu Ling
For the Activated Family

Page 3:

The Camel’s Nose

ACCORDING TO A BEDOUIN FABLE, an Arab and his camel were crossing the desert. Night came and the tempera­ture dropped. The Arab put up his tent, tied his camel to it, and went to sleep.
The temperature dropped further, and the camel asked the Arab for refuge from the cold.
The Arab was adamant. “There is only room in the tent for one!”
The camel was quiet for a few min­utes, but soon asked again. “Please, Master! Just my nose. If I could just put my nose in your tent, it would keep me from freezing out here.”
The Arab reluctantly agreed.
The camel’s nose became warm, but after a while the temperature went down even more. The camel woke the Arab and asked, “Please, can I just put my forelegs in the tent? They are very cold!”
Again the Arab reluctantly agreed. “Only your forelegs, nothing more!” So the camel nudged his forelegs into the tent and they became warm.
After some time, the camel woke the Arab again. “Master, I must put my hind legs in the tent. Otherwise I fear that they will freeze and I won’t be able to finish our journey tomor­row. What good is a camel with frozen hind legs?”
So the Arab agreed once more, and the camel moved his hind legs in. But since there was only room in the tent for one, the Arab was forced to move out into the cold, where he barely survived the night.
Depression is like that camel. It just needs a small opening to get started—usually a thought that seems to have some basis in truth or reason—but if you entertain that thought, pretty soon it and a whole lot more like it move in and take over. Don’t let the camel get its nose inside your tent. •

Pages 10 – 11

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

       Q: I've prayed and even asked others to pray that I would overcome a certain personal weakness, but I never seem to be able to change. Why doesn't Jesus answer my prayers and change me?
       A: Whenever any of us recognize a personal problem and pray for the needed change, we are changed. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15).
       So if you've prayed for a change, you have the victory. By the miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit and through the promises of God's Word, you become the new person you've asked the Lord to make you (2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Peter 1:4). The cocoon has been opened and the new person has come forth, ready to grow in the spirit. This is the first step-believing in the change.
       The Word tells us that faith is the victory: "This is the victory that has overcome the world"-and all our problems-"even our faith" (1 John 5:4). The Lord has given you the victory. You just have to accept it by faith and work to strengthen the "new you."
       You get the victory the instant you confess you need the Lord's help, claim His promises in His Word, and ask for it in prayer. But if you later say, "It must have been a false victory. The Lord must not have answered, because I'm still the same old mess I was," then you're surrendering the victory. As long as you hold on to it by faith and keep thanking the Lord for it, it's yours.
       That's the key to the victory: believing that you have it because He promised it to you-and then acting like you believe it. Your feelings don't have anything to do with it! The victory is yours by faith, even when you don't feel like you have it. So keep praising and thanking the Lord for it, and soon you'll see concrete results.
       For the Lord to help you change the way you react in certain situations, He has to change your thought patterns. So when you asked the Lord to change you, in effect you asked Him to rewire you. That nearly always takes time and some effort on your part.
       The Lord does most of it, of course, but your part is to put into practice what you know you need to do to form the right habits. That starts with resisting your past ways of thinking, and the best way to do that is with the Word. The Word is what bridges the gap and makes the connection with the new set of thought patterns the Lord has for you. That's why it's so important to read, study, and even memorize the Word.
       Then once you are full of the Word, you must take the stand of faith by claiming the Lord's promises and refusing to believe the Devil's doubts-and you must do this over and over and over, every time you catch yourself slipping into your old thought patterns or old ways.
       The more times you do this, the stronger your new thought and behavioral patterns will become, the more you will be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2), and the more evident it will be that the Lord has changed you!
             
To your health!

       There is a saying about health: "You are what you eat," physically. That's just as true of our spirits. We are what our minds take in, spiritually. We cannot fill our minds and hearts with worldly wisdom and the foolishness of man without it affecting our spirits, any more than we can wade through the garbage and the gutter without getting besmirched. So be sure you're getting the right spiritual food-the good, wholesome, nourishing, faith-building, uplifting, encouraging, inspiring truth of the Word of God!
D.B.B.
             
