FTP Testing

the good things God has provided. "What if I still enjoy doing some of the things the Bible says are wrong?" you might ask. Stop doing them any way! Obey the Word. God isn't out to spoil your fun. He's not out to take good things away from you. He's out to do good things for you. The only reason He tells you to stop doing something is because it's ultimately going to hurt you. That's why the Lord is against sin. It's not good for you! Lying and stealing are not good. Cheating and immorality are not good. Those things have bad consequences. Some people even end up in prison because of them, and many of those people will tell you, "I wish I'd read the Bible before I got into this place. I wish I'd straightened up and obeyed God." You might not think prison inmates talk like that, but a lot of them do. I've heard them myself. I've ministered to women in prison who got born again after they got locked up. Some of them were hard-core criminals. Yet as a result of reading, believing and acting on God's Word, they've been transformed. They're being blessed even though they're behind bars. Talk about proof of what the Word can do! One time I went to minister on death row and met several women who'd committed such violent crimes they were famous. Yet they were all as sweet as could be. One older woman, in particular, was so kind and tenderhearted, so in love with God and other people, that I couldn't imagine her ever murdering anyone. So as I talked with her, I came up with my own idea of how she must have ended up on death row. Her husband probably came home drunk one night, I thought, and she'd just taken all the abuse she could stand so she did him in. Come to find out, that's not what happened at all. She'd actually had five husbands, killed them all, cut them up and buried them under a tree! But now she's been born again. She's not the same woman she was. Isn't it awesome that someone with a past like that can become a new creation in Christ—cleansed of every sin, forgiven, filled with the Holy Spirit and enjoying the peace of God? All because she dared to receive, believe and act on the Word! points to get you there success Two Life-Changing Steps If you're reading this article, then I assume you've already taken the first step toward putting God's Word first place in your life by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But if you haven't, you can do it just like that lady I met in prison did. You can be born again today. You can be sure that when your life on earth is over and you leave this place, you'll go to heaven. Heaven and hell are both real, you know. One is up, the other is down, and there's only one way up. There's only one ticket to heaven, and Jesus is His Name. So if you've never committed your life to Him, do it today. You'll instantly be changed on the inside. Your spirit will be made new and you'll receive the very nature of God. You'll be translated out from under the dominion of sin and darkness and into the kingdom of the light of God's dear Son. If you're already born again but you haven't yet received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to take that step too. The Bible says, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Who doesn't want power? Who wants to be weak and defeated and helpless? None of us does! That's why being baptized in the Holy Spirit is such a tremendous blessing. When He comes to live in us, He becomes our strengthener and our standby. He becomes our teacher and imparts revelation to us as we read and study His Word. If the Bible has seemed like a dry book to you, if you just read it because you have to and you don't get much out of it, the Holy Spirit will change that. "He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). He'll make the Word come alive in you and turn you into a greater success than you ever dreamed you could be. Click here for more insightful teachings Many believers think they're too busy to spend time in the Word. But since all true success originates with the Word of God, if you don't put God's Word first place in your life, you'll be a busy failure! Invest in your success by making the Word your priority. Here are a few points to help you: 1 Remind yourself often of all that's available to you through the Word Proverbs 3:16-17: "Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." (AMP) 2 Keep your faith fresh and strong by reading the Word every day 1 Timothy 4:6: "Be...ever nourishing your own self on the truths of the faith and of the good [Christian] instruction which you have closely followed." (AMP) 3 Build your schedule around the Word Proverbs 8:12, 17: "I, Wisdom [from God].... love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me." (AMP) 4 Be willing to let the Word correct you Hebrews 12:6: "For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves." (AMP) 5 Don't waste time on the junk the world offers, spend time in the Word instead Psalm 101:2-3: "I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them." (NLT) SEPT '13 : B VOV : 31

• Cover