Spotlight with Rob DePalo Writer/Producer Tapestry (2019) – Christian Film

In 2011 I was called into meet with my boss at a major commercial bank in New York City. After 25 years of top-performance,  I was told that my position was eliminated and there was no longer a place for me in middle-management.  I was angry, devastated, bitter and worried. My oldest son was about to enter an expensive college, we had just booked an expensive 7-day cruise for our family of five and suddenly like the flip of a light switch, things had turned dark… a 50 year old family man with no job! 

To compound matters,  my marriage was in a bad place, my kids were at the point where they no longer needed me,  and my mother was in the hospital dealing with a life-threatening illness. I managed to stay on with the bank but in order to do so I had to take a lower level position which began to create episodes of panic attacks and long-term depression.  All along I was still dealing with the problems within my family life and my ailing mother.  My world was crumbling. Just when all seemed lost, events started to unfold which led me to a different perspective on life and God’s involvement in our lives. 

I wrote a story and called it “TAPESTRY” and that story became a film.  Not only had God aided me in my life, but I truly feel that HIS hand was weaving a Tapestry that would take me down a road of discovery and ultimately peace in my life. This film in many ways was written by God as HE gave me the gift and inspired me to tell a story that I truly feel God wanted me to tell. I am a first time film maker who had a very small budget to make this film with but thanks to God’s will, and many very talented Christians who came together in a labor of love, we were able to get veteran actors such as Stephen Baldwin, Tina Louise and Burt Young to play the main characters in the movie. My name is Rob DePalo. 

I hope that people will watch this film,  and take from it the messages of Hope, and Love, and Christianity. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime, iTunes,  Christiancinema.com,  Comcast Xfinity, and VUDU  and is also available in DVD format as well.  

Tapestry was an official selection at the following film festivals:  International Christian Film Festival,  The IndieFest FilmAwards, The Green Mountain Film Festival,  The Winter Film Awards and the International Online Web Fest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIfIhxjUvXk

Director:

Ken Kushner

Writers:

Rob DePalo, Ken Kushner 

Stars:

Tina Louise, Stephen Baldwin, Burt Young 

Spiritual Healing: What Does the Bible Say about Healing?

In Uncertain Times Christ's Death and Resurrection Offer Comfort and Hope

Over the last 72 hours many people have become sick, many have been asking God for healing in Jesus’ Name! I came across today’s verse that I found so powerful. Do you need healing in your body physically? spiritually? emotionally? Do you believe you can be healed? Your words can bring that healing. Hallelujah! Start speaking pleasant, powerful, potent words–words of life, encouragement and thanksgiving.

Today, guard your heart by making sure you are only listening to pleasant, life-giving and life transforming words. If there’s something on the TV or radio that isn’t bringing life to your soul, turn it off. If someone’s having a conversation that’s not uplifting or productive, don’t be a part of it, walk away.

Today, choose to meditate with God’s Word, and your words which are living and active and full of life. Speak pleasant, powerful, potent words–words of life. Let God’s strength and peace rise in your soul. Keep your heart and mind focused on Him, and always choose pleasant words so you can be healed!

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body.” 

(Proverbs 16:24, AMP)

Pray With Me
Jehovah Rapha, thank You for Your Word which is truth that heals. Father, I repent today for any words that have brought destruction into my life, or the lives of those around me. God, I ask that You uproot every negative seed, and help me to always choose pleasant words of life, so I can be healed physically, spiritually and emotionally, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Spiritual Seasons in the Christian Life

In this new year we expect four seasons – winter, spring, summer and autumn. Just like the four seasons in the year, God has ordained seasons and cycles in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. We have to be careful not to allow our attitude to keep us from moving forward. Let God determine your season – He won’t give you more than you can bear, trust Him, He will get you through.

Just like in a 12 month cycle, In God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are ploughing seasons, planting seasons and watering seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase; but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. Seasons come to prepare for harvest and increase. It’s during the ploughing season that God brings issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for success.

Today, if you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is not to lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep pushing and stay positive by speaking God’s Word daily. This month keep pressing through winter, spring is on the way. Hold on during the uncertainty of spring, because the consistency of summer is coming, just before your harvest or increase in every area of life!