The cure for negative thinking
             
       For the Lord to help you form more positive thought patterns, you must be willing to change.
       Psalm 51:2,7,10
       Romans 12:2
       Ephesians 4:22-24
             
       Stop yourself at the first negative thought.
       2 Corinthians 10:3-5
       Ephesians 4:27
       James 4:7
             
       Fill your heart and mind with God's Word.
       Joshua 1:8
       Psalm 1:2
       1 Timothy 4:13-16
             
       Take a positive approach to tests and trials by seeing the Lord's hand in them.
       Psalm 119:71
       Romans 8:28
       1 Thessalonians 5:18
       James 1:2-4
       1 Peter 4:12-13
             
       Cultivate positive attitudes towards others.
       Romans 12:10
       Ephesians 4:32
       Colossians 3:12-14
       1 Peter 4:8
             
       Promises and prayers to help overcome negative thinking:
       Isaiah 55:7
       Psalm 19:14
       Psalm 139:23-24
       Proverbs 16:3

 

Pages 12 – 14

THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
By Joseph Candel

       Have you ever wondered why we have war, or why there is such a disparity of wealth-why some people and whole nations are rich and overfed while others are starving and deprived of other basic necessities? Why do governments spend billions on wars that kill and maim while the poor continue to suffer?
       I used to wonder why the world is the way it is, why there couldn't be more love and peace and cooperation among people and nations to make the world a better place. I found the answer to that in the Bible, beginning with Revelation chapter 6, about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
             
       In Revelation chapter 6, Jesus opens the book of the future, the book of prophecy, which is sealed with seven seals, and shows the apostle John the future of the world from that time (about 90 ad) to the last days (the time in which we are now living) and beyond.
       Another name for the book of Revelation is the Apocalypse, which means "a revelation concerning the future." The four horsemen of the Apocalypse reveal the truth about religion, war, and economics, and set the stage for what is soon to come.

The first seal
       And I saw when the Lamb [Jesus] opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, "Come and see." And I saw, and behold, a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto Him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2 KJV.)
       The first horseman, who wears a crown and goes forth to conquer, is obviously Jesus. What was happening at this time in world history, in about 90 ad?-From the spiritual realm, the resurrected Jesus was going forth to "conquer" the world with the Gospel through His apostles and the early Christians-and they would eventually conquer the mighty Roman Empire. Jesus' message of the love and forgiveness of God would prove more powerful than all the legions of Rome! Jesus is this mighty Conqueror on the white horse.
       We find another picture of a white horse in Revelation chapter 19: "And behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. ... His name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:11,13 KJV).
       We know from John 1:14 that "The Word of God" is Jesus: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
       And following Jesus are the armies of Heaven, the resurrected saints who are also riding white horses as they come down from Heaven to defeat the forces of the Antichrist and take over the world at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:14).

The second seal
       And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, "Come and see." And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4 KJV.)
       What takes "peace from the earth"?-War! This red horse symbolizes war, the military and their war machines.
       The horse's color, red, is appropriate because it represents all the blood shed in man's hellish wars-wars for which God is not responsible, but which come from the pride, prejudices, and avarice of man's heart. "From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1 KJV).
       The "great sword" given to the rider of the red horse seems to suggest the great "improvements" in weapons of war and the vastly greater devastation bought on by war since this prophecy was given in John's day.

The third seal
       And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, "Come and see." And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, "A measure of wheat for a penny; and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." (Revelation 6:5-6 KJV.)
       This black horse's rider with the pair of balances in his hand symbolizes the rich capitalists that have a major impact on world conditions through their manipulation of national economies. Only one other verse in the Bible pictures a man with balances, or scales: "The merchant uses dishonest scales; he loves to defraud" (Hosea 12:7 NIV).
       Another prophet, Amos, also said that the merchants-the wealthy capitalists of his day who were robbing the poor instead of helping them-"set forth wheat, making the ephah [unit of measure] small, and the shekel [price] great, and falsifying the balances by deceit ... that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail" (Amos 8:4-6 KJV).
       The black horse, then, represents famine and poverty perpetrated by the rich who refuse to share with those in need. This horse is largely responsible for today's economic situation. Oil and wine, throughout the Scriptures, symbolize abundance or luxury. The fact that the oil and wine were "hurt not" indicates a situation where wealth and luxury exist alongside famine and poverty-and the gulf between rich and poor is only growing.

The fourth seal
       And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8 KJV.)
       The fourth and final horseman of the Apocalypse is death itself-death not only from war, but also from beasts and plagues and famine and death in every other conceivable form.
       Death has always been with us, of course, but death by famine, natural disasters, new plagues such as AIDS, and new pestilences such as the Ebola virus have reached unprecedented levels, just like Jesus said they would immediately prior to His return: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7).

