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a Non-Profit 501 (C) (3) Organization Founded by Award-Winning Christian Author/Speaker Lisa Freeman "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal…" Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
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~AWARDS~
Best New Book of The Year 2007 Writer of the Year, 2000 & 2007 Honorable Mention Awkward Romance Contest May 2006 All Time Best Award Fanstory.com 2006 Finalist in Chicken Soup Contest 2005 Distinguished Achievement Award, 2005 2nd Place Photo Say More Contest 2005 Top Story in Obadiah Contest 2002 2 Top Stories in Obadiah Contest 2003 Diploma from Guideposts for Teens, 2002 Merit Certificate from Writer's Digest, 2000 & 2001
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"STAY PURE" A Monthly E-Zine For Those Recovering From Addictive Behaviors
June 2002 "Power From On High" Have a GREAT summer! BE BLESSED!
A Special Thanks To All Our Writers!!!
Psalm 119:9 "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word."
Feature Article: "Pitiful Or Powerful?" by Elisabeth FreemanCouples Forum: "" by Elisabeth Freeman"Promises For Life" by Paul Cook @ www.porn-free.orgSingle Victory "Mr. Right" by Dominique Thom "Your Smoke Signal" Insight From Bill Bright
The Laughing Corner: A few short jokes… Remember, laughter is the best medicine… A merry heart doeth good like a medicine! Prov. 17:22Helpful Sites : http://www.porn-free.org; http://www.no-porn.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New E-Books Available!!! To Help All Who Are Affected By This Demon Of Pornography:
"Coming Out of Sexual Addiction" ~SAVE NOW~ Just $5 Get E-Copy Now! Also available in hard copy for $9.95 plus s/h ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "She Said, He Said, God Says" Marriage in Trouble? Porn got a grip on you or your spouse? Be set FREE today! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (if you are unable to click on the link, visit my website at atime2heal.org and click on the books section) Other Helpful Books are available at porn-free.org!!! ***The Bible tells us that "people perish for lack of vision". Don’t perish, get a vision of healing and learn how to BREAK FREE FROM THIS STRANGLING ADDICTION! Here at STAY PURE, we’d like to hear from you. What are your comments and thoughts, how could we better serve your needs. Without your input, we may never know. After all, this is a service for YOU.
Pitiful Or Powerful? By Elisabeth A. Freeman Are you pitiful or powerful? Are you on fire for God, or does your fire go out shortly after church on Sunday? Do you find that you feel great as long as you’re at church with other believer’s worshiping God, but as soon as you get away from them, suddenly you struggle greatly? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you’re what we could call a pitiful Christian. However, I want to let you in a on a biblical secret—God never intended for His children to struggle like this and be pitiful—that’s why He gave us power—power from on High! In Acts chapter two we learn that the first believers stayed together, praying, waiting for what the resurrected Jesus called the "Comforter" to come. As they were waiting and praying in ONE ACCORD, they received the "Comforter" (Holy Spirit). In fact, the Spirit came upon them with such force that it caused earthquakes and what those gathering around called tongues of fire, and immediately each of the believers began speaking in unknown tongues, professing Christ in other languages they’d never learned. It was that day, the real power came into their lives—the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today, many of us are plugging into to another power source (healthy eating, exercise, vitamins, worship of self, drugs, drinking, pornography, masturbation, ect…) and wondering why we’re defeated… It’s like using batteries to run a computer! Even when using my laptop, my battery is only good for a couple of hours and I have to plug it into the REAL power source to charge it again. The Holy Spirit is the REAL power source. You might be able to go on your false power source for a little while, but to get the full Charge, you need to be filled completely with the Power From On High. Don’t be pitiful, receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, be powerful and break this addiction from your life! Read more about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Power the disciples had (Acts 5:12-16; Acts 10:44-47).
Covered In Prayer By Elisabeth Freeman
With John working 50-80 hours every week, we’re apart a good deal of time. I could become very selfish and get angry, when he chooses to sleep in, watch racing, or mow the lawn instead of spend time with me, but I don’t—at least not anymore. Instead, I pray. I’ve learned that when I pray for my husband, it’s really only to my benefit. I recently purchased the book "The Power Of A Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian. All I can say is that it changed my life, my marriage, and my husband for the better! Things are never perfect in life, and that’s why we so need to pray. Marriage is tough enough without taking our needs to Jesus. So, each day, I pick a section in the book (there’s a prayer at the end of each chapter) and I pray that prayer over John. Now, many times, he’ll come to me and say, "Wow, I know you were praying last night because my boss started to lay into me, but God showed me favor and the problem was resolved." And other times, he shared about how he almost got into a car accident or hit a deer. Now John is reading "The Power Of A Praying Husband" and praying the prayers over me! Together our relationship is growing stronger, closer to God, because we’ve made the unselfish decision to cover each other in prayer!
