Obama Pushing his views down the throat of the public at large! Click here to see.

SIN is still sin even if everyone is doing it!

OT
Leviticus 18:21 - 19:1 (KJV) 21And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God. 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

NT


Romans 1:24 - 2:1 (KJV) 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

What was President Obama referring to when he knocked 'old attitudes' regarding homosexuality? Could it be the WORD OF GOD?


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Great heart-healthy steak - click here

What is your real age?
Here is a web site that has to do with the question above and a lot more in your health issues. Check it out.
RealAge


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Local pastor's prayer rejected by House Click here to read the whole article.

Generic Prayers in the House of Represenatives of Pennsylvania won't cut it and it's not OK!

Local pastor's prayer rejected by House
Gerry Stoltzfoos, of Freedom Valley Worship Center, was told to remove the word "Jesus" from his planned prayer.
By ERIN JAMES
The Evening Sun

Gerry Stoltzfoos is a man of faith - but not the type who preaches constantly with in-your-face theology. Even the Gettysburg church where he serves as lead pastor is designed more as a gathering hall than as a shrine full of religious imagery.

But when it comes to prayer, Stoltzfoos is steadfast in his approach of speaking directly to and addressing by name the Christian God he worships.

"I think prayer is talking to God, so when I pray, I try to talk to him," said the pastor of Freedom Valley Worship Center.

Way to go pastor Gerry!

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Give me Jesus

This should be the cry of every Christians heart everyday.
See the following "Jesus Manifesto," written by Leonard Sweet, and his fellow writer, Frank Viola. Jesus Manifesto

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

$100,000.00 Matching ministry gift - click here

Ron Hutchcraft ministries has a $100,000 matching gift opportunity given by someone to help out the ministry. You can have your gift to the ministry matched 100% and really contribute to the work of the Kingdom of God. Click on the title above for details.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

God's Word for Today - click here

Here is a link to a daily devotional which is listed on the side bar under websites of interest.


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Pastor Kitner

Worship

Eruption/Love Found Me from Granger Community on Vimeo.

"When I was enjoying my family somewhere in the Caribbean--it appears that the folks back home got carried away. They started the service like this...
I don't know how you are wired--but for me, this is worship. Nothing ushers me into the presence of God more quickly than what you just watched. It is excellent, it is passionate, it is Christ-centered, it is delivered by men and women whom I know and love." By Tim Stevens

Tim Stevens says that this is truly worship for him and it takes him into the presence of the Lord quickly.
I know for some it would be looked at in a different light and even put down as not even being of the Lord at all.

For some only hyms will do and the ones that were learned early in their salvation.

Question for you today: What is worship to you and what gets you into the presence of the Lord?

Are there still good worship songs being written in our more contemporary setting of today?

Give me your comments:

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Renewed not Removed

Romans 12:1 - 3 (KJV) 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

In our everyday lives Christians seem to make so many frivilous decisions about things sometimes. We overload our credit cards and pray for a miracle, which is foolish for sure.

Remember we are in the process of being changed into the likeness of God's dear Son, Jesus Christ. I heard Joyce Myers say on one of her TV programs: "Act responsible, have your mind renewed not removed".

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

On Father's Day

On Father's Day I gave out a token gift of appreciation to all the fathers that were with us in the service. I gave each father a flash light, complete with batteries, as a symbol of walking in the light as Jesus is in the light. I encouraged the men to be active in the church life and told how important that their participation in church life is. The flashlight is a reminder, every time they look at or use it, of their importance in the kingdom of God.

1 John 1:5 - 7 (KJV) 5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Blessings on Ya! as you walk int he light as Jesus is in the light.
Pastor Kitner

Kisses - click here

SPRINGTIME
Everyone has heard about the song: "BUTTERFLY KISSES..."..!

I like Digital photography as a HOBBY. I've taken many pictures of BUTTERFLIES and made postcards and jewlery box tops with BUTTERFLIES. The Jewlery Boxes I've made in Gold, Silver, and BLACK paints with the butterfly tops which greatly enhance the Jewlery boxes...a very fascinating Hobby of mine, I must say.

