April 4, 2003 V1N12
Hello to everyone! The survey results are at the end of this issue. And following is a list of things to keep in mind...
Don'ts for Doubters
1. Don't waste precious time arguing with Satan.
2. Don't make your emotions the standard by which you measure your experience.
3. Don't say, "I can't"' that belongs to those who have no Christ.
4. Don't measure your salvation by some wonderful experience someone else has had; measure by the New Testament.
5. Don't depend on your conscience; live by the Bible.
6. Don't get discouraged; it will be of no help to you.
7. Don't make rash vows. "Trust in the Lord, and he shall bring it to pass."
8. Don't shed tears to please the devil.
9. Don't believe that God does not hear you; if you are seeking Him earnestly, His ears are open to your cry.
10. Don't let Satan make a speaking trumpet to your ears.
11. Don't testify for the devil; tell what God has done.
12. Don't try to feel as you think somebody else feels.
13. Don't follow every impression; use your common sense and follow the Bible.
14. Don't let Satan make you believe that you have harder trials than anyone else on earth.
15. Don't look for trials and discouragements; let your expectation be from the Lord.
16. Don't help the devil to make you miserable by bringing up the past.
17. Don't pray for blessings and then refuse to endure temptations. - James 1:12
18. Don't accuse yourself; be as good to yourself as you are to others.
~submitted by Cheri Cross
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Reaching Out
By Sara Anne Kane
As I feel needs within
I want to reach out
To another hungry thirsting soul
Who is longing for the truth to behold.
As I earnestly seek
To contend for the faith,--
I watch for another
Who wants to run the race.
With eye brows knit
And questions that perplex me,--
I look for a brother
Who will to God submit.
Let me Not pass God by
As I ask my "where's" and "why's".
When I look in someones face,--
Let me not fail to see His grace.
One thing more I earnestly plead,--
That I to Your commands would ever take heed!
May I never haughty be,--
For then I would be condemned of Thee!
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Verse of the Week
1 John 3:2--"Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." I love this verse! Sometimes life is a struggle for me and I have a hard time doing what's right; but someday the struggles will be over and I'll be like Jesus; I'll get to see Him in His glory, His perfection, His beauty. I will be like Him for I "shall see Him as He is," face to face. ~Jamie Scharf
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Prayer & Praise
"I have a praise report! We have a new edition! And it's a GIRL! YEAH! Her name is: NADINE FAITH. She arrived on March 21st, at 10:20 p.m. She weighs 7 lb. 15oz. and measures 20 3/4 inches. She is adored by all of us, Eli And Anna, Anna Margaret, Michael, Joshua, Nathanael, Jeffrey, Rebekah, and Japheth." ~Anna Troyer
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Word Study
By AprilRose Pilgrim
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
I am finishing up the study on Rejoice.
Rejoice:
To feel joy or great delight; Gladden; to give joy.
Proverbs 29:6
Isaiah 25:9, 61:10
Habakkuk 3:18
Zepheniah 3:17
Luke 10:19-20
Romans 5:2, 15:10
Philippians 2:16-17, 3:1a
1 Peter 1:8, 4:13
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Selected Sayings
1. If you are planting for a year, plant grain. If you are planting for a decade, plant trees. If you are planting for a century, plant people.
2. Gossip is like a balloon. It grows bigger with every puff.
3. The bad thing about little sins is that they grow up so fast.
4. Worldliness is not a matter of engaging in those practices that some question. It is unthinkingly adopting the perspectives, values, and attitudes of our culture, without bringing them under the judgement of God's word. It is carrying on in our lives as if we did not know Jesus. -Lawrence O. Richards
Smiley
Prodigal Son in Key of F
Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over his farthings. He flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends. Finally facing famine and fleeced by his fellows-in-folly, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famished, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments. "Fooey, my father's flunkies fare far fancier," the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, frankly facing facts. Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he floundered forlornly, "Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor." But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast. The fugitive's fraternal faultfinder frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former folderol. His fury flashed, but fussing was futile. The farsighted father figured, "Such filial fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivity for the fugitive is found. Unfurl the flags with flaring, let fun and frolic freely flow. Former failure is forgotten, folly forsaken. Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortune."
~Submitted by Anna Troyer
Thanks for taking time to read this. If you are interested in contributing to any of these features--articles, poems, verses, smileys, etc. just e-mail them in!
R4A has a website, www.oocities.org/ready4anything_2003. Just click on the address; it should take you there. And you all have a great day!
Staff: Editor in Chief: Jesus Christ
Assistant Editors: Jamie Scharf & April Pilgrim
Website Coodinator: Cheri Cross
Contributers: Anna Troyer
Sara Kane
Cheri Cross
April Pilgrim
Jamie Scharf
Survey Results
1. How do you rate R4A on a 1-10 scale, 1 being low and 10 being high? Average was: 8.2
2. What's your favorite feature? Article, poem (tie), word study, prayer & praise, selected sayings (tie), smiley
3. If you were editor of R4A, what would you do differently? Several suggestions: add table of contents, hymn history, Bible verse; cut out Smiley part.
The answers to #5, if you could only have 5 books, which 5 would they be? proved highly interesting--the vast majority was spiritual non-fiction, followed by spiritual fiction.
Thanks to everyone who contributed. I've added the Bible verse part in "Verse of the Week;" I won't be adding a table of contents mainly because I don't know how many pages an issue is going to be until I print it out; if someone would like to write the hymn history let me know.
And let me know your feelings about the Smiley. God bless and have a nice day!