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1, NLT)

Pray With Me

Yahweh, thank You for Your faithfulness in all seasons of my life. Father, I trust that my time is coming, and I choose to remain faithful to You as I await my harvest and increase. God, I submit my ways to You, and trust that You have the best plan for my life, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Joy

After a hard year many of us might have lost the joy we started the year with. Did you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful always? He wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, that is evidence that you have faith and trust that God will bring you through.

Remember, joy is strength. When you have His supernatural joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, “I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” And of course, God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. One article said that the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What’s happened? As we get older we’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and more responsibilities, little by little, to steal our joy.

Today, make the decision to get your joy back! Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems, and look at what God will do on your behalf. Ask Him everyday to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy, so that you can live in His strength and victory all the days of your life!

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16—18, NIV)

Pray With Me
El Shaddai, I humbly receive Your Word today. Father, I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy, strength and spiritual vigour. God, I want to spiritually be excited again, I rebuke the mundane, routine and stress of life that rob me of my God-given joy. Thank You for showing me Your goodness, and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always, in Christ’ name! Amen.

Patience and Listening: God Still Speaks To You

I just wanted some hamburgers for lunch. 

Me and my boys were in the Walmart attempting to use a gift card. It wasn't working, and I was left with only a bag of quarters my wife had given me. So we put back the roll of hamburger and got some bread and a trifold my other son needed for a school project. 

Then I was prompted by the Spirit to give it another go. I told my sons that we're stopping at a local Food Lion to grab some hamburger. Moments later, I have the hamburger, my bag of quarters, and I'm standing in line. I hate lines. It makes things tedious. However, considering it's the first weekend of the official holiday shopping season, it was expected. I looked around and saw all the other lines and was going to move but God said, "DON'T. MOVE." 

LISTEN: "Your Moment": 3 Don'ts For The Season

I was paralyzed. Why couldn't I move to another line? A God event was ocurring. That's what I call them when the Holy Spirit prompts me with urgent instructions. As I began to scan my area for any anomalies I looked up front and began paying attention to a younger guy and an older woman talk. He was paying for expensive pot roast  she was stunned. In return, she turned to the woman in front of me and paid for her groceries! The woman, unsure of what was going on, turned to me and paid for my hamburger! What an amazing moment! 

Here are some lessons I learned from the experience: 

  1. Be obedient to God's prompting, even when it doesn't make sense to me. 
  2. Be obedient to what God has called you to be – a follower with a pleasant Spirit. I could have easily gotten impatient and aggravated at my day. I didn't, and I thank God I did well! 
  3. Patience is more than an action, but a mental condition. The ability to be patient begins in the mind and is shown in our actions. 

Scripture tells us in James 1:25 that, "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."  

If we continue in what Jesus has taught us through his Word, we will always be free from bitterness, anger, poor spirits, etc. If we don't forget God's Word, and do it, God will bless us. He wants to bless us, but he also needs us to listen to bless us.  

And yes, I made some awesome burgers for Sunday lunch, but learned a lot more from the Spirit. 

I’m Laughing With God

Heaven is a happy place, full of joy and laughter, not only from it’s human inhabitants but also from God. Have you ever thought about God laughing? Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about Brexit or the economy. He’s not upset with you and me about our sins or weaknesses. God is full of joy and happiness laughing on the throne, according to Psalms 2.

Psalm 37 also tells us that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always triumphs, He is a winning God! It’s like watching the football highlights when you already know the outcome. You already know your team is going to win. No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you know the result and wouldn’t get upset. You wouldn’t be worried. Why? You’ve got inside information. You know the final outcome.

Today, God is saying to us, when it gets tough, and things don’t look like they’re going to work out, we know that with God we are on the winning team! Laugh with Him, don’t get sad and down because of life’s difficulties. Laugh, because like God, we know the enemy will be destroyed, and it won’t be long before God’s favour, strength and victory will last forever! Hallelujah!