SPRINGTIME makes the hearts of girls and boys grow FONDER for each other...a beautiful sign of SPRING. Now to the subject of KISSES...! A "farmboy's definition of a kiss: 'a kiss is a mouth full of nothing, tastes like heaven, and sounds like a cow pulling her foot out of the mud'." Smile a while and give your face a rest..!NOW to the subject of KISSES. The BIBLE has much to say about KISSES. Here is a "KISS LIST":

1. The kiss of deceit, given by Jacob to Isaac.....Gen. 27:26-27
2. The kiss of introduction, given by Jacob to Rachel...Gen. 29:11
3. The kiss of reconciliation, given by Esau to Jacob...Ge. 33:4
4. The Kiss of forgiveness, given by Joseph to his brothers...Gen. 45:14-15
5. The kiss of farewell, given by Jacob to his two grandchildren...Gen. 48:10
6. The kiss of two brothers, Aaron and Moses...Exodus 4:27
7. The kiss of return, given by Moses to Jethro...Exodus 18:7
8. The kiss of sorrow, given by Naomi to Ruth and Orpah...Ruth 1:9
9. The kiss of coronation, given by Samuel to Saul...I Sam. 10:1
10. The kiss of friendship, given by David to Jonathan...I Sam. 20:42

These are just a few of the different kinds of KISSES (total: 20 in all listed in the Bible). KISSES are a very personal "EXPRESSION" of deep sentiment in all areas of life. The "KISS of God's Approval" is our desire...!

by Pastor Harry Brotzman - Heart Truth blog - 50 years married and in ministry

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Hell's best kept secret

Frontier Harvest Ministries Blog (By Chuck King): Hell's Best Kept Secret...

This might help some of our evangelastical boasts of peoples salvations come into proper alignment with the truth of what has been done.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

DAILY Nutrition

Feeding on the Word -- DAILY Nutrition

A healthy baby has a healthy appetite. If you have truly been "born" of the Spirit of God, you will have a healthy appetite. The Bible says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby," (1 Peter 2:2). Feed yourself every day without fail. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food," (Job 23:12). The more you eat, the quicker you will grow, and the less bruising you will have. Speed up the process and save yourself some pain -- vow to read God's Word every day, without fail. Say to yourself, "No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed." Be like Job, and put your Bible before your belly. If you do that, God promises that you will be like a fruitful, strong and healthy tree (see Psalm 1). Each day, find somewhere quiet, and thoroughly soak your soul in the Word of God.

There may be times when you read through its pages with great enthusiasm, and there may be other times when it seems dry and even boring. But food profits your body whether you enjoy it or not. As a child, you no doubt ate desserts with great enthusiasm. Perhaps vegetables weren't so exciting. If you were a normal child, you probably had to be encouraged to eat them at first. Then, as you matured in life you were taught to discipline yourself to eat vegetables. This is because they would physically benefit you, even though they may not have at the time, brought pleasure to your taste buds.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness

Righteousness is not only a breastplate, as it is shown in Ephesians 6:14, but it is also a robe and is part of our designers clothing for us. We are arrayed in His glorious clothing so we can stand with Him as His children.


Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) 10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

O Beautiful for Spacious skies...Click here

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Yet More Designer Clothes - for your spiritual wardrobe

Designer clothes by God are the necessary clothing for the child of God. The clothing of God has a purpose and the design is one that fits you like a glove. So, put on designer clothes and be rightly clothed from on high.

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 (KJV) 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Want to follow Jesus Christ? - click here

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

How Can I Regain My First Love?

How Can I Regain My First Love? (By Mike Brown)

I believe Jesus gives us the three crucial steps we must take in order to recover our first love. Listen to His words to the believers in Ephesus in Rev. 2:5a: “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

First, we must remember the intimacy we once had with the Lord, the closeness we once enjoyed, the fellowship we once experienced. It really was a glorious height, and the Lord is calling us back to that height. He is jealous for it too!

