Believe & Thank God For The Answer Before You Get It!

Thanking God is very important. Thanking Him when we ask for something in prayer is also very important. Many times we think that we should give thanks after we receive the answer to our petition. However, God says we should thank Him for the answer before we get it. Why is this important? Because it has to do with faith.

Philippians 4: 6-7 says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." These verses illustrate that we are to ask in faith, not fear, and thank God for the answer of the prayer, as if we have already received our answer, at the time we present the prayer and petition before Him.

We are to walk in faith and confidence that God will answer our prayers. 1 John 5:14-15 says: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." According to  verse 15, we have the answer to our prayers when we ask, not after we ask. The answer to our prayers may be made manifest immediately or in due season; however, the prayer made in faith is answered. Our role is to continue to exercise our faith and not grow weary waiting for the answer to be manifested - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

While James 1:5 concerns asking God for wisdom, yet the same principle of faith applies when petitioning God with our prayers in verses 6-7: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind, that man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." Here again, we are to believe first, ask and then we receive the answer. At all times we are to remain in faith.

Finally, Mark 11:24 says: "Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Notice that the emphasis in this verse is that you believe that you have already received whatever you ask for in prayer before you actually get it.

As we have seen from the scriptures above, we are to both thank (Philippians 4:6) and believe (Mark 11:24) God for the results/answers to our prayers when we ask, not when we receive what we asked for. As believers we are called to stand in faith knowing that God will answer our prayers and move on our behalf when we ask Him to do so. This confidence is ours when we stand on the Word of God, proclaim it, and pray it for our lives and the lives of others.

Thanking and believing God for the answers to our prayers before we receive those answers is a powerful thing to do. Our faith literally calls to God, recalls His promises, and unleashes the God of heaven to transform our lives here on earth. As we know, God created the world by His Word in Genesis chapter 1. When God created the world, He spoke His Word to create each new day. In Gen 1:3 - "And God said, 'Let there be light..." Gen 1:6 - "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters". Gen 1:9 - "And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place". This continues in Gen 1:11, 14, 20, 24, 26. God's pattern of creation, back at the beginning of the world, as well as for today, is that He first speaks His Word and then the fulfillment of that Word follow.

As we believe God's Word, proclaim it in our lives, thanking Him that His Word will come to pass, we will see the same creative abilites that God used in Genesis chapter one take place in our lives and situations. Jesus said: "If you remain (abide) in me and my words remain (abide) in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you" (John 15:7). Jesus who in the beginning was intimately involved in the work of creating the world is still involved in creating in our lives, His church and the world today.

We can participate in God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:3) by believing God and thanking Him for answered prayer when we pray. This is an exercise of our faith that gives Him glory and allows Him to move in our lives to accomplish His purposes, expand His kingdom and bless us - His children. God designed it so that faith and giving thanks ushers in answered prayer and blessings from His throne.

The Lord Sends Forth a Torrent of Blessings From His Throne Like Niagara Falls!

Yesterday I posted an article titled "How Faithful Is God?" in which I stated that God is opening up the gates to revive and renew, to transform the dryness of our lives, etc. Later in the morning I went to church and God gave me a vision along with a word. The vision was of Niagara Falls and the accompanying word was that His blessings, love, grace and mercies flow from His throne as a mighty torrent like Niagara Falls.

Psalm 42:7 says it best:
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

The Lord calls to us from His throne. The depths of His heart reaches out to the depths of our hearts. His presence and blessings roar like a mighty waterfall, even bigger than Niagara Falls, to overtake our lives. All the waves of His grace and love are like mighty torrents/waves and breakers intended to sweep over us.

His waterfalls are unstoppable, unimaginable in force and fury, great and awesomely powerful. They come forth from His throne.Wave after wave of His grace, mercy, love, provision, healing, and every blessing to absolutely soak our lives to the core.

