Published by Practical Spiritual Warfare web site, a division of Mission Miami Valley and authored by Dr.  D. Vincent (Bud) Ford.  This e-zine is dedicated to providing valuable, practical information for dealing with the chaotic and confusing times in which we live.

Contents

1. Tips for Kingdom Living
2. Strategic Advice for the Remnant
3. Scripture Guidance
4. Thoughts to meditate on
5. Articles Pointing to the End Times
6. Site Build It (Check out the links below – you owe it to yourself)
7. Announcements

1.  Tips for Kingdom Living – Trouble In Our Lives

What causes trouble in our lives?

Trouble is an inevitable by-product of fallen human life and it is often (though not always) the result of our own poor decisions and sin.  Trouble is sometimes undeserved or caused by others, but we can expect to find ourselves in deep troubleif we insist on running away from God.

Is God listening when I cry out because of my trouble?

Peace, assurance and rest come from our stillness before God and not from our own efforts and activity.  The peace of Christ is experienced not only in the absence of trouble but also in the very midst of trouble. 

We do not have to endure the troubled waters of our lives alone.  God’s hotline is always open.  There is never a busy signal, for He is never too busy with anything, even managing the world, to fail to listen.

God not only has a listening ear but also a caring heart.

Isaiah 43:2 – When you go through deep trouble, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

2.  Strategic Advice for the Remnant – How to Abide in Christ

John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” But, just how do we abide in Him and His words abide in us?

Abiding entails waiting, persevering, enduring, withstanding, bearing patiently, and staying fixed.  It is being a part of, being one with, being fed by and getting strength from that is abiding.

To abide in Christ is to believe, know and trust that the true believer is, first and foremost, in Him; just as the branch is in the tree trunk – it abides in, and is a part of the tree, it gets its life from the tree.

We, as true believers, must also believe, know and trust that as we read and study the bible, that word, His Word, abides in us and becomes a part of us and we a part of it.

Only the true believer can abide in Christ; the unbeliever cannot be a part of Him.

I think that a big problem with many believers is they are confused; they think that because, as a branch, they grow leaves and fruit develops and grows on their branch, they are responsible for that fruit production – in fact, they like it.  They like growing the fruit on their branch and come to believe it is them that is responsible for that fruit on their branch,

Big mistake!  The strength, the life, the sap comes from the tree and flows out to them as the branch from the tree.  The waiting, persevering, and enduring are necessary by the branch to receive life from God, who is the tree.

It is only when we understand that as we, as the branch, abide in the tree, and receive life from the tree, that we can to do exactly as the tree wills for us to do.  It is then, with that understanding of who we are as the branch that we will only ask for the will of the Father to be done.  We will never ask for our own will or from our own motives.

It is asking from our own will or from our own motives that causes so much unanswered prayer.

Abiding in Christ is a foundational key to answered prayer.

So how do we abide in Christ and His word abide in us?  Abiding in Christ is a “spiritual, intuitive knowing” that His word is true and that He says we abide in Him and He abides in us.  It is a “heart” knowing and not a “mind, or intellectual, or head” knowing.

Bud Ford

3.  Scripture Guidance

A man may as well hew marble without tools, or paint without  colors or instruments, or build without materials, as perform any acceptable service without the graces of the Spirit, which are both the materials and instruments in the work.

Joseph Alleine 

 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.  How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? 

 Jeremiah 4:14 

 The King James Version 

4. Thoughts for Meditation

LIVING BY FAITH – ASKING FOR SIGNS

Matthew 4:5-7 NIV

  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:  "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

When Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself from the top of the temple, he used Psalm 91:11-12 (NIV) that says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

Jesus responded to the devil with Deuteronomy 6:16a (NIV), saying, “Do not test the LORD your God…”

Oh, how many of us need to read this again and again today!  So often, we seem to think of God as a magician, someone who pulls a big neon rabbit out of a hat to let us know what direction to go, what He wants us to do, or merely whether He is real or not!  We need to make a decision, so we ask God for a sign.  And we sit back and wait for that big, miraculous fireworks display that flashes "God Did It!" in giant letters.  We think if we pray the right way, using just the right words in just the right order, we can get God to show us beyond a shadow of a doubt through some Steven Spielberg-type display that we are on the right track.

