A LESSON ON SOCIALISM

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. The class had insisted that socialism worked - and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer for all, for society. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. He said that all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone was given a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the student s who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who hadn't studied much for the first test had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard weren't motivated to study hard again, and they decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else. All failed .... and the professor told them that the socialism they wanted would ultimately fail, as they had, because the reward of success normally goes to those that work harder, but when government takes the reward away; few will try so no one will succeed.

This Weeks Prayer

Seek to experience the reality of the Holy Spirit this week. Ask Him for a heart encounter that transforms you in His presence and fully grips, revives and empowers you. Pray that God will use these turbulent times to strengthen the church and advance His kingdom. Pray for God's protection over Israel and surrounding nations. Continue to pray for President Obama, his family, our nation's leaders, those serving in the military and our future generations.
John 14:12-17

This Weeks Prayer

This week ask the Lord to lead you to those who need a word of faith and encouragement. Take time to refresh Him by blessing them on His behalf and showing them His love through your kindness. Pray for Christians to unite in ministry to extend love and grace to those needing a touch from God—the homeless, unemployed, broken and hungry. Pray that God will use the current economic crisis to rally His church, reap a harvest of souls, bring revival and change the nation. Ephesians 4:29; Matthew 25:37-30; Proverbs 11:25

This Weeks Prayer

This week thank the Lord that no matter how grim or dark our circumstances may be, He never leaves or forsakes us and “He is always there.”—Pray for those experiencing great financial loss through unemployment and homelessness. Thank Him that His mercies are new every morning and that there is hope for each new day. Ask God how you can partner with others in prayer to see His hand move on their behalf, and be part of their solution. Pray for the security of our nation, our military, President Obama, his wife, family and administration. Eph. 3:20; Matt. 7:7

This Weeks Prayer

This week shake off any weariness or discouragement and come boldly before the throne of grace. Thank Him that He is your inheritance and you are complete in Him. Embrace each day as an opportunity to face new challenges, and stake your claim in the faith for yourself and your descendants. Continue to pray for our nation and its leaders, our troops and their families, the economy and those who have incurred losses. Ask God to show you how you can bless others during this difficult season. Ps. 73:26; Acts 17:27, 28; Gen. 12:2

This Weeks Prayer

This week thank God that He has given you His promises and provision for every problem you face. Thank Him for every challenge He places before you and ask Him to direct your steps toward the fulfillment of His divine purpose for your life. Tell Him how much you love Him and prove your love by doing His will and sharing His love with others. Ask Him for opportunities to bless those with greater needs than your own. Continue to pray and work toward spreading the gospel. Pray for Israel, the persecuted church, the stability of our families and the protection of all life, including the unborn. Psalm 139

Promise, Problem, Provision

This is a very personal confession of a pastor who has survived and prospered in the ministry for more than 50 years. What I am sharing is the result of the life lessons I have learned in those years. No one wants to hear from a prophet who has no scars.
I have endured many problems in my life. Some have been self-imposed, while other problems have been spiritual or physical attacks from the depths of hell. No matter what the source, God has used these problems to help build character, endurance and understanding. I have sometimes received God’s supernatural promises swiftly, and other promises have taken me months or years to receive because of how I have conducted myself while in the problem.
I believe there is an all-knowing and all-powerful God who created the heavens and the earth and controls the affairs of men. I believe that every person has a divine destiny, one known only to God since before the world was created ... before we breathed our first breath. That divine destiny or purpose is our only path to love, joy and peace.
I also believe there is a divine principle found in sacred Scripture called “promise, problem and provision.” Simply stated, God begins leading us to our divine destiny by giving us a scriptural promise. This is followed by a problem or series of problems meant to bring us to the level of spiritual maturity whereby we can receive His miracle provision. If we reject His provision, we will miss our divine destiny, and we will live our life without meaning or purpose.
A classic biblical illustration that helps us understand the absolute truth of promise, problem and provision is found in the example of the children of Israel. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would give to them and their descendants a nation whose boundaries are forever specified in Scripture. This Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, would be God’s miracle provision.
The Jewish people became a nation in Egypt. God sent Moses as their deliverer and brought about the first Passover, which led them to their exodus out of Pharaoh’s bondage. Then came the problems—at the Red Sea, with the idol crafted by Aaron at Mount Sinai, and at the tent of meeting where 250 Israelites who rebelled against Moses were buried alive by God in an earthquake.
The children of Israel were stuck in the wilderness—their problem—for 40 years, when it could have taken only 40 days to arrive at their promise. It is while in the problem that God exposes the inner weaknesses preventing His children from reaching their destiny. Eventually God allowed them to reach their Promised Land, His provision and their divine destiny.
Life brings its share of problems, but every problem has a promise that will lead you to God’s supernatural provision—your promised land.
The “promised land” is your land, one flowing with milk and honey, a land of unspeakable abundance. It is a land filled with the favor of God, a land of love, joy and everlasting peace.
Problems not only happen to bad people; bad problems also happen to good people. Adversity is God’s university! God has given to us more than 3,000 promises in His Word. Every promise is custom designed in heaven to help us journey through the problems of life and receive the supernatural provision available for each problem we encounter.
It is imperative for God’s children to discover the principle for transforming the problems of our lives into the provisions of God. Promise, problem and provision is a supernatural principle based on the Word of God that will give you wells you did not dig, houses you did not build and vineyards you didn’t plant. It will turn your darkest night to golden day. It will fill your desert into streams of living water.

Adapted from Life’s Challenges, Your Opportunities by John Hagee, copyright 2009, published by Charisma House.