#0000565

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Exponential Growth of a large family from the 1st to the 6th generation: 2(1st g) x 5(2nd g) =10(3rd g) x 5 = 50(4th g) x 5= 250(5th g) x 5 = 1,250(6th g)...-H.P........Ecclesiastes8:7-8,-Psalm16:11, -Acts17:27 "Indeed, how can people avoid what they don't know is going to happen? None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue those who practice it.- You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.-His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him-though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist.... We are His offspring."

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#0000566

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Timeline:100years = 36,500days...-Jim Carey, Truman Show........Psalm39:4,-Romans6:23b "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreath; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath.-...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

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#0000567

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Our time for change has come...-Barack Obama........Psalm40:1-2, -1Corinthians 2:5 "I waited patiently for the Lord. He brought me up...out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. -That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

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#0000568

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People come and go. Leaders, teachers, and philosophers speak and work for a season and then fall silent and powerless. He abides. They die but 'He lives'. They are lights that glow yet are ultimately extinguished. But He is the true Light from which they draw their brightness, and He shines forevermore...-Alexander Maclaren...He lives, He lives...-George Mueller..........Daniel6:20 "Daniel, servant of the 'Living God', has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you?"

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#0000569

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God wins His greatest victories through apparent defeats. Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a season, and God allows it. But then He comes in and upsets the work of the enemy, and overthrows the apparent victory. Consequently, He gives us a much greater victory than we would have known had He not allowed the enemy seemingly to triumph in the first place...-Streams in The Desert........2Corinthians2:14 "Thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ."

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#0000570

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The power of this dream would sustain Jacob through some tough stuff on the horizon, just as your dreams for the future will strengthen you...-Jim Seybert, Leaders........Genesis28:12 "As he slept, Jacob dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the Angels of God going up and down the stairway."

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#0000571

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Are you drawing your life from any other source than God Himself? If you are depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone. Being born of the Spirit means much more than we generally take it to mean. It gives us a new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything by the perennial supply of the life of God...-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest........John3:3 "No one can see the kingdom of God unless He is born again."

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#0000572

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Don't waste your time trying to get 100 percent participation from 100 percent of the people. It's not going to happen.-Jesus focused His attention on the people who WOULD engage with His message. He was looking for the handful of people who would give Him 100 percent of their support. The lesson from this passage is that you will never get everyone to agree with you...-Jim Seybert, Leaders............John9:16 "Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.' Others said, 'But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?' So there was a deep division among them."

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#0000573

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A leader's effectiveness often results from the people he or she has hired. Getting good people on your team is a major step toward achieving your mission. Look for people who can complement your own skills and talents. Recruit to your own weaknesses, and enjoy the support you receive when you need it most. Moses hired good people. This is a great story...-Jim Seybert, Leaders..........Exodus17:12 "Moses' arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for Him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands."

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#0000574

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A flood once washed away a poor man's home and mill, taking with it everything he owned in the world. He stood at the scene of his great loss, brokenhearted and discouraged. Yet after the waters had subsided, he saw something shining in the riverbanks that the flood had washed bare. 'It looks like gold,' he said. And it was gold. The storm that had impoverished him made him rich. So it is oftentimes in life. God never uses anyone to a great degree until he breaks the person completely...-Henry Clay Trumbull........Genesis49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine... near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall."

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#0000575

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EvEn in tHe mOst fULfilleD lifE, thErE's sTiLL An EmpTinESS thAt onLy GOD

cAn fill. Let Him GuiDe yOuR evERy sTep & LEt Him bLEsS yOu aLL thE wAy...- Art Lazatin...........1Corinthians3:23.-John 17: 10 "Ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.-All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them."

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#0000576

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We read in 2 Samuel 5:17, "When the Philistines heard that David had been annointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him." The moment we receive anything from the Lord worth fighting for, the Devil comes seeking to destroy us. When the Enemy confronts us at the threshold of any great work for God, we should accept it as evidence of our salvation, and claim double the blessing, victory, and power. Power is developed through resistance...-from Days Of Heaven Upon Earth........Acts20:24 "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me."

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#0000577

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The great difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and it is His blessings that make it difficult. Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere. The difficulties and trials-the casting about in our minds as to what we shall do this summer, or tomorrow, all vanish when we look to God. Rouse yourself up. Build your hope on Him...-Chambers..........Isaiah45:22 "Turn to Me and be saved."

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#0000578

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Yahweh M'kaddesh "I am the Lord your Sanctifier" [Leviticus20:8; 1Corinthians6:11] All who entrust their lives to Him, He sanctifies or sets apart as His children, reborn and made whole, able to serve and do His Will on earth...-Nena Benigno........Psalm73:26,-Psalm33:21,-Psalm138:8 "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.-Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy Name.-The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands."

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#0000579

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Yahweh Nissi "I Am the Lord your Banner" [Exodus17:15; 1John5:4,5] He is our battle flag of victory, as we march forth and fight to establish His Kingdom on earth and in men's hearts...-Nena Benigno........Psalm23:3,4.-Psalm73:23-26 "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for His Name's sake. Yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.-Thou hast holden me by Thy right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee."

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#0000580

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But He allows trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its overwhelming pressure, so we may be brought to the end of ourselves. Through the trial, we are led to discover the treasure of darkness and the immeasurable wealth of tribulation. Although His presence is veiled, once we begin to speak to Jesus as if He were literally present, an answering voice comes to show us He is in the shadow, keeping watch over His own...-From Daily Devotional Commentary...........Psalm10:1,-Psalm46:1 "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?..-God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble."