 Remember the story in Joshua 3 about the people of Israel crossing the Jordan?  The Jordan was at flood stage.  It was a raging torrent.  God told the priests to take up the Ark of the Covenant and step off into the water.  From a human standpoint, they were being told to commit suicide.  But from a spiritual standpoint, they were being told to have faith in God.  The priests stepped into the water - and the raging waters stopped!

In Matthew 16:1-4, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were looking for a sign from heaven.  Jesus answered them in verses 2-4, “He replied, ‘When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,'

and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ Jesus then left them and went away.” 

Although Jesus worked many miracles during His ministry, He never once performed a miracle just because someone asked him to.  Instead, when someone asked for a sign, He would respond in a manner similar to what He said above.

 God is not a magician.  Nor is a He a puppet whose miraculous strings we can pull.  He is God Almighty.  He wants us to have faith in Him, not in signs and wonders.  He guides us gently and quietly, showing us the raging water and waiting to see if we have enough faith to step in.

Don't put God to the test.  Instead, take this step in learning to live by faith, and allow him to test your faith.  Step into the water.  Wade out a little bit deeper.  Wet your feet in the water of His love.  Allow Him to show you His power through your faith, not through some miraculous sign that you’ve dreamed up on your own.

 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"  Luke 16:31 NIV

Dogwood Ministries

5.  Articles Pointing to the End Times Watch

[Note: The number following End Times Watch is the sequence number for the End Times article and is inserted to assist the reader in locating the article as well as assisting the search engines.]

End Times Watch 37 – At Such a Time as You Think Not

End times watch: Since the turn of the century, the coming together of ancient prophecies of Scripture for the last days has increased exponentially, and precisely.

Click to Read Rest of Article

End Times Watch 38 - The G20 to draft new world economy rules by April summit

End times watch - Measures to adapt the world economy to new challenges amid the global financial crisis could be prepared before the G20 summit in April.

Click to Read Rest of Article

End Times Watch 39 - Time Magazine Predicts New World Order

End times watch – World Politicians see the current crisis as the product of a messed-up global financial infrastructure dominated by the U.S. and will soon push for big change.

Click to Read Rest of Article

6.  Site Build It (SBI)

This is the 21^st century and the day of the internet.  Like it or not it is here to stay.

I needed a web site but had no idea how to build it.

It was all greek, mysterious and intimidating to me.

I paid to have a web site built – cost me a lot of money.  But the good thing (I thought) was I could maintain it and add to it myself through a control panel.

This was supposed to save me money – but guess what – I could never get it to work properly.  Way to difficult and complicated to understand.

Alas, this too was greek!  The site looks good – take a look at it by clicking http://www.MissionMiamiValley.com

The only problem is no traffic comes to it and it is a waste of time and money!

I found the solution!  It is Site Build it.

This is absolutely fantastic and I can not say enough good about it

It does not cost as much as I paid for the other site – that is a very good thing.  The step-by-step teaching and the unique and phenomenal large amount of tools is unsurpassed.

This is a TRULY USER FRIENDLY web site builder.

Take a look at some of the information – you’ll be glad you did.

1. Quick Tour Slide Show: 

2. Site Build It Home page: 

3. Find Your Business: 

4. I Love SBI: 

5. What’s your passion?: 

6. Web Hosting: 

The networking available with the internet is mind boggling, and the use of the internet seems to be limited only by our imagination.

It is rapidly becoming the source of commerce.  Don’t get left behind in communication, commerce, networking, information and you name it.

I have found a way to benefit greatly with the Site Build It approach and I want to share it with you. 

Check out the above links by clicking on the picture.  You owe it to your self to see this wonderful user-friendly tool.

7.  Announcements

(1)  Thank you for all your wonderful responses to this e-zine, The REMNANT – you continue to bless and encourage me with your comments.

(2)  This e-zine, The Remnant, continues to be a part of the www.PracticalSpiritualWarfare.com  web site for the time being.

At some point in the near future, the Remnant will be transferred to the new web site www.EndTimesPreparation.com.  You will be informed at that time because you will need to re-confirm your desire to continue receiving the e-zine; this will help to eliminate spam, which I am sure you will appreciate – I know I do.