Vision Logo Circle
Vision Logo Circle

Start the New Year right

'...forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another...' Colossians 3:13 NIVTo start the New Year right, you must let go of any old grudges that are weighing you down. Philip Yancey describes forgiveness as an unnatural act and says, 'You don't find dolphins forgiving sharks for eating their playmates. It's a dog-eat-dog world...not a [...]

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Put Your Faith to Work (4)

'...Your faith has made you well.' Luke 17:19 NKJVLet's look again at the ten lepers Jesus healed. In the final stages of their disease the flesh wasted away. But notice, Jesus didn't lay hands on them or pray for them. He didn't even address their leprosy. Instead He commanded them to go and show themselves [...]

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Put Your Faith to Work (3)

'...Your faith has made you well.' Luke 17:19 NKJVLuke records: 'As He...passed through...Samaria...there met Him ten...lepers, who... lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!' So when He saw them, He said...'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.' (Luke 17:11-14 NKJV) [...]

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Put Your Faith to Work (2)

'...Your faith has made you well.' Luke 17:19 NKJVThe Syrian army had surrounded the city of Samaria and its population was dying of starvation. Having lived off scraps of bread that folks threw over the wall each day, four lepers quickly assessed that they were in trouble. They said, 'Why sit here until we die?' [...]

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Put Your Faith to Work (1)

'...Your faith has made you well.' Luke 17:19 NKJVWe become so engrossed in what we see, feel and hear, that we operate within our natural senses rather than our spiritual ones. 'Through your faith, God is protecting you by His power.' (1 Peter 1:5 NLT) Your 'faith' is what activates the power of God. Before [...]

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Get down on your knees

'Now there were...shepherds...' Luke 2:8 NKJVThe Christmas story goes like this: 'There were...shepherds...keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold an angel of the Lord stood before them...The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there [...]

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Simeon

'I can die in peace...I have seen the Saviour.' Luke 2:29-30 TLBThe Bible says: 'There was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout...and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come...The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the [...]

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The truth of the virgin birth

'The virgin will...give birth to a son...' Matthew 1:23 NIVHeaven announced the birth of Jesus in these words: 'The virgin will...give birth to a son, and...call Him Immanuel-which means, 'God with us.' Isn't it ironic that the first people to question the miracle of the virgin birth were religious leaders? The Pharisees said to Jesus, [...]

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Don’t Be Afraid of Failure (4)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJVSolomon writes: 'Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.' (Proverbs 14:4 NLT) If you insist on always having a nice neat stall, you'll have an empty stall. If you want a big harvest, you'll [...]

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Don’t Be Afraid of Failure (3)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJVThe Psalmist wrote: 'Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.' (Psalm 119:67 NKJV) By doing it the wrong way, he eventually learned to do it the right way. The truth is, when you fail in one area, [...]

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Don’t Be Afraid of Failure (2)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJVStar baseball players only hit the ball about three out of every ten times. How do they live with such a high failure rate? By focusing on the law of averages. They know that if they just keep swinging the bat, they'll get [...]

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Don’t Be Afraid of Failure (1)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJVUntil you overcome the fear of failure, you'll be immobilised at the prospect of taking a risk. The important thing to remember when you fail is not to quit. History shows that failure can actually become a bridge to success. In school, Napoleon [...]

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Trials

'Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials.'James 1:2 NASJames writes: 'Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance...that you may be perfect and complete.' (vv2-4 NAS) Peter writes: '...don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening [...]

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Getting Older

'...outwardly...wasting away...inwardly...being renewed...' 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIVYou know you're getting older when: your knees buckle and your belt doesn't; you argue about which denture adhesive is best; you sit in a rocking chair and can't make it go; by the time you've lit the last candle on your birthday cake the first one has burned [...]

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Moving On to Maturity (2)

'Let us go on...and become mature...' Hebrews 6:1 TLBPeter writes: 'Never return...insult for insult...' (1 Peter 3:9 AMP) When you're under fire, instead of defending yourself with caustic comments and clever comebacks designed to put the other guy in his place, pray 'for their welfare, happiness, and protection...that you may...inherit a blessing [from God].' (v9 [...]

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Moving On to Maturity (1)

'Let us go on...and become mature...' Hebrews 6:1 TLBSpiritually, some of us haven't grown up. 'You...ought to be teaching others, but instead you...need someone to teach you...until you become...mature...' (Hebrews 5:12-6:1 TLB) Just as there are signs of physical growth, there are hallmarks of spiritual maturity like the ones mentioned in 1 Peter 3:8 AMP: [...]

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God’s Word Has the Answer

'The teaching of Your word gives light...' Psalm 119:130 NLTGod's Word has the answers you need, but you've got to read it! You say, 'But I'm not sure where to start.' Here are some helpful Scriptures from the New Living Translation: When you are worried: 1 Peter 5:7-'Give all your worries...to God...He cares about you.' [...]

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How to Turn Your Life Around

'Let me...glean...after him in whose sight I may find favour...' Ruth 2:2 NKJVRuth turned her life around when she was bereaved, broke and barren. How? First: By choosing the right mentor. She told Naomi, '...wherever you go, I will go...' (Ruth 1:16 NKJV) The fact that Naomi was a Jew and Ruth a Gentile, or [...]

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Learn to Delegate

'This job is too heavy...to handle all by yourself.' Exodus 18:18 NLTPresident Reagan said, 'Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere.' Yet in our eagerness to please God we take on responsibilities that are 'too heavy...to handle all by [ourselves].' Moses was spending every waking minute listening to [...]

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Three Rules for Living

'For the Lord gives wisdom...' Proverbs 2:6 NKJVTo succeed in life you must do these three things: (1) Decide what's important. The story's told of a family who moved to the country to get away from the city. They decided to raise cattle so they bought a ranch. One day a friend visited them and [...]

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Change Can Happen for You! (3)

'And He...said, "Behold, I make all things new..."' Revelation 21:5 KJVObserve: (1) Change means accepting risk. Your anxiety will kick in and say, 'What if I don't get the job? What if the economy fails? What if I make the effort to change but they don't?' We like ironclad guarantees. The predictable feels less threatening [...]

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Change Can Happen for You! (2)

'And He...said, "Behold, I make all things new..."' Revelation 21:5 KJVHere are two more life-changing principles: (1) You must be willing to change unconditionally. In the early stage of therapy counsellors bump into the 'change-if' syndrome. The client sees change as a strategy of give-to-get: 'I'll change if they are willing to do... If not, [...]

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Change Can Happen for You! (1)

'And He...said, "Behold, I make all things new..."' Revelation 21:5 KJVThe Bible's story is one of change from Genesis, the book of 'beginnings', to Revelation, where God says: 'Behold, I make all things new.' Whatever your situation today, change is possible through Him. However often you've repented, confessed and tried changing, God can change what [...]

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‘Just Enough’

'...Each family had just what it needed.' Exodus 16:18 NLT In the wilderness God provided His people with manna so that they wouldn't go hungry. It appeared miraculously each morning: 'Everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered...a little had enough. Each family had just what [...]

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When Nobody’s Looking

'Glancing this way and that and seeing no one...' Exodus 2:12 NIVWhen Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. Ever done something wrong when nobody was watching? We all have! Mark Roberts says he counselled people whose business travel made them [...]

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