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#0000581

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God knows exactly when to withold or to grant us any visible sign of encouragement. How wonderful it is when we will entrust Him in either case! Yet it is better when all visible evidence that He is remembering us is withheld. He wants us to realize that His Word-His promise of remembering us-is more real and dependable than any evidence our senses may reveal. It is good when He sends the visible evidence, but we appreciate it even more after we have trusted Him without it. And those who are inclined to trust God without any evidence except His Word always receive the greatest amount of visible evidence of His love...-Charles Gallaudet Trumbull............Psalm46:2 "So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea."

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#0000582

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God has a fixed time and an ordained purpose for each of us, and He Who controls the limits of our lives also determines the time of our deliverance...-James Reimann.........Genesis8:9-11"But the dove could find no place to set its feet...So it returned to Noah in the Ark....He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the Ark. When the dove returned to Him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!"

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#0000583

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I would never have known the meaning of various Psalms, come to appreciate certain difficulties, or known the inner workings of the soul; I would never have understood the practice of the Christian life and work, if God had never brought afflictions to my life. It is quite true that God's rod is like a schoolteacher's pointer to a child, pointing out a letter so the child will notice it. In this same way, God points out many valuable lessons to us that we otherwise would never have learned...-Martin Luther's wife........ Psalm23:4b "...Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."

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#0000584

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When the Israelites were entrapped by Pharoah's pursuing army at the Red Sea, they were commanded to "go forward"(Ex14:15). No longer was it their duty to wait, but to rise up from bended knees and "go forward" with heroic faith. They held the key to unlock the gate into the Land of Promise in their own hands, and the gate would not begin to turn on its hinges until they had approached and unlocked it. The key was faith. God is waiting to pour out His richest blessings on you. "Go forward" with bold confidence and take what is yours. "I have begun to deliver....Now begin to conquer and possess"...-J.R.Miller........Deuteronomy2:31"I have begun to deliver...Now begin to conquer and possess."

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#0000585

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Fortune and Fame. Where the one is fickle the other is enduring. The first is for this life, the second for the next; Fortune against envy, Fame against oblivion. Fortune is desired, and sometimes nurtured, but Fame is earned. The desire for Fame springs from virtue. Fame was and is the sister of the giants; it always goes to extremes-either horrible monsters or brilliant prodigies...-Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom........1Thessalonians4:11 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

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#0000586

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A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us if we are not simple. How are we going to be simple with the simplicity of Jesus? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the Word of God, and life will become amazingly simple. We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the 'much more' of our Heavenly Father...-Oswald Chambers........Matthew6:30 "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

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#0000587

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There is a spiritual law of choosing, believing, abiding, and remaining steadfast in our walk with God. This law is essential to the working of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification and in our healing. Doing this, however, requires real spiritual energy, a determined purpose, a sure stance, and the habit of faith. It is the same principle as a factory that uses electricity to run its machinery. The switch must be turned on and left in that position. The power is always available, but the power connection must be made. And as long as that connection is intact, the power will enable all the machinery to stay in operation...-From Days of Heaven on Earth...........1Peter5:10 "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

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#0000588

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You 'play' just the way you practice. Doing everything you normally do in 'practice'. And believing in what you do in 'practice'. Then, confidently and consistently 'doing' what you practiced in the competition...-Tiger Woods..........Romans2:5 "He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers."

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#0000589

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In the mid-1970s, one in every 3 wristwatches sold worldwide was manufactured in Switzerland. By 1983, that ratio had dropped to 1 in 10. They believed that the public wouldn't buy inexpensive digital watches flooding the market from Japan and elsewhere. This was a classic example of self deception. You can't afford to make leadership decisions based only on old knowledge or tradition. The best way to avoid costly errors in judgement is to realize you don't know everything. When someone comes along with a fresh idea, listen. Admitting that your current knowledge base is outdated doesn't mean you've been wrong, only that things have changed and you need an update...-Jim Seybert, Leaders........1Corinthians8:2,3 "...We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."

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#0000590

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When I tell stories about my childhood, my daughter raises her hand to her forehead and pretends to peer into the distance. She makes fun of my tendency to repeat the same themes. A leader's attention belongs on what lies ahead. History is important because it provides a perspective for the future, but we don't live in the past. There's a difference between living in history and learning from it. Which do you do most often?...-Jim Seybert, Leaders........Joshua4:6-7 "In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan river stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Covenant went across'."

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#0000591

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Perhaps this is how God is dealing with you. Loving you more than any harpist loves his harp, He finds you nothing but harsh, discordant sounds. But watch how He tunes it, like the old harpist who loves his harp. Tenderly leaning over you, he strikes the strings and listens. Hearing only a harsh murmur, He strikes you again. His heart bleeds for you while He anxiously waits to hear the strain "Not my will, but Yours be done O Lord"(Luke22:42)-a melody as sweet to His ears as angels' songs. And He will never cease from striking the strings of your heart until your humbled and disciplined soul blends with all the pure and eternal harmonies of His Own Being...-Streams In The Desert........2Corinthians11:2 "I Am jealous for you with a Godly jealousy."

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#0000592

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The only question to ask yourself is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve this success? If you're not willing to give what it takes, you're not willing enough to get it...-Ron Kaufman........Hebrews10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

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#0000593

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God recruited Abraham to lead a new nation and devised a common identifying mark for all the men(Genesis 17:13). There’s great value in establishing common bonds among team members. Our team will be identified to outsiders as sharing a common objective, and individual team members will feel a kinship with one another. Something about the organization that says: We’re in this together. More than a common uniform or dress code. We’re not looking for clones. The unifying mark may be: A certain attitude about the future, A unique way of addressing success, or A commitment to innovation…- J. Seybert, Leaders…… Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one Body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”