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opening God reveals Himself in Scripture as the God who can do anything. Nothing is too difficult for Him. When there are obstacles and enemies and problems all around us, God does His best work.

He specializes in miraculous breakthroughs! God desires to produce breakthroughs in our lives. So many live life in a prison of sin and bitterness and guilt and shame and dysfunction. God wants to breakthrough those walls that keep us incarcerated so that we can really live the abundant life and experience His joy, peace and power.

How do you experience your breakthrough? There are definitely some things you and I need to do in order to see a breakthrough in our marriages, our families, and our individual lives -

Be Faithful!
God doesn’t work miracles in a person who is living in denial and cover up. Getting honest may be painful, but it is so very necessary. Lancing a boil is very painful... but you cannot get better unless and until you get the infection out. The bottom line question is summed up succinctly in John 5:6 – “Do you want to get well?”

Be Forgiven!
David messed up royally with Bathsheba. He was broken before the Lord over his sinful actions. He got honest, confessed his sin and got things right in his heart with God. He said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; and a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) Be assured, there is no forgiveness without godly sorrow and repentance. If you mess up, you need to fess up!

Be Focused!
God works mightily where there is honesty, brokenness and repentance. Once we have done this, we then must focus on Him and His mercy, love and power. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress: so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He shall be gracious to us.” (Psalm 123:2)

As we continue to look to Him, He will intervene at the proper time and bring about a breakthrough for His glory and your ultimate good.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.38. Live for God, on purpose, trusting in Him for your victory!

staying Staying Power!

It’s difficult to endure hardship at the best of times, but when you don’t know why, it can be frustrating. God doesn’t give us lengthy explanations on how He works; He’s used to creating worlds with a single sentence. So when you don’t find an immediate answer in His Word or through prayer or the counsel of others, you’re left wondering. And you wouldn’t be the first.

David repeatedly asks why in the Psalms, and God still called him “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22) So don’t get discouraged. Bible commentator William Barclay pointed out that endurance isn’t just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to use it for your growth and God’s glory.

When the answers aren’t forthcoming the question then becomes, “How do I get through this?” And the Bible addresses it by telling us Jesus endured “the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew... later on he would be glad” (Hebrews 12:2) Then it goes on to say “Keep your mind on Jesus... you won’t get discouraged and give up.”

The reason Jesus endured was because He was able to look ahead and envision the joy of pleasing His Father, building the church and saving a lost world. The Psalmist said, “I have set the Lord always before me... he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved [discouraged, or thrown by the situation].” (Psalm 16:8)

Staying-power is not denying reality, or “white-knuckling” it. It’s keeping your eyes on Jesus and drawing from Him the strength you need to fight your way through to victory!

jesus J.E.S.U.S. C.H.R.I.S.T.

J esus, Son of God Eternal
E verlasting Lord is He,
S avior of a world of sinners,
U niversal King to be,
S ought us, brought us victory.

C hrist is due all adoration,
H umbly born to save our race,
R uler of the whole creation
I ntercedes and gives us grace,
S aves us from sin’s condemnation,
T ruly worthy of all praise!

taken Taken by Surprise

Life has a habit of taking us by surprise. Events catch us off guard and send us reeling. Accident, injury, family stress, divorce, job transfer, layoff – these are some of the high-stress events that can shake our poise.

The danger is that these things can send people into panic mode. She makes some totally irresponsible statement. He acts without thinking. Harm is done to relationships that can never be undone.

The same events can shake our theological footing. Long-resolved doubts resurface. She withdraws from Christian friends and stops attending church. He begins to blame God for what is happening in his life.

Am I just imagining that people react to life’s sneak attacks in these ways? Haven’t you seen it too? Is some form of it going on with you?

Imagine that your scared-for-his-life husband offered you as a sexual playmate to the man he feared, that your were a teenager forced to spend years in jail because of someone’s lie about you, that all your children have been killed in the same horrible storm, or that your racial identity caused some people to deny you your civil rights. These “hypothetical” episodes are the biblical stories of Sarah, Joseph, Job, and Paul.

The people whose stories we know from the Bible are not figures in stained-glass windows. They were real flesh-and-blood people like you and me. They emerged from their crisis situations in victory mode. Yet they lost precious things and certainly bore scars from what had happened to them.

If we could look into heaven at those bitter junctures of life, though, our hearts would be reassured. Looking into God’s face, we would discover there is no sweat on his upper lip. Even if we are shocked and disoriented, he is not. Oh, his lip would be quivering with compassion for our pain, but he is sovereign over his universe. Nothing catches him by surprise, and he knows precisely how to get his wounded children through their most harrowing life crises.

The sounds of a howling mob, a whip ripping into bare flesh, and a hammer driving nails into hands and feet were overwhelming sounds – until the tomb was found empty. The same power that raised him then sustains us now.

So, when you feel you are about to lose it, visualize God’s upper lip. Trust his promises. Know you are not alone. Wait for victory.

final The Final Victory

Today, all over the world, there are people facing situations which threaten to send everything they hold dear crashing to the ground. It may be the result of bad decisions or circumstances out of their control; but either way, they awoke in the middle of a whirlwind and cannot determine which direction to turn. There are many others who awoke tired and discouraged, and don’t even know why. Today is much the same as any other, but they are questioning the usefulness of continuing.