How do we experience God's waves and breakers? By standing in the path of the waterfall that comes forth from God's throne and by posturing ourselves in His presence with humble hearts and simply receiving from Him. (Below is a video of Niagara Falls. Watch it while you meditate upon Psalm 42:7) Enter into His presence with thanksgiving and praise so we see Him open He gates and let the torrents flow. As we meditate upon the truth of Psalm 42:7, we will realize the very depths of the God's heart beckoning to the depths of our hearts, calling us into the path of His waves and breakers. God's grace is there for us to be completely soaked by the His Spirit, washing and renewing, strengthening, imparting grace and everything we need - giving strength and life.

As this happens please share your testimony with me. I want to know how God's waves and breakers are transforming you. Isn't God wonderful and beyond compare?

How Faithful Is God?

Sometimes, in our heart of hearts we question if God is really faithful. We might even think that He is faithful to others but we aren't sure if He is faithful toward us. Sometimes, we question if He really really cares. But, this is what His Word says in Daniel 9:3-4:

"And I (Daniel) set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes; And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, Who keeps covenant, mercy, and loving-kindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments."

Yes! He is ALWAYS faithful! He is your covenant keeping God! He is the one true God whose mercy and loving-kindness has sustained you and will continue to strengthen you in the days, months and years ahead. Reach out to Him and let the Holy Spirit wash you with His pure and refreshing Word. The Lord will renew you, He will strengthen you and bless you. Come boldly into His presence praising His Holy name. As you do, He will open the gates and transform the dryness of your life into a well-watered and fertile plain. He will revive, strengthen you. Your life will be like a meadow after a fresh soaking Summer rain.

Isaiah 58:11 says:

"The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."

Rejoice and be glad!

Don't Give In To Fear!

"Fear is the dark room where negatives are made."

Ken Kemble
Abiding Life Ministries
Lindale, TX

2Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Deuteronomy 3:22 "Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God Himself will fight for you."

Psalms 56:3,4 "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal men do to me?"

The Power of The Resurrection

Jesus is resurrection life. In the story of Lazarus, the point to Mary and Martha was not merely to bring them to an understanding of Jesus as savior and Lord. That they had already confessed. But that their experience could believe Him to be the savior for that day, that hour, that moment in order to resurrect their Lazarus. You see they loved their brother Lazarus, but Jesus loved him too.

It is important that although Jesus knew what he had come to do and that the outcome would be to raise the dead, still He wept. Why? The word gives clear indication Jesus understood how it would all turn out. He wept over the condition of men’s souls and their faithlessness; He wept over their hardness to heart to believe; He wept over their grief and sorrow. I believe He wept in response over what the enemy meant for evil. All because Jesus is moved with compassion to care not just for Martha and Mary, but He cares for you.

This familiar story makes a greater point of relevance to your life, that today, Jesus seeks to resurrect your Lazarus, but with power. Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead to bear much fruit as the word says, ‘bringing many souls to Jesus.’ Many more can be brought to the Savior by the power of His resurrection in what you thought was dead, or of what you had stop believing Him to do, touch or redeem.

Do you realize Jesus has wept over your condition? He weeps for what the enemy has done and wants to redeem your dead condition to raise up a powerfully able witness to deliver men from their state of denial and unbelief. He waits for you to believe Him for today, saying to you like Martha, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? I am the power to raise you where I live and move to do the unbelievable’. Jesus commands new life to your current state of condition saying, ‘come forth as my living testimony, I will raise you up to bring many others to Me’. Read John 12:9-11 and see many were brought to Jesus all because He cares to resurrect those He’s wept for. He cares for you and says, ‘Just believe.’

Pastor Kyle Nees
Abiding Life Ministries
Lindale, TX
Pastor Nees' Blog: http://kyleneesgracelife.wordpress.com

Victorious or Vanquished - What Is Your Cave Teaching You?