“He Who sits in the heavens laughs”¦”

(Psalm 2:4, AMPC)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, I won’t stress, I will rest and trust in You. Father, thank You for bringing victory in every area of my life. Thank You for giving me a reason to laugh. Thank You for accepting me on Your winning team. Thank You for the promise to destroy the enemy for ever from my life. God, give me opportunities today to share Your joy and love with those who are sad and miserable around me, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

God’s Will and Your Big, Stupid Mistakes

I grew up in a church that taught me that my sins and my mistakes kept me from being blessed or used by God, and will cancel my God-given purpose. No matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done, realise today that your destiny supersedes your mistakes.

When God designed the plan for your life, it wasn’t dependent on you being perfect, never making a mistake, or never taking a wrong turn. No, God knew we would all make mistakes. He knows how to get you back on track no matter where you are in life. Just like there are many routes on a map, God has a plan to help you reach your destination. He has detours, shortcuts and bypasses. He has already calculated the entire route for your life.

Today, If you’re feeling sinful, if you’re feeling like you’ve blown it, if you feel like you are too old, too far gone or too far off track, know that nothing you’ve done, no mistake that you’ve made or ever will make is a surprise to God. He’s already got it figured out. He’s arranged a comeback for every setback! He has grace for every sin or weakness. Hallelujah! He has mercy for every failure. Receive it today, confess and move forward with boldness and forgiveness into the destiny He has for you!

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(1 John 1:9, ESV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for the gifts and talents You’ve given me despite knowing my sins and my mistakes. Father, thank You for applying Your grace to my sin, and keeping me on track as You order my steps. God, I repent today for any disobedience that has caused me to get off course. Keep me close to You always, as I set my love on You, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

You Make All Things NeW

Victory In Christ

Getting something new is always exciting. Can you remember the time when you first had a big dream? Maybe you were determined to excel in your career, or as a parent, or maybe you were focused on deepening your walk with the Lord.

You probably started out with enthusiasm, but maybe things got a little difficult, or didn’t happen as quickly as you would have liked. Oftentimes, when things don’t go as planned, people decide, “I’m just going to settle here. It’s not exactly what I wanted, but at least it’s good enough.” In this new season, recognise that you were made for more than “good enough.” You were made to increase, to excel, to grow and stretch.

Today, why don’t you take a step of faith, and embrace the new life God came to give you? Not only does Christ offer new life in eternity, but He offers new life here on earth, with new dreams and visions. Why don’t you pick up those dreams and be determined to see them through? It’s a new day, and He is making everything new in your life! Hallelujah!

“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!”

(Revelation 21:5, NLT)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for this new day. Father, thank You for the opportunity to start again. I will press forward and keep believing for the dreams, visions and desires You’ve placed in my heart. God, I trust You today with everything that I am. I give You my life, make me anew, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Dear Christian: You’ll Get It Eventually

While travelling from Watford to Southend, to do revival yesterday after my radio broadcast, the enemy was trying to bombard my mind with negatives. Saying your too tired, is this worth it, the church is not ready, there is no excitement and there will be no visitors. But the Spirit reminded me God will give you strength, He wants to do something great in and through you. He has promises and blessings in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet. I let out a loud “hallelujah” and kept on driving. I arrived and the church was on fire — great singing and praising, and two people gave their hearts to God and will be baptised on sabbath. Hallelujah!

The Scripture tells us that God gives us power”¦ He wants you to live in abundance so that He can use you to be a blessing to others. When we are willing and obedient, we open the door to His promises. He will do great things for you and through you. In other words, when we live in excellence and integrity, when we follow the Spirit of God, we will walk in His blessing. Like a tree planted by the water, your leaf will not wither because you are connected to an unlimited supply line.

Today’s verse says that “He gives us the power to get”¦ ” God gives us the ability. He gives us creative ideas and inventions, but we have to be diligent, do our part, and step out in faith, go against how we feel in the natural, and use what He’s given us. We have to sow seed in order to see the harvest that He has promised. Receive His power today and choose a life of integrity, so that you can move forward into the abundant life He has prepared for you.

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get”¦”

(Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for giving me the power to live in abundance, and to move when I don’t feel like it. Father, I will be faithful to You and Your Word. I will stand on Your promises and listen to the Spirit. God, help me to be diligent and follow Your commands, please bless everything I set my hands to today, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

How can I teach my children to resist temptation?