Second, we must recognize that the forsaking of our first love is actually a sin, the sign of backsliding in one way or another. And it is a sin that Jesus takes very seriously, actually warning the Ephesian believers that if they did not repent as a congregation, they would be no more: “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Rev. 2:5b). So, rather than blaming others or blaming circumstances, we should acknowledge our sins before the Lord, whatever those sins may be.

We forsake our first love by putting other things before the Lord or by getting caught up with the things of this world or by allowing wrong attitudes to fester in our hearts or by practicing sin or by yielding to the flesh or by becoming “professional” in our ministries or by making our walk with the Lord into a dry habit. Forsaking our first love can happen in many different ways, but all of them, on one level or another, are sin.

I know that in some cases, believers suffer terrible hardship or tragedy or prolonged struggles, because of which they find themselves distant from God. Our Father understands all this and rather than rebuke us, He simply calls us back to that place of refreshing or renewal. But for most of us, the problem is that we forsake our first love through wrong choices or wrong priorities, which is why one of the first steps back is repentance.

Third, we must “do the things we did at first.” This means there are practical things we can do to restore the intimacy – the things “we did at first.”

Have you ever read a Christian book on rekindling the spark of love in a failing marriage? In a book like this, you will not only be shown how to diagnose the nature of your marital problems, but you will also be given specific, practical steps that will help you to correct the problems. For example, a book written to men might remind the husband about the early days of his relationship with his fiancée/wife. In those years, he used to call her several times a day, send her flowers once a week, take her on a special date every Saturday, be sensitive to her unspoken needs and desires, always put her first, leave her little love notes, and let her know how special she was.

But all that was a long time ago – to be exact, five children, three apartments, one house, four moves, six jobs, and about thirty pounds for him and forty pounds for her. Things aren’t quite the same anymore!

What does this husband need to do? He needs to do the things he did at first. He needs to re-ignite the romance and make an effort to renew and deepen the relationship. He needs to set aside quality time with his wife and for his wife, making her happiness his number one priority. He needs to let her know how important she still is to him and break away from his routine for her sake. He needs to love her again as his bride!

That’s exactly what we need to do with Jesus when our love turns cold. We need to renew the relationship! How? We set aside blocks of quality time to meet with Him, pouring out our hearts to Him in prayer, sharing our innermost thoughts and burdens. We lift our voices to Him in worship and adoration, singing the songs and hymns that have been so precious to us through the years, expressing our appreciation to Him with thanksgiving and praise.

We saturate our minds and hearts with His Word, meditating on His truths, learning of Him, receiving from Him, growing in knowledge and grace. We think back to the awe and wonder of those early days, and we seek to recapture that sense of divine nearness. And whenever we feel prompted, we share our faith with those who don’t know the Lord.

According to Matthew Henry, believers who have left their first love “. . . must return and do their first works. They must as it were begin again, go back step by step, till they come to the place where they took the first false step; they must Endeavour to revive and recover their first zeal, tenderness, and seriousness, and must pray as earnestly, and watch as diligently, as they did when they first set out in the ways of God.”

Then, over a period of time, as we do these things – not with a “time-clock” mentality, not as a spiritual performance or out of a religious habit, not to earn brownie points or somehow merit His favor, but rather because we love Him and long for Him and want to deepen our fellowship with Him – His Spirit begins to flood our hearts, and before you know it, He becomes the most precious One in our lives. He becomes the reason for all we do, the center of our attention, the highest object of our affection. Then, all our good works – serving Him, sharing our faith, giving sacrificially – become expressions of love, the overflow of a heart enamored with the Master.

That’s what it means to “do the things we did at first.” That’s what it means to return to the height from which we have fallen, to repent and return to our first love. God eagerly awaits our move back towards Him! He remembers what our relationship used to be like, and He expresses it in vivid terms as a mournful husband: “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the desert, through a land not sown.”’” (Jer. 2:2)

On Monday, January 1, 1750, John Wesley made the following entry in his journal: “On several days this week I called upon many who had left their ‘first love,’ but they none of them justified themselves: One and all pleaded ‘Guilty before God.’ Therefore there is reason to hope that He will return, and will abundantly pardon.”

