Anyone Want To Go Get Loaded?

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Are you feeling down and thinking things are not going your way? Do you feeling like you want to go get loaded this morning?   I did this morning and the Lord encouraged me with this verse. Let me invite you to get loaded with me but not like you think.

Psalm 68:19. Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah (NKJV)

Just like his mercies and grace are renewed each morning, so are our His blessing and benefits, He loads us with them daily. Praise God.

What are your blessings and benefits of Salvation?  Adoption in the family of God, Healing, Provision, Protection, and Prosperity.  These are yours when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. So let’s go and get loaded with God’s benefits!

Let these words encourage you today

Written by Dennis Stauffer

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JESUS: “DO I KNOW YOU?”

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Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Repent from sin and dead religious works & receive Jesus as Lord and Savior)

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ (They did works of religion and some very impressive)

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (These are not people who lost their salvation but people who did religious works and never came into a personal relationship with Jesus through Salvation)

 

Do not hold on to your religion like it’s your political party!
A bad choice will last longer than a four-year term.
Always remember your eternity depends on it!

Make sure your religion lines up with God’s Word (the Bible).  If it does not line up change your religion or denomination immediately – remember your eternity depends on it!

DID I LOSE MY SALVATION?

The key words in this verse are “I never knew you!”  This is not a verse that says these Christians who are truly born again are losing their salvation.  I know many who teach this!  This would then mean, Jesus knew you and paid for your sins and now is turning his back on you.  This verse clearly states “I never knew you!”  Then who is Jesus talking about?  He is talking about people who practice religious Christianity, those who do religious works in the name of Jesus but have never been saved by His blood at Calvary.  They may have joined a so-called Christian Church, been baptized and or received sacraments, joined the church and do good works including some very spectacular things, but they have never been born-again and received forgiveness at the cross. 

Do Not Let This BE YOU!  Get saved according to the Bible and the words of Jesus!

 

Does God Believe in Prosperity or Is It Just Joel Osteen?

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I find it funny and odd, the greatest prosperity teacher I know is:

God! not Pastor Joel Osteen! 

Let Me Explain Why

GOD Says In His Word:

Psalms 128: 1-2: Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; Blessing and prosperity will be yours.

Genesis 26:13-14: The man (Issac)  began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;  for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Deuteronomy 29:9: Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

 

Joshua 1:7-8: Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

 

Jeremiah 29;11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

3 John 1:2: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers

 

John 10:10b: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (Jesus)

 

The word abundantly in the Greek means: 
perissos: abundant:   definition: more, greater, excessive, abundant, exceedingly, vehemently;
noun: preeminence, advantage.

 

When you read the Word of God, it says God wants you to prosper!  The scoffers define this as “So You believe God wants everyone rich?”   The answer is no!  This is their way to pin you in a corner. They do not believe, so they ask a stupid question like this.  Did you ever notice in the Gospels, the Scribes and the lawyers did the same thing to Jesus?  They had a “catch 22” question for everything Jesus did.  The religious teachers of today have not changed a bit.  They use a question to scare you into their unbelief!

 

There is also one for healing; So you believe in healing?  Why isn’t everyone healed?   I always answer:  I believe in salvation and the forgiveness of sins through the cross, the blood, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Is everyone saved in this world?  Last time I looked about 90% of this world is unsaved!  It does not alter or change my belief on salvation!  Anyone who calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved!  If you choose to live in unbelief, (e.g., not believing in salvation) then it will not work for you because obviously, you will not seek salvation!

 

If you do not believe in prosperity, healing, protection and God’s love towards you, then you have just handcuffed God!  Yes, you can stop the work of God with your unbeliefs, doubts and your pointless unbelief questions!  These are not really questions, they are the declaration of your unbelief through ignorance.  Here is an example from scripture that they used against Jesus. They were not asking a question but making a derogatory statement of unbelief:   Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”Luke 22:70 

The results are always the same:

Matthew 13:58: Now He (Jesus) did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

Contrary To Religious Beliefs; God wants all to Prosper!

God wants everyone to prosper: That means, He wants you to succeed in all that He calls you to do.  Ask yourself the opposite question: Does God, my father, want me to be a failure in all He calls me to do?

 

Let me expound on this; God never fails nor does He want you to!  He wants you to succeed in all He calls you to do!  Did Jesus ever fail?  This does not mean there are no setbacks, learning processes and errors.  Every great successful person will share that they had their hard times, setbacks, and times in which they wanted to give up, however, through perseverance they overcame and eventually succeeded.  I have heard that the only way a follower of God can fail is to: GIVE UP AND QUIT, OTHER THAN THAT WE CANNOT LOSE!

 

The book of Joshua tells us that!  If you follow God, do not turn to the left or right (doing it the worlds way or doing what is right in your own eyes).   Learn and meditate on how God wants it done, according to His Word, then you will prosper and succeed.  God never fails!  (Dennis paraphrase)  The Lord showed this to me after my divorce.  He said Dennis, in your marriage, you both did it your way, then you sought the worlds way (counseling) but you never did it my way.  This is why your marriage failed! 

 

The trick or secret to this is:  We must consciously do what God tells us to do!  We can not do what we decide to do and then ask God to bless it.  First, we must go before our King and ask Him what He wants us to do – at all times!  We must find and seek His will, not ours!  That is how Jesus did it and furthermore taught us to do:

John 5:19: So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (NLT)

One Last Thought!

Why is it that when God says “Blessing and Prosperity will be yours”, no one calls God a heretic or a false teacher?

Just a weird thought from your Guatemalan Gringo!

I am Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired!

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Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  For years I thought getting sick was just a normal part of life.  I would say things like, “I am getting a cold,” or  “I usually get the flu and a cold with a sore throat twice a year.”  Guess what?  For many years I caught what I said I would get.  Every year especially around Christmas, I would get sick!  I hated it and for years, I struggled with it, until I learned some basic truths.  Sickness and disease are looked at as a common, nothing out of the ordinary part of life.  Let me warn you, sickness and disease are no different and no less serious than a person breaking into your home.  How many of you reading this would stand by idly if you knew tonight someone was going to stage a home invasion on your home?  Would you say oh, this is a bad neighborhood, it happens all the time and then goes about your day?  Sickness is a home invasion into your healthy body!   How about a carjacking or highjacking?  You would not be passive about these, would you?  But honestly, you are more likely to suffer and die from sickness