Promises for Life
Do you believe that God has good plans for you? When we're overcome by an addiction or some other trouble in life, we may have difficulty believing that God has good plans for us. Our faith in Jesus brings us into God's family as adopted sons and heirs to God's promises in the Bible (Romans 8:15-17). When we walk in the reality of these promises, we will be able to destroy any strongholds in our life. For example, Psalm 103:2-5 http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgibin/bible?passage=PS+103:2-5&language=english&version=NKJV&showfn=on&showxref=on> tells us about some of the wonderful promises in our inheritance: God forgives all our sins, he heals all our diseases, he redeems us from destruction, he crowns us with lovingkindness and tendermercies, and he satisfies our mouths with good things and renews are strength. Notice that these verses were written in present tense. We don't have to wait until we die to enjoy them! They are available to us now. There are many other promises in the Bible that apply to us. God has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us about those promises as we read and study the Bible. These promises are benefits that God "has freely given to us" (1 Corinthians 2:12). Like blank checks, we can claim them and apply them to the troubles we face. If we're not familiar with the Bible, then we risk missing the truth that could set us free. I thought of an analogy from my naval career that illustrates these concepts. Prior to visiting a foreign country, a port representative would visit our ship and brief the crew on all the things to do in that port. This person would also give us a port guide booklet that contained maps and details about the various points of interest. Long before we could see the land on the horizon, we'd be prepared and looking forward to visiting the port. As we approached, the land gradually appeared on the horizon. The sights, sounds and smells of the land helped build the anticipation of finally getting a break after months at sea. Once ashore, we knew where to go and what to do, because we had listened to the port representative and read the port guide. In our walk with God, the Holy Spirit is our port representative and the Bible is our port guide. If we listen to the Spirit and read the Bible, we'll know how to best enjoy the things that God has freely given us. For example, we can claim the power that God has given us to break down evil strongholds in our minds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). God's Spirit gives us the power to put our sinful desires to death (Romans 8:13). If we don't believe we have the power, we won't have it! The people who don't believe they have the power are like those who stay on the ship pier side, not realizing they are free to go ashore. Knowing God's truth will set us free to enjoy the blessings that are already ours in Christ. The truth is that we're forgiven for our sins and we are empowered by God's Spirit to walk to victory from the things that hold us. As Jesus explained, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23).
by Dominique Thom
A husband of Noble character Who can find? He is worth more than earthly treasure His wife is full of confidence in him and she lack nothing of value He brings her good not evil All the days of her life He considers his work and does it eagerly He bends over backwards to provide for his family He gets up while it is still dark, and prays for them He seeks guidance from GOD He ponders on the future and invests wisely He is dedicated to his work and does not tire even when his work is late at night He gains his strength from the LORD He is sensitive to his wife And listens to his children's problems He opens his arms to the poor and extends his hands to the needy When hard times come he does not fear For his trust is in GOD His wife is respected amongst her peers And she is respected as she takes her place in the congregation He takes time to spend with his family and strengthens relationships with his friends He is clothed in strength and dignity He laughs at the days to come He spends time with GOD And seeks answers from HIM
He speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is always on his lips He guides his house in the ways of GOD and is never lazy His children grow up and call him blessed His wife sings his praises "Many men have done noble things But you surpass them all" Charm is deceptive and looks fleeting But a man who loves GOD Is to be praised Give him the rewards he has earned and let his works bring him praise in the city He holds his wife close to his side and confides in her when he is troubled His eyes never wonder and his mind does not ponder other woman His hand is steady in discipline and his anger is short lived He does not offend his children But seeks to befriend them He gets up at night to tend his young ones needs Allowing his wife to rest He is slow to anger and fast to forgive He does not become drunk And keeps peace as a top priority Blessed is the woman who finds such a man For he is TRULY sent be GOD
Your Smoke Signal From Dr. Bill Bright Founder and Chairman Campus Crusade for Christ International The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. With both excitement and amazement, he met them on the beach as they came ashore. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Paul wrote, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12) Paul had confidence that good would come out of everything, so he learned to be thankful, not bitter, even when he was suffering. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Who knows? The next time your little (symbolic) hut may be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God! He knows every hair on our heads. He knows everything we are doing, and everything everyone else is doing. He guides the steps of His people with total love combined with total wisdom and power. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
*What Does That Mean?* Little Levi attended church for the first time with his buddy, Jimmy. As the pastor got up to preach, he took off his watch and laid it on the pulpit. Levi whispered, "What does that mean?" Jimmy replied, "Unfortunately -- nothing!"
*Planning Ahead*
*The Preacher's Donkey* A man bought a donkey from a preacher. The preacher told the man that this donkey had been trained in a very unique way, (being the donkey of a preacher). The only way to make the donkey go, was to say, "Hallelujah!" The only way to make the donkey stop, was to say, "Amen!" The man was pleased with his purchase and immediately got on the animal to try out the preacher's instructions. "Hallelujah!" shouted the man. The donkey began to trot. "Amen!" shouted the man. The donkey stopped immediately. "This is great!" said the man. With a "Hallelujah," he rode off very proud of his new purchase. The man traveled for a long time through some mountains. Soon he was heading toward a cliff. He could not remember the word to make the donkey stop. "Stop," said the man. "Halt!" he cried. The donkey just kept going. "Oh, no... Bible!....Church!...Please Stop!!" shouted the man. The donkey just began to trot faster. He was getting closer and closer to the cliff edge. Finally, in desperation, the man said a prayer. "Please, dear Lord. Please make this donkey stop before I go off the end of this mountain, In Jesus name, AMEN." The donkey came to an abrupt stop just one step from the edge of the cliff. "HALLELUJAH!", shouted the man.
*Student Driver* As an instructor in driver education at Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School in Michigan, I've learned that even the brightest students can become flustered behind the wheel. One day I had three beginners in the car, each scheduled to drive for 30 minutes. When the first student had completed his time, I asked him to change places with one of the others. Gripping the wheel tightly and staring straight ahead, he asked in a shaky voice, "Should I stop the car?" |
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