Yes, God will abundantly pardon. The Lord will receive you again, no questions asked. And it is in this pursuit of the Lord that we become holy, as Oswald Chambers said, “Holiness is the characteristic of the man after God’s own heart.” We were made for Him, and in Him we thrive. In fact, the ultimate thing that will keep us from sin is the nearness of the Lord in our lives. If God is near to us – and we are conscious of the fact – sin will be far from us. In this light, M. P. Horban could say that, “True holiness is learning to enjoy friendship with God.” Our holy Friend will make us holy too!

And so, just as we did in our first days in the Lord when He convicted us of sin and made us aware of our disobedience, we do the same things today as we return to our first love, dealing with sin ruthlessly, cutting it off rather than merely cutting it back.

Does anything hold you back? Does anything stop you from renewing your relationship with the Lord? He has promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him (Jam 4:8a), and, as John Bunyan quaintly put it, when we take a step towards God He takes a step towards us, but His steps are larger than ours! Now is the time to pursue the Lord with all of our being. Our God will fully restore!

The answer to: What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love? by Mike Brown
* Excerpted from Michael L. Brown, Go and Sin No More (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997); this book is currently out of print but should be reprinted in 2010.


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

More Designer Clothes - for your spiritual wardrobe

Part of God's designer clothes for the believer include being clothed with humility. Humility is something that must become part of our way of life if we are to prosper and be in health even as our soul does prosper. Are you dressed in your designer clothes today?

1 Peter 5:5 - 7 (KJV) 5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Proverbs 15:33 (NIV) 33The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom,and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) 2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

James 3:13 - 14 (NIV) 13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Blessings on ya
Pastor Kitner

What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love?

What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love? by Mike Brown

In Revelation 2:4, Jesus brought a strong word of rebuke to the believers in Ephesus. What was their sin? They had been hard-working, faithful, and doctrinally pure, but the Lord had this against them: “You have forsaken your first love.” This is something that can happen to any of us, so here are some questions to ask yourself to see if this same word applies to us.

1) Is there a decrease in your personal devotion to Jesus? This will be reflected by a decreased desire for intimate and private times with the Lord (especially in prayer and worship) and decreased hunger and passion for the Word.

Remember: When you were hot, Jesus was everything! You couldn’t wait to spend time with Him. Praising Him – even with the simplest little choruses – was pure joy. If there was a prayer meeting, you were there. You devoured the Word. You could relate to the words of Paul: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ . . .” (Phil 3:8). But something happened. Something changed.

You spend time with the one you love. You share your heart with the one you love. You are jealous for the one you love. You think about the one you love. Do you love Jesus today as you once loved Him before?

You may enjoy the forms of worship – good music, singing, dancing, being part of the exciting corporate experience – but what about the object of worship? What about the Lord? You may have a vision. You may be caught up in a movement. You may have a message or a burden. Theology may intrigue you. Spiritual issues may interest you. The ministry may consume you. But all these things are mere idols and distractions in comparison with coming into the light of God’s presence and fellowshipping with Him. You only grow and bear fruit to the extent that you abide in the vine (John 15:1-9).

2) Is there a decrease in your personal satisfaction in God? This will be reflected by the need for other things to gain fulfillment, an increased social orientation in place of private devotions, and an increased desire for recognition and acceptance by flesh and blood. The Word says that, “The desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19), and, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). What do you desire? What brings you satisfaction? Do you love God, or do you love the world? “Remember those earlier days . . . .” (Heb. 10:32-39).