I can make this bold prediction about today, not because I have any insight into this particular day or period of history, but because that is the nature of life. We live in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. The result is a bunch of imperfect circumstances! Even when we begin to walk with Jesus we struggle with these imperfections which distract us and steal our joy.

Why a message with such a depressing note? First, we need to understand we’re not alone. Many more people are struggling than we can possibly imagine. The need for encouragement is huge and will increase as the time of our Lord’s return draws near. Next, we need to know how we can live a life of peace and how we can pass this peace to others.

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we don’t receive the promise of a trouble free life; rather, we receive the promise of life eternal in the presence of God. Many of our troubles here on earth will remain. But an understanding of our eternal promise should encourage us as we shift our focus from life in terms of days and years, to life in terms of eternity; “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Jesus saw these same struggles in His disciples. He wanted them to live a life of peace and contentment, but He also knew they would face many difficulties. After a night of teaching His disciples about their relationship with the Father through faith in His Son, Jesus gave these words of encouragement. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Jesus came to conquer sin and death through His sacrifice on the cross. The battle with the true enemy has already been won! If we have come to God in faith and received the transforming gift of His Spirit, we ought to keep this victorious truth at the front of ALL our thoughts. As we climb into the ring day after day – even as we grow weary, lose a few rounds and want to quit – let’s always remember that through our risen Lord we have an eternal hope. Let’s continue with the peace and assurance that in Christ we have been granted the final victory.

his His Counsel

As Moses was about to die, he transferred leadership of Israel to Joshua. God gave His approval of Joshua with the instructions, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7).

Initially, Joshua sought God’s counsel for every step he took. Joshua received direction for crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 3), building a lasting memorial (Joshua 4), renewing the covenant of circumcision (Joshua 5), and defeating the fortified city of Jericho (Joshua 6). In all of this Joshua listened and obeyed; “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land” (Joshua 6:27).

However, after the miraculous success at Jericho – after Joshua witnessed the city walls fall with the sound of a trumpet and a shout – Joshua’s confidence began to grow. When it was time to attack the small city of Ai, Joshua relied on his own strength and the advice of men rather than seeking God. “‘Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.‘ So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai.” (Joshua 7:3-4)

Attacking the city of Ai seemed an insignificant decision. It was a small city and the Israelite army was mighty. And God had already given general instructions to conquer the entire land and an assurance of victory in battle; “I will give you every place where you set your foot... No one will be able to stand up against you.” (Joshua 1:3,5) But, unknown to Joshua, there was sin in his camp – spiritual battles which would hinder any physical victory; “That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies.” (Joshua 7:12) The assurance of victory always assumes we are walking with God and in His strength.

When did we last seek and received counsel from God? If it’s been longer than the time it took to begin our last step, we may be attempting to fight a battle we cannot win. We must never presume to know God’s specific plan without asking for specific directions. Just because He said “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), doesn’t mean we can presume on His method or His timing; “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

God will show us the way, but we must ask for His guidance; “I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8) Our battles are never won because of our strength or the enemy’s weakness. They are won only as we allow God to guide and then boldly follow where He leads. No matter how insignificant the decision may appear, let’s be sure to walk in His strength and always seek His counsel.

hope Hope in the Midst of Hassles

by Jim Burns

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38, 39

If you read today’s headlines in the newspaper you can get pretty depressed. Yes, at times life looks pretty hopeless. But if we keep our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ we can have hope even in the midst of difficult circumstances. We can be comforted by Paul’s words found in Romans 8:31:”If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is for you, and through His love you can find hope! Here are four reasons why you can remain hopeful in the midst of confusing circumstances.

1. Jesus will win the final victory.
One day an old janitor was sitting in the gymnasium of a theological seminary reading the book of Revelation. One of the young theologians sat down beside him and asked him, “Do you understand all the symbolism?” The janitor replied, “No, absolutely not, but I have figured out that Jesus wins, and that’s comforting to know because I’m on His side.”

Jesus told these words to the apostle John: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Revelation 21:6).

2. Jesus sets you free.
Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” In Christ you can have hope because you have been set free from your sin. You are free to be all that God desires you to be without the constraints of your past. You can know the meaning of abundant life because of what Christ did for you on the cross.

3. There is no condemnation for those in Christ.
In Christ you are a new creation. Romans 8:1, 2 puts it best: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Even though we deserve death and spiritual separation from God, we have now beginnings and eternal life in Jesus Christ. Talk about a reason for hope!

4. God’s love transcends human understanding.
Because God loves us, we are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37) through Christ. God loves you and wants the best for you. His love will give you hope even in the bleakest of circumstances. There is a light always shining, and the light is the love of God. In Him YOU can find hope.

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

last The Last Impression

Toward the end of a church service, the minister asked the congregation, “How many of you have forgiven your enemies?”

All held up their hands except one small elderly lady.

“Mrs. Jones? Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?”

“I don’t have an enemy in the world,” she replied, smiling sweetly.

“Mrs. Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?”

“I happen to be ninety-eight years young,” she replied.

“Oh, Mrs. Jones, would you please come down in front and tell us all how a person can live ninety-eight years and not have a single enemy?”

The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said, “I outlived them all.”

May you outlive all your enemies, and walk in total victory! Truth is, when you trust in Jesus, He has already defeated your enemy, and He gives you the victory! Have a most blessed day in the Lord!