How can I teach my children to resist temptation?

It seemed to Eve a small matter to eat of the forbidden tree, the fruit was pleasant to the eye and to the taste desirable to make one wise. But what terrible results!

It was not a small matter to forfeit allegiance to God. It opened the floodgates of sin to our world. Oh, the amount of evil which can come from one false step in life! Our eye must not be fixed on earth, but upward to Heaven. We must pass through dangers and difficulties, making advance at every step, gaining victories in every conflict, still rising higher and higher our standard of Christianity. As you do this the earth’s attractions will sink out of sight and the heavenly landscape opens with clearness and beauty. You will see the crown, the white robe, the harp, the palm branch of victory and immortality will be within your reach.

If we lose everything else, we should keep conscience pure and sensitive. When asked to go where there is the least danger of offending God, doing that which you cannot do with a pure conscience, do not fear or hesitate. Look the enemy of God firmly in the face and say, “No; I will not imperil my soul for any worldly attraction. I love and fear God. I will not venture to dishonor or disobey Him for the riches of the world or the love and favor of a host of worldly relatives. I love Jesus who died for me. He has bought me. I am the purchase of His blood. I will be true to His claims, and my example shall never be an excuse for any to turn from the straight path of duty. I will not be the servant of Satan and of sin. My life shall be such as to leave a bright track heavenward.”

The time has come when every Christian must stand or fall according to his own merits. A few righteous acts, a few good impulses, may be presented to the mind as evidences of righteousness, but God requires the our whole heart. He will accept no divided affections. The whole being must be given to Him or He will not receive the offering.

We must now be learning the lessons of faith if we would stand in that time of trouble which is coming upon all the world to try them who dwell upon the face of the earth. We must have the courage of heroes and the faith of martyrs.

10 Ways To Resist The Devil

God gives us specific guidance to counteract the devil and his influence.

1. Be Ruled by the Word.

2. Beware of Grieving the Holy Spirit.

3. Labor for Wisdom.

4. Resist the First Stirring of Temptation.

5. Labor to Be Filled With the Spirit.

6. Keep Humble.

7. Be Constantly on Guard.

8. Continue Communing With God.

9. Do Not Engage Satan In Your Own Strength.

10. Pray Constantly.

A Prayer to Guard Your Heart  
Lord God, Captain of my heart, Satan knows if I follow Your Greatest Commandment — to love You with all my heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37) — he is powerless over me. Guard my heart, Lord Jesus, so that it beats for You alone. Don’t let me grow complacent toward You or be lured to love anyone or anything more than You. Remove the idols from my heart so that You alone command my allegiance and utmost affections Help me to love and forgive others as You have forgiven me so the enemy can get no foothold through hate or bitterness on my part. Cultivate in my heart Your love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7, NASB). Finally, Lord, set my heart on things above, not on earthly things. Help me to remember that You died for me and my life is now hidden which Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-2). Increase my longing for heaven so this world holds no power over me.   

25 Faith Strengthening Christian Quotes

Believing in God has a fundamental impact on your life and is not easy. It’s not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. At the same time, being a devoted believer in Christ will encourage you to let go of sin and to start living a righteous life. It will help you to behave with integrity, kindness, and moral righteousness in a world that is filled with wickedness, deceit, and greed and in the end, such a life finds its reward in Christ as he is more than enough for us. To celebrate the joy of being a Christian and to celebrate Jesus, we’ve compiled the following selection of inspiring faith-strengthening Christian quotes.