At one time promotion on your job was not your primary source of satisfaction, nor was a big paycheck, a nice home, a new car, a special boyfriend or girlfriend, an exciting sports event, or even a happy family. (Yes! Even spouses and children can take away from your delighting in the Lord above all.) Walking with God used to satisfy you. Does it still satisfy you? Fully and completely? If not, you have left your first love.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne put it like this: “If ever you are so much engrossed with any enjoyment here that it takes away your love for prayer, or for your Bible, or that it would frighten you to hear the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh – then your heart is “overcharged.” [Luke 21:34] You are abusing this world.”

3) Is there a decrease in your passion for spiritual work? This will be reflected by a decreased burden for the lost (both home and foreign “missions”, both domesticated heathen and undomesticated heathen), a decreased burden for revival and visitation (often replaced by good works, and more subtly, by good spiritual programs), and a penchant for respectability in place of radicality. “Unrefined” preaching of the gospel now embarrasses you. Holy zeal makes you uncomfortable and you are, slowly but surely, becoming ashamed of Jesus and His reproach.

How often do you share your testimony? You used to be a house on fire! You used to seek out opportunities to talk about Jesus. Witnessing used to come naturally. But now, you almost avoid the subject. You simply don’t care about the ones Jesus died for. You don’t fully believe that they are lost. Unbelief is always a result of backsliding somewhere, somehow. Do you find yourself spiritually numb?

And what about revival and visitation? How would you feel if the Spirit fell in power? (In other words, not necessarily in some “cultured” – and totally “containable” – way, but with intensity and suddenness and upheaval.) Are you willing to let Him be in control – of the service, of the leadership, of you? Are you hungry anymore for a real moving of God? Or have you become satisfied with a comfortable seat in the theater while the show itself never goes on?

Beware of a powerless spiritual sophistication. The world admires it, but it has no teeth.

4) Are your standards of holiness becoming lower? This will be reflected by your permitting things in your life, family, or congregation that would have been unthinkable when you were on fire and your ability to engage in certain activities, watch certain movies, enjoy certain sports and forms of entertainment, attend certain functions, etc., which the Lord at one time convicted you of – but now there is no conviction!

Beware! This type of backsliding is often done in the name of spiritual maturity. I warn you as one who once fell into this very error: It is a trap and a lie! Absence of divine conviction does not mean absence of divine displeasure. It may actually point to a withdrawing of His presence. In fact, if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you even now, cry out to Him for restoring grace right where you are. Do not harden your heart against your Lord, your King, and your Friend. It is spiritual suicide. The fact that something doesn’t “bother you” may be the loudest warning you will ever hear.

Can you sin freely without feeling grief? Then fall on your face and cry for mercy before it’s too late. Otherwise you might disqualify yourself from receiving the prize. Do not be deceived: You are not experiencing the freedom that comes as a result of trust; you are experiencing the insensitivity that comes from hardness.

Have you actually deceived yourself by giving yourself a license for sin in the name of “liberty”? Have you despised the precious closeness you once enjoyed with Jesus by calling it “legalism”? Run back into His presence -- with all the discipline and devotion that demands -- while His arms are still open wide. Where godly sorrow is found, abundant grace is also found.

5) Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? This will be reflected by lack of victory over the flesh, falling back into old habits and lusts and inability to resist and drive out the devil from strongholds in your life or the lives of those to whom you minister.

Remember: You can fool others, but you can’t fool the flesh – and you can’t fool the devil. As Leonard Ravenhill often asked, “Are you known in hell?”

Are you moving from victory to victory, or do you find yourself more and more entangled every day (or, month, or year)? Peter taught that “a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Pet. 2:19b). You must ask yourself if Jesus is your Master, or if you are mastered by sin. Are you an overcomer or are you overcome? Is Jesus your Lord, or are you ruled by your belly, or your sexual lust, or your temper, or your greed, or your bitterness? Who, or what, governs you?

You once chased the devil; now you tremble at his shadow. You once cast off fear like a dog shakes off water; now you are paralyzed by anxiety and dread. You once forgave from the heart instantly; now you remember and hold a grudge. My friend, you are backsliding!