As you may recall, David spent some time on the run in the cave of Adullam. It was the lowest point in His life, yet a necessary one ordained by God. The word 'Adullam' comes from the Hebrew root word dalah, which means to dangle at the end of one's rope. Adullam was the place where David was dangling at the end of his rope - hiding from Saul. It served as a place of testing, growing and learning for David, so he could be prepared to go onto to the next phase of life and ministry.

1 Samuel 22:4 says: "And [David] brought [his parents] before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold." David's life was not only in the hold, but also on hold (the back burner). Without Adullam, David's time of testing and preparation, he would not have been adequately prepared to reign as king. The same is true of us. We have our own Adullams that God places us in and these seasons can either make us or break us.

Some might say that God would never allow us to be broken during our time in Adullam, however, the choice of what Adullam becomes to us, what it teaches us and how we receive it, is up to us, as it was with David.

The Hebrew word for "hold" (as in 1 Samuel 22:4) is m-s-d and it appears as masad, matsad, or masodah (remember that originally Hebrew was a consonantal language and therefore there were no vowels until they were added only about a thousand years ago). The word masada means "fortress" or "stronghold"; however the word masuda (closely related to the word masada, and both words are derived from m-s-d) has an entirely different meaning. Masuda means "snare" or "trap".

David had the choice in the hold of Adullam to make it either a masada (fortress/stronghold) or a masuda (snare/trap). Our time of testing (Adullam) becomes a masada if we chose to rejoice and find God and His purposes in that place, despite our circumstances. It can, however, easily become a masuda if we fail to comprehend God's greater purposes and allow our hearts to become bitter and filled with doubt and unbelief.

For David, Adullam became the place where he ministered into many peoples' lives, the place where God created Israel's most powerful and loyal army, and where God taught David the foundational principles He would need to become Israel's greatest king.Yet, Adullam could, just as easily, have become a place of obscurity and purposelessness for David. It was David's choice. What caused David to make his Adullam a masada instead of a masuda? It all came down to David's response to the situation and his perspective.

Psalm 142:1-2 says about David during this dark hour: "I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him; I shewed before Him my trouble."

When David cried out to the Lord, he used the Hebrew word , za'aq, which means "to shriek from anguish or fear". The Hebrew word for "showed" ['shewed' in Psalm 142:2 King James version] is nasad, which means to make abundantly clear". This was the turning point for David.When David wrote Psalm 142, it was during his early days at the cave of Adullam. As he spent more time there and allowed God to teach him, he gradually understood God's purposes for this appointed season and yielded to Him, allowing God to do His perfecting work.

By do so, David turned Adullam into the the greatest strength of his life and ministry. He learned to hear from God, to trust, to rest secure in His God during a very difficult hour. He also learned to be faithful. David emerged a different man from Adullam than when he first went in.

The lessons of Adullam were not lost on King David - they impacted him for the rest of his life. He took the faith and yieldedness he gained in the cave and brought that same heart and experience when he ascended the throne and thereafter ruled over the people of Israel as king and as a man after God's own heart.

God has an Adullam for each of us. It is our appointed place and time to be on the back burner (not in the forefront or in the spotlight) so God can teach us and prepare us for the time in which we are to reign in whatever ministry He has destined for us. The question is if we have the yieldedness and perseverance to allow God to do His work in us until it is completed for that season. The answer lies in what we make of our Adullam, if we let it become a masuda or chose to make it a masada.

When we understand how God used the cave of Adullam in King David's life, we see His intended purpose for our 'Caves of Adullam' experiences - to build and prepare our lives for victorious living and service.

Psalm 138:8 says: "The Lord will fulfill His purposes for me; your love O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands".

Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".


The inspiration and information for the above article comes from a course I just completed titled "Training for Reigning" as taught by Dr. Ron Cottle of Beacon University, Columbus GA. The information contained in this article is, in great part, taken from Dr. Cottle's book titled Anointed to Reign, pages 49-60

Where Do You Live?

