It´s Thursday - reflections from Genesis

'When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, 'Why do you just keep looking at each other?' Genesis 42:1

Sometimes we can have such a difficult, seemingly insurmountable problem that we are flummoxed when it comes to being able to think of any way to resolve it. This seemed to be the case with Jacob's sons as they looked at each other, no doubt hoping someone would come up with a solution.

Although there were seven years of super-abundant harvests, even at the end of the first year that followed, (concluded from Joseph's words in 45:6 on the second visit his brothers made to Egypt to buy corn), the harvest in Egypt and beyond was so poor that there was a severe famine. One wonders if all the nations in that region had experienced massive surpluses during those first seven seven years and whether they squandered what they had? Even without the message from God that Pharaoh received, it would have been wise to have set some grain aside as a safeguard. It is so easy to become blasé when year on year we bathe in riches. It is so easy to lose sight of how things can change beyond recognition very quickly indeed.

The only place where food was to be found was in Egypt and the Egyptians were not the most favourable of nations towards Hebrews, (see 43:32). No doubt, when ordered to do so by their father Jacob, the brothers set off in fear and trembling, uncertain of what reception awaited them. 'Lord, may we never take for granted the riches of your grace that you bestow. Make us prudent and wise in the use of those things you give us, Amen.' God bless you all.

Your Friends Matter to God!

- David Wilkerson 
September 1998 -

Who do you name as your closest friends? Believe it or not, this question is a matter of great concern to the Lord. And that's because your friendships speak loudly - both to God and to the world - about the condition of your heart.

Have you ever thought to pray, "Lord, what do you think of my friendships? Are they pleasing to you - or do they displease you?" The fact is, a righteous friend can provide a link to the blessing and favor of God, because he encourages you toward a godly lifestyle. On the other hand, an unrighteous friend can be a binding chain to every kind of evil, leading you into terrible bondages.

As I use the word "friend" throughout this message, I'm not referring to immediate family members, such as a spouse, parent or child. My definition of a friend here is someone with whom you are closely associated - one in whom you naturally confide. In short, a friend is someone with whom you walk, talk and bare your soul.

Of course, you probably have various circles of friends. You have a "business" circle, which includes your coworkers, partners or clients. And you have a "social" circle, including those people you associate with on a surface level. You may also have contact with ungodly acquaintances. The apostle Paul says it's impossible for us to avoid these kinds of contacts - otherwise, we'd have to leave the world altogether!

Read more HERE.

The Islamic Antichrist - Joel Richardson

Half Of Jerusalem Arabs Want To Be Israelis

- Times of Israel -

A slim majority of Palestinians living in Jerusalem would prefer Israeli citizenship to being citizens of a Palestinian state, a new poll indicates.

Just over half, or 52 percent, of respondents told pollsters they would prefer “Israeli citizenship with equal rights,” while 42% prefer to be Palestinian citizens when a Palestinian state is established, Channel 2 reported Wednesday.

The figure is far higher than in polls conducted in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. In Gaza, just 4% said they preferred Israeli citizenship; in the West Bank, just 12%.

The figure was part of a forthcoming poll from the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Fikra Forum, conducted by Nabil Kukali of the Palestine Center for Public Opinion.

The figure marks a spike in desire for Israeli citizenship. A similar poll in 2010 found just one-third of East Jerusalem Arabs preferred Israeli citizenship to Palestinian.

Data obtained by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies indicates a jump over the past decade of actual requests by Palestinians in East Jerusalem for Israeli citizenship, rising from 114 applications in 2003 to between 800 and 1,000 per year now, around half of which are ultimately successful, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Read HERE.

It´s Thursday - Reflections from Genesis (38)

'So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt,”' Genesis 41:41.

How quickly life has turned around in the most amazing way for Joseph. One minute he is languishing in prison with seemingly no hope of getting out. The next, he is the second most powerful man in the land. When God moves he doesn't do half measures. When he gives, he doesn't give merely what we need. He is a God of the super abundance, who blesses us with more than we ever deserve, more than we could have hoped for or imagined. When Jesus fed the 5,000, those 5 loaves and 2 fish were transformed into more than enough to satisfy the hunger of the people.

The only thing that puts the brakes on God's abundant giving is our disobedience, which is always due to our lack of faith. Challenging the people to give to God what is rightfully his, God says, 'See if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it,' Malachi 3:10. Our God is One who, as St Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3:20, 'is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power …' What God did in Egypt was immeasurably more than Joseph ever anticipated. He had to give up keeping records (v49), such was the vastness of the harvests. Sometimes we just do not believe enough in what God himself can do. We expect little and so that is what God gives us. He isn't one to disappoint. If we would only expect much, again he would not disappoint and would probably give us far more than we asked for.

Joseph now has a brand new life. At last he has been liberated from what no doubt plagued him and distressed him during his last 13 years, when I'm sure he was always looking back. But now he has hope, where there was none, value where before he felt valueless, a bright future in place of a bleak one. He is able at last to put the past behind him, to forget the horror of it all, (v51). He is a new man. One is reminded of what Jesus is able to do for us, bringing hope in place of hopelessness, help in place of helplessness, value in place of worthlessness, 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, behold all things have become new,'

2 Corinthians 5:17. God bless you all.

A Message for Christians Who Have Bad Days

- by David Wilkerson August 1998 -

The Christian life is not a life of clear sailing. Every believer is going to have bad days, no matter how holy he may be. In fact, I believe the more godly a person is, the more trying and excruciating his bad days will be.

Fortunately, most Christians know Jesus isn't just a "good times only" savior. He's with us not only when things are going well, but during our bad days also. When hard times hit us, he doesn't disappear, saying, "I'll be back when you've got it all worked out." No he's faithful and caring through every kind of season. And he's touched by every feeling we endure during our hard times.

The apostle Paul addresses this when he writes, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Imagine it! The treasure Paul refers to is the knowledge and presence of Jesus Christ. And we hold this precious treasure in our bodies!

Yet the Greek word Paul uses for "earthen" is "frail clay" meaning, "weak, easily broken, easily tempted." He's saying, "Yes, we hold Jesus' presence in our very bodies. But our bodies are weak, easily tempted and easily broken!"

Read more HERE.

Financial Times Calls For Abolishing Cash

- Paul Joseph Watson in Prophesy News Watch -

The Financial Times has published an anonymous article which calls for the abolition of cash in order to give central banks and governments more power.

Entitled The case for retiring another ‘barbarous relic’, the article laments the fact that people are stockpiling cash in anticipation of another economic collapse, a factor which is causing, “a lot of distortion to the economic system.”

“The existence of cash — a bearer instrument with a zero interest rate — limits central banks’ ability to stimulate a depressed economy. The worry is that people will change their deposits for cash if a central bank moves rates into negative territory,” states the article.

Complaining that cash cannot be tracked and traced, the writer argues that its abolition would, “make life easier for a government set on squeezing the informal economy out of existence.”

Read HERE.