  1. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us”- Augustine
  2. “He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he’s moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain.” —Randy Alcorn
  3. “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” —Hudson Taylor
  4. “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.” —Corrie ten Boom
  5. “Christ literally walked in our shoes.” —Tim Keller
  6. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” —Jim Elliot
  7. “Remember who you are. Don’t compromise for anyone, for any reason. You are a child of the Almighty God. Live that truth.” —Lysa Terkeurst
  8. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” —Francis Chan
  9. “The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm.” —Matt Chandler
  10. “You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read.” —John MacArthur
  11. “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’” —Billy Graham
  12. “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” —Mother Teresa
  13. “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile” — Max Lucado
  14. “Always, everywhere God is present, and always He seeks to discover Himself to each one” —A.W.Tozer
  15. “God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”  —Tony Evans
  16. There is no one who is insignificant in the purpose of God.” —Alistair Begg
  17. “If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things.  It is we, of course, to whom things look ‘little’ or ‘big’.” —Elisabeth Elliot
  18. “Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done.”  —C. S. Lewis
  19. “Your potential is the sum of all the possibilities God has for your life.” —Charles Stanley
  20. “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” —Helen Keller
  21. “Continuous effort — not strength nor intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.” —Winston Churchill
  22. “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” —Chuck Swindoll
  23. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” —John Piper
  24. “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  25. “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” 
    Martin Luther

Justin Bieber Drops a Kanye Bombshell as He Opens up about Leading Worship

“I like making the music that I make,” Bieber said when asked if he would be recording a worship album.

Justin’s has immersed himself in religion in recent years, attending both Churchome and Hillsong services, and now it looks like he’s taking on a bigger role.

On Wednesday night Justin Bieber led worship at a Churchome service in Beverly Hills. Clips from the performance went viral on social media.

He wrote,

Sang at church last night. God is pulling me through a hard season. Having trust in Jesus at your worst times is the absolute hardest. But he is faithful to complete what he started. I also want to thank my wife for being such a huge support in my life through this season ”¦ it says in the Bible count it ALL JOY when you face trials of various kinds. Sounds insane considering when u face trials u feel terrible. But if we are grateful and worship god for what we do have in that season there is so much power in that”¦ whatever pain you are going through just keep telling yourself THIS WONT LAST! Love you guys we in this together

According to TMZ, pastor Judah Smith explained to the congregation that it was time for Bieber to help lead the flock in song after years of being a worshipper.

Bieber says his breakout moment was part of a larger message he wants to spread.

The 25-year-old has been open about his faith – particularly in recent years – attending services at Churchome and Hillsong.

In the caption to an Instagram post featuring a few clips from the evening, Bieber alluded to some recent struggles in life during this “hard season”, but also said he is leaning on his faith to get him through. He also encouraged others who are experiencing difficult times to rely on Christ.

Beauty, Joy And Praise For Ashes, Mourning And Heaviness

It’s All About Your Attitude

We’ve all been burnt by life. Everyone has experienced hurt and disappointment. But God doesn’t want us to sit in the ashes of the past; He wants to trade our brokenness for healing. He wants to give us beauty for our ashes. The key is that we have to be willing to give up the ashes in order to receive the beauty. You can’t have both, because the old has to go before the new can come.

Today, are you willing to trust God with your past ashes? Are you willing to let go of the pain, to forgive others and yourself so you can move forward into God’s beautiful freedom? Don’t waste another day sitting in the ashes of disappointment and hurt. 

Today, the past is over, but your future remains. Let God give you joy instead of mourning, praise instead of heaviness and let Him make something beautiful out of the ashes of your life today and always!

“…he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness…”

(Isaiah 61:3, TLB)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for promising to sweep away the ashes, mourning and heaviness from my past, and give me something beautiful and joyful to look forward to. Father, I give them up to You, and receive Your healing and restoration in my life, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

Hong Kong protests: How Hallelujah to the Lord became an unofficial anthem

Hong Kong protests: How Hallelujah to the Lord became an unofficial anthem

“Hallelujah to the Lord” is now the unofficial anthem of crowds protesting against the controversial proposed law that would allow people accused of crimes in Hong Kong to be extradited to the mainland. The hymn was picked up by other protesters – soon even non-Christians were singing it.

Fears and uncertainty

If enacted, this controversial bill will permit authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories where Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements. Many fear that the bill will restrict citizens’ rights.

“The Church has taken a particular interest in fighting the bill. “

On June 9th, Patrick pastor of Yan Fook Church, which is home to about 10,000 members that normally sides with the government made a comment on its Facebook page calling for the extradition bill to the shelved. Edwin Chow, 19, acting president of the Hong Kong Federation of Catholic Students, told the BBC. “There’s only one line: ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’.” And Yan Fook Church isn’t the only Christian group that has publicly announced its opposition to the extradition bill.