You might be thinking that I'm asking about your street address; the place where your mail is delivered. No, not quite. I'm actually asking about the place where your heart resides.

What do you value most? What are your hopes and affections set on? This is the most important question you will ever ask yourself. Why? Because whatever you set your heart on becomes your focus and that will lead you down the path of either your success or your failure. Don't kid yourself; whatever your heart is set on drives your values, goals and path in life.

Because of His great love for you, God wants you to find your home in Him – to abide in Jesus Christ. Many people say they know God; have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That's truly great! But, do they abide in Jesus? To abide in God means to remain (no matter what), to not depart, to endure, to wait for, to remain as one.

Why is abiding so important? Because, abiding is the difference between merely touching Jesus and actually becoming one with Him. When you abide with Christ, you are so interwoven and fused with Him, and He with you, that the two become one. His presence and anointing will find a home in your life because they are welcomed. He will fill you and move through you because there is nothing in you to hinder Him.

Jesus used the example of a vine when talking about abiding in the Book of John chapter 15 verses 1-11*. This is a very rich and appropriate way to describe the principle of abiding. He makes it clear in verse 5 that if we remain (abide) in Him, like the branches, we will bear much fruit. This is because the branches that are strongly connected to the vine receive continuous and increasing strength from the nourishing sap. It is God's desire that every branch be strongly connected to His life-flow.

Why is it that many Christians live such weak lives? Because they haven’t learned to abide in Jesus. The more you abide in Christ, the more you receive the very life-flow of God in your life. This is the secret to having a strong/vibrant life with purpose, passion, and destiny. By abiding in Christ, everything in your life is radically transformed. You go from weakness to strength, fear to faith, sickness to healing, confusion to clarity, depression to joy, despair to victory, etc.

Look at how King David abided. He said: "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set me free" (Ps. 119:32), "for I delight in your commandments, because I love them" (Ps. 119:47), "I have sought your face with all my heart" (Ps. 119:58), "As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God" (Ps. 42:1), "Because you words are better than life, my lips with glorify you" (Ps. 63:3), "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope" (Ps. 130:5).

Because King David knew how to abide in God, he was wiser than his teachers, more blessed than other around him, and was called "friend" by God (there is no greater honor than that).

So, where is your home? Where do you abide? If not in God, you are being robbed. However, if you are abiding in Him, everything that He is will transform you, cause you to triumph, and you will have EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Isn't God great?!

*John 15: 1-10 says - (1)"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2)He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (3)You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (4)Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

(5)"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (6)If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (7)If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (8)This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

(9)"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (10)If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (11)I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Whose Voice Is Gaining Your Attention?

When coming to God for salvation or healing, it is essential for each one to decide whether he or she shall allow the hiss of the serpent to rise above the voice of God. (1)

Blessed are the ears that hear the pulses of the Divine whisper , and give not heed to the many whisperings of the world. (2)

Footnotes:
(1) F.F. Bosworth, Christ The Healer, p. 112
(2) Thomas a' Kempis

"A person who fears the Lord need never doubt God's leading. As he continually turns from evil, he is kept on God's path."

Geri McGhee
Abiding Life Ministries Lindale, TX
www.abidinglifeministires.org

PSALMS 25:12 "What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose."

PROVERBS 10:17 "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who forsakes reproof goes astray."

PROVERBS 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

"....and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."
Proverbs 16:6

What Are God's Thoughts And Intentions Towards You?

We, very unfortunately, think that God thinks and judges as we do. No, He is much better than that! Actually, and very fortunate for us, He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He has very good purposes in store for us. His intention is that His promises be fulfilled in our lives, because He loves us.

How can we know that His promises will be fulfilled in our lives? By believing that He is a God of His Word (He doesn't lie), by actively turning from our sinful ways and obeying Him with all our hearts, and by standing on His promises and proclaiming them to be true for our lives.