The fifth seal
       And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:9-11 KJV.)
       First comes the white horse, the proclamation of its rider's message, and the "conquest" of many souls. Then comes the open rejection of that message by the unbelievers, those in league with the other three horsemen on the red, black, and pale horses, which crystallizes into persecution and the martyrdom of "them that were slain for the Word of God." This is the way it's been all throughout history. These martyrs, though, are actually the exception. Most of Jesus' followers have usually escaped martyrdom and lived on to help carry on His work.
             
       War, greed, and death-the characters that were revealed when the second, third, and fourth seals were opened-are almost as old as the world itself, but the Biblical picture both here and elsewhere is that each of these forces has taken on greater power since the time of this revelation.
       Again, Jesus predicted this in His famous Endtime discourse, Matthew chapter 24, and said that it would culminate in "great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:7, 21-22).
       In other words, Jesus was saying, one day man would reach such an impasse that if God were to let him continue unchecked, he would annihilate himself. However, when man finally reaches that suicidal point, Jesus said that God would step in and stop man. And the way God will stop him is by Jesus' Second Coming, when He returns to punish the evildoers, take over the world, and set up His right­eous rule (Matthew 24:29-30; Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5; Revelation 19:11-21).
       Only within the last 50 or 60 years has the human race developed the potential to destroy itself. The military (red horse) now have their nuclear bombs, intercontinental missiles, chemical and biological weapons, and other lethal technologies.
       The rich, on their black horse, were complicit in the last century's great wars, and their hoarding and misuse of their riches is threatening another one. The rich also, in their relentless pursuit of greater wealth, are finally succeeding in polluting the entire earth-a byproduct of modern technology.
       And following the others comes the fourth horseman, on the pale horse-death in every form.
       So there you have the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. They will continue to ride until the End, when Jesus returns to take us to heavenly places with Him, before pouring out His judgments on the perpetrators of the hell on earth below. Then He will come back once more-He and all the saints of God-to wipe out the Antichrist and all of his forces at the Battle of Armageddon. God will then cleanse and purify the earth and set up His eternal kingdom, ruled by Jesus Christ.

Page 15

The Legend of the Magic Mask

       There was once a king of a vast domain. He was shrewd and power­ful and feared by all, but no one loved him. Each year, as he became more severe, he became lonelier. His face reflected the bitterness in his soul. There were deep, ugly lines around his mouth, and deep, permanent furrows on his forehead.
       But it so happened that in his realm there lived a beautiful girl whom everyone seemed to love. The king wanted to make her his wife, and finally he decided to speak to her of this love. He dressed in his finest robes, but when he looked in the mirror, he saw a cruel, hard face, even when he tried to smile.
       Then a thought came to him. He sent for his magician. "Use your greatest skill to paint a mask that looks kind and pleasant and handsome. I will pay any price you ask."
       "This I can do," said the magician, "on one condition. You must keep your own face in the same lines that I paint. One angry frown, and the mask will be ruined forever and I cannot replace it. You must think only kindly thoughts and do kindly deeds. You must be gracious to all men."
       So the magic mask was made, and it looked so natural that no one guessed it was not the true face of the king. Months passed, the beautiful lady became his bride, and the king fought hard to keep the mask from breaking. His subjects attributed the miraculous change in the king to his lovely wife.
       Eventually the king didn’t want to deceive his beautiful wife with this mask any more. So he asked the magician to come and take it off.
       After the magician did as he was commanded, in anguish, the king turned to see his reflection in his mirror. Suddenly his eyes brightened and his lips curved into a radiant smile. The ugly lines were gone. His face was the exact likeness of the mask he had worn so long. When he returned to his beloved wife, she saw only the familiar features of the man she loved.
       Yes, this is only a legend, but it teaches a truth: A man's face portrays what is inside, what he thinks and feels. The wise and true Scripture tells us, "As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7).

Author unknown
             
[Callout:] "Use your greatest skill to paint a mask that looks kind and pleasant and handsome."

Page 16

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

Consider the sparrow…

My eye is on the sparrow as she flutters about in search of food and a place to nest. I guide her to a resting place, and she trusts Me. She doesn’t worry about what she doesn’t have. She just goes about her day and trusts that I will provide her needs. How small and numerous are the sparrows, and yet I know and watch over them all. I remember and care for each one. You, My child, are far more precious to Me than all the sparrows combined, and if I show such concern for these small and seemingly insignificant birds, will I not also care for you? I know your troubles and I understand your fears. I am here to give you faith and answer your prayers, but I need you to trust Me as the little sparrow does. You don’t see her fluttering about in a panic, worried and flurried; she is calm and peaceful, knowing that My eye is on her and I will care for her as My own. My eye is on you, too, and I stand ready to help. So trust Me, won’t you? Let Me do the worrying!