Religion on the forefront of Hong Kong’s protests

On June 11th, the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong issued an appeal to the government requesting the government not pass the Extradition Bill “hurriedly before adequately addressing the queries and worries of the legal sector and of the general public.”

Not only is this a show of devotion to Jesus in the midst of tumult and political tyranny, but the singing of this worship song also offers the community a level of immunity, thanks to a Hong Kong law of public assembly that makes exceptions for religious gatherings.

In these volatile days of Chinese agents, facial recognition and mass arrests, this protection is a welcome comfort for the Christian community, who not only stand in unity with their fellow protesters but also solidarity with the much-persecuted Christian community back in mainland China.

On Sunday, Melissa Strzala posted another awe-inspiring video on Facebook revealing the ‘Great Awakening’ happening in China.

“The below video is very special to me,” added Strzala. “It gives me chills every time I watch it. Thousands of Hong Kong citizens are singing their Hallelujah anthem in defiance of Communist China. It’s truly a Great Awakening happening in China. It’s exciting!”

Watch the video in full below, and be sure to SHARE it with your friends to rally them around this cause in prayerful support: 

https://twitter.com/alessabocchi/status/1164887032004526080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1164887032004526080&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftruth4freedom.wordpress.com%2F2019%2F08%2F28%2Fchristian-hong-kong-protesters-turn-out-in-thousands-sing-famous-hymn-in-defiance-faithwire%2F

Christians make up some 11 per cent of the population but they remain influential, especially among the elite — pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam is herself a devout Catholic.

Hong Kong has about 480,000 Protestants and 380,000 Catholics — including Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Non-Christians have also come to be familiar with Christian culture due to Christian-run schools, hospitals and charitable groups.

The Word This Week — AGAPE: A LOVE THAT GIVES AND DOES NOT EXPECT IN RETURN

Many people these days only give to get. They won’t do a thing without wanting something in return. The way to tell how mature you are is by the way you treat people who can’t do anything for you. We can all be kind to the leadership so we can get a promotion, or more money. We can all be friendly to the popular person at school so they will like us and be our friend.

If we’re going to live the Christian way God intended, we’ve got to learn to be good to everyone, not expecting anything back. Jesus said, “when you do good to the least of these, you’re doing it unto Me.” When you do good to those who can’t pay you back Jesus says “you’ve done it unto Me.” When you go out of your way to befriend the person that everyone shuns, Jesus says, “you’ve done it unto Me.”

Today, instead of looking down at the parking attendant who may have given you a ticket, why don’t you take time to see how they’re doing? That person at the office that others ignore or shun, why don’t you reach out to them and share the love of Jesus? We build the kingdom of God one life at a time. Show His love, show His goodness, and tell people about salvation through Christ. As you reach out and help others, just like a boomerang, that help will come right back to you, from God, (however that should not be your motivation), and you’ll move forward into the blessing and destiny He has prepared for you.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)

Pray With Me

Yahweh, I desire to always honour You. Father, help me to be a more mature Christian, blessing those who can’t bless me back. Please show me the needs of the people around me. God, help me to treat them the way You would treat them. Show me how to help others rise higher and sow good seeds into them, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

It’s Ok To Be A Christian And Go Through Tough Times

Keeping Faith in God During Hard Times

It is often in the very toughest of times and trials that God brings us to a crisis of faith, and it’s through that experience that we begin to pray. I’ve heard it said that, “when you’re swept off your feet, get on your knees.” Whatever broken conditions you are facing today – in your marriage, your home, your family, through a child that’s wandered away, or the collapse of a career?

]How many times through our pain do we discover our purpose? How many times through our pain do we discover power?

“It is so often pain that drives us to dependence upon God.”

Corinthians 12:9 reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect through our weaknesses. With God all of your cares will be cared for. All that is His will be yours. Through prayer you can experience the delightful nearness of God and lean into His warm embrace.

Today, kneel before God in prayer until He communicates with your spirit. Surrender your weaknesses to Him and exchange them for supernatural strength. Pray this day for the power of Jesus Christ in your life to deliver you and the ones you love from temptation.

Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalms 62:8 NKJV 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

 

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