You once made effective inroads into the devil’s kingdom. Now he’s making inroads into you. What has become of your victory? You are backsliding from the place of spiritual authority! How tragic that Satan has paralyzed you, be it with theological questions, or with fear of failure, or with massive self-doubt. Press back in to Jesus! He is as victorious today as He ever has been! He will restore your faith.

I will never forget the words spoken one night by the pastor of the church in which I was saved. He said, “It may take a man twenty years to backslide” (referring to a complete apostasy from the Lord). This is a sobering thought. You grow old gradually. Your hair turns gray gradually. You can backslide just as gradually. Before you know it, you have wasted your whole life.

In which direction are you heading? Where is the present course and pattern of your life taking you? If you continued for ever on the same path you have been on -- be it of progress or regress -- if you continued eternally down this same course, would you wind up in heaven or in hell? Are you moving towards the Lord or away from Him?

Again I ask you: Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? What makes you think that things will be better tomorrow? It will be only downhill from here, unless you humble yourself and turn back.*

Next week, we will answer the question: “If I have forsaken my first love, how can I get it back?”

* Excerpted from Michael L. Brown, Go and Sin No More (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997); this book is currently out of print but should be reprinted in 2010.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

The Winners Creed

The Winners Creed

From “Effective Keys to Successful Leadership” by Frank Damazio

People are unreasonable, illogical and self centered – LOVE THEM ANYWAY.

If you do good, people will accuse you of being selfish and having an ulterior motive – DO GOOD ANYWAY.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies – SUCCEED ANYWAY.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable – BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow – DO GOOD ANYWAY.

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds – THINK BIG ANYWAY.

People favor underdogs, but follow top dogs – FIGHT FOR SOME UNDERDOGS ANYWAY.

What you spend building for years may be destroyed overnight – BUILD ANYWAY.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll always get kicked in the teeth – GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU’VE GOT ANYWAY.

Extra:

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Let the rest of your life be in such a fashion so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. Author Unknown

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Are Women Born this Way? :-)

Now that is a mouth full even for a grownup :-) .



What did she say anyway?

Pastor Kitner

Thanks to Paul Grabill for having this on his blog.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

America Take Five - A prayer inititive

Here is an excerpt from Michele Vento's new edition of her book "America Take Five".
Go to the web site and sign up now to join together in a concerted prayer effort for this nation etc.

America Take Five

“Again I say unto you, that if two of you agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 18:19

Just imagine if hundreds of thousands of believers could come together in agreement according to Matthew 18:19 for at least five minutes a day, the difference we could make. The results would be staggering, even revolutionary! The prayer of agreement is one of the most powerful tools the Lord has given us as believers. It is the prayer that Jesus Himself guaranteed to bring results every time.

Just a few minutes a day can change all the moments that follow.
We challenge you to “TAKE FIVE” for America.
Now lets bring “Change” that we can really believe in.

These five minutes can be the most valuable minutes of the day. Everything in our world is relative to time. In eternity there is no time. How awesome it is to know that we can take five minutes from this plane and cause them to be relative to eternity!

These prayer targets or points began in the heart of Our Father in heaven regarding His people in this great nation.
Simply put, these most important prayer points are needed and need to be evidenced in His Body now more than ever.

Let’s pray in agreement for:

T…truth, we must be lovers of the truth. Lord help us be
Lovers of the Truth
A…awakening, we will awake to righteousness
K…knowledge, we will grow in the knowledge of the
Lord Jesus Christ
E…ears to hear and understand what Your Spirit is
Saying to us.


F…fresh fire from heaven to fuel, purify and
illuminate
I…increase our spiritual hunger and thirst in this
late hour for the things of God
V…visitation of your abiding manifest presence in our
homes and nation
E…Establish our hearts by grace, in love, humility and
peace.

CLICHE

Merriam Webster Word of the Day

Main Entry: cli·ché
Variant(s): also cli·che \klē-ˈshā, ˈklē-ˌ, kli-ˈ\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, literally, printer's stereotype, from past participle of clicher to stereotype, of imitative origin
Date: 1892
1: a trite phrase or expression ; also : the idea expressed by it
2: a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation
3: something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace
— cliché adjective


I want to make a difference in the world and I don't want my life to be a cliche. How about you?

