Is there life beyond Vanity Fair?

We have utilized nearly every worldly method conceivable to attract the lost, and, in many cases, have lost both our distinctiveness and our effectiveness. We have built our ministries on pragmatism--“whatever works”--without stopping to evaluate if the means we are using are in accordance with the ways and Word of God...

In an effort to make Christianity palatable to our soft, self-centered generation, we have preached a diluted message that sidesteps the issue of sin, eliminates the demands of the Cross, and overlooks the need for conviction and repentance. In an effort to make our message “relevant,” we have ended up preaching “another gospel” that is no gospel at all. We have preached Christianity as a way to find fulfillment, rather than a calling to take up the cross and follow Jesus. 
The truth is, we have not only flirted, but actually fornicated with the world. When it comes to how we live, how we think, how we look, how we sound, and how we “do ministry,” we have become virtually indistinguishable from the world outside the church.  
~ Nancy DeMoss

Take a look at your life, your home & your family. Be honest. Ask Jesus to help you purge worldliness & complacency out of your life. Tell Him you want to love Him more.

Take a look at your church. Is your church inspiring you toward the beautify & perfection of Jesus Christ? Is your pastor a spiritual man who speaks of spiritual things, in & out of the pulpit? Are the 'programs' in your church geared toward getting people to attend rather than feeding them spiritual food from the Word of God & prayer? Are you getting milk or meat from your pastor?

This life is only a vapor that fades away. Time is short. It would be very sad to spend it being only a surfacey religionist, wouldn't it?

Read Psalm 39 with a prayerful heart before the Lord. He will help you, by His grace, make the changes to live a more holy, more Christ-centered life. Jesus will give you more of His Spirit & make you glad that you asked ♥


 I said, “I will guard my ways,
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
 I was mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
 My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:


“O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
 Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!"
Selah

 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.

 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
for it is You who have done it.
 Remove Your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.
 When you discipline a man
with rebukes for sin,
You consume like a moth what is dear to him;
surely all mankind is a mere breath!"
Selah


 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not Your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with You,
a guest, like all my fathers.
 Look away from me, that I may smile again,
before I depart and am no more!"*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*


Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate.
Joel 2:13



Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your faithfulness.
Psalm 115:1