Here's one of many wonderful promises God has for you:

Isaiah 55:8-12, 6-7

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

The Meaning of Easter

Acts 2:22-24, 32-33, 36

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Ephesians 1:3-14

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

Who Is This Christ?

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

(Note: The Book of Isaiah spoke about Christ, the Messiah, 700 years before He was born)

The Cross Is The Best Evidence of God's Love

The God on whom we rely knows what suffering is all about, not merely in the way that God knows everything, but by experience. In the darkest night of the soul Christians have something to hold onto that Job never knew. We know Christ crucified. Christians have learned that when there seems to be no other evidence of God's love, they cannot escape the cross. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"(Rom. 8:32) … When we suffer, there will sometimes be mystery. Will there also be faith? Yes, if our attention is focused more on the cross, and on the God of the cross, than on the suffering itself.

D. A. Carson
Theologian
Trinity Evangelical Seminary
Deerfield, IL

The Meaning Of The Cross

Jesus defeated satan in Gethsemane on the cross, not by directly confronting the devil, but by fulfilling the destiny to which He had been called. The greatest battle that was ever won was accomplished by the apparent death of the victor, without even a word of rebuke to His adversary!

Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane

Would Jesus Really Talk With A Nazi?

Let me ask you...What was your first reaction when you first saw this photo? Be honest! I'll tell you mine; I was stunned, a little confused and provoked. Once I settled down, I could relate to it and even see that it is an accurate portrayal of the compassion and love of my Savior illustrated in this 'disturbing' and 'thought-provoking' photo.

So, what does it do either to you or for you?? Does this picture make you feel a little uncomfortable? If so, why? Think about it for a moment.

Jesus has always provoked reactions from people. He always did and He always will. Why? Because He is God and people can have a hard time with that. Jesus has always had a habit of interrupting and challenging our assumptions, beliefs, and values. Just read the gospels (particularly the Gospel of John in the New Testament) and you will see Him confronting and being confronted.

Why does Jesus provoke us so much? Because God is God, He has always been active in human history, and He is also active in our lives today. He is mindful to challenge and confront us and our paradigms with the truth, motivated out of His pure love for us. What is this truth? It is that whether someone is a housewife, teacher, grandmother, manager, student, or even a Nazi; we are all lost and in need of a savior.

To think that Jesus shouldn't be found talking to a Nazi, or anyone else for that matter, regardless of how "good" or "bad" they may seem to be, is to judge Him. Think of it...how can we possibly and accurately judge God and His motives? Unfortunately, we frequently do.

The disciples did! Just read the story in the Gospel of John chapter 4 about the woman at the well and how the disciples were amazed to find Jesus speaking to her. Yet, what was Jesus doing in this story? He sat with a woman, well known as one who "got around", and He set her free from her sins.

The Pharisees and Scribes did too! Just read the story about the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11. The teachers were ready to kill her because she sinned, yet Jesus restored her to life by forgiving her and told her to sin no more. He also rebuked the teachers because they erroneously thought they had no sin. Was their sin less than hers? Obviously not.

How have you and I judged Jesus? When we judge God or others we do so from our own perspective which, because we have been broken by what the bible calls sin, is flawed. We are only to judge based upon His Word and that doesn't allow us to judge Him. Why? Because Jesus is not like us, He is holy and His motives are pure. Therefore, we have to be careful not to think that Jesus doesn't have any right to talk to a Nazi or any other terrible sinner because, in reality, we are all terrible sinners.

Aren't you glad that Jesus reached out to a "Nazi" like you?

John 10:10 -The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

-Ross


This amazing photo of Jesus with the Nazi is actually titled “The Second Mile,” and is a part of the 'Journeys With the Messiah Project' created by Michael Belk, a veteran fashion photographer, whose prior works have appeared in such places as Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ and Elle. You can see the entire portfolio of photos at www.thejourneysproject.com.

There is also a great article with additional information on Michale Belk posted at http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/09/take-the-journey-10320