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Holy Discontent - click here to read the blog article

Blessings on ya!
Pastor Kitner

By Design

Wear Designer clothes: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

The Lord is the designer of our destiny.

Increase Your Word Power

Never run out of words to say - check these word power sites.

Increase your vocabulary

Visual Thesaurus

Merriam Webster Word of the Day

Word Skill

Wordsmith

Blessings on ya
Pastor Kitner

Sites Unseen - click here

Here is a web site that has enough on it to keep you busy for several days. :-)

Blessings on ya
Pastor Kitner

The Gospel is not to be made complicated!

Keep it Simple

Procter & Gamble Chief Executive A. G. Lafley believes that simplicity is the key to good communication. He told the U.S. News and World Report:
Repeat after me. If that sounds simplistic, Lafley is the first to admit that it is. Yet in a company where more than half the employees don't speak English as their first language, he says his Sesame Street- simple slogans, repeated over and over, keep everyone trained on what's important. Human beings "don't want to stay focused," he says. "So my job is to get them to focus their creativity around the focus; focus their productivity around the focus; focus their efficiency or effectiveness around the focus." Insecure leaders create complexity. Simple, direct language keeps people tuned in to what's important. Simple communication doesn’t come from a simple mind. It comes from tough-minded clarity of thought.
Jack Trout, a promoter of simplicity, suggests in his book The Power of Simplicity, that these famous adages wouldn’t be so famous if they had been written with a heavier hand and fancier words:

• Pulchritude possesses profundity of a merely cutaneous nature.
(Beauty is only skin deep.) Simply said.

• It is not efficacious to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers.
(You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.) Simply said.

• Visible vapors that issue from carbonaceous materials are a harbinger of imminent conflagration.
(Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.) Simply said.

• A revolving mass of lithic conglomerates does not accumulate a congery of small green bryophitic plants.
(A rolling stone gathers no moss.) Simply said.

Communicate the Gospel in simple terms and not in great theological terms that only those in the same circle know what was said. I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto Salvation. Preach the Gospel, be instant in season and out of season. (K-I-S-S)

8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Paradoxes:

Upon first reading, these precepts gleaned from the gospels seem to defy human logic. A deeper study, however, will reveal that in them the Lord has outlined a wondrous pattern and a wise design for believers who want to enjoy a successful, overcoming life. Note these paradoxes:

We see unseen things (2 Cor. 4:18);

we conquer by yielding (Rom. 6:16-18);

we find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28-30);

we reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44);

we are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48);

we are exalted by being humble (Mt. 23:12);

we become wise by being fools for Christ's sake (1 Cor. 1:20, 21);

we are made free by becoming His bond servants (Rom. 6:10);

we wax strong by being weak (2 Cor. 12:10);

we triumph by defeat (2 Cor. 12:7-9);

we find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Cor. 12:5);

and we live by dying (John 12:24,25; 2 Cor. 4:10,11).

Your thoughts and words --

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) 7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Your thoughts and words help to set the course of your day. Your attitude is vital in your service to the Lord.

Proverbs 18:20 - 21 (KJV) 20A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 (NIV) 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Galatians 6:6 - 8 (KJV) 6Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. 7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Philippians 4:4 - 8 (KJV) 4Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
See also vss. 11-12


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

T H I N K

When speaking about something or someone: Ask yourself some questions. T H I N K

 T – Is it true?

 H – Is it helpful?

 I – Is it inspiring?

 N – Is it necessary?

 K – Is it Kind?

 Let’s bring our mouths into alignment with what God’s Word shows us.
 Bless and not curse.
 Do good to those who despitefully use you.

Some scriptures to read to go along with these questions:
 Read James 3:1-12
 Romans 8:29
 Psalm 139
 Proverbs 10:31,32
 Galatians 5:15, 16
 I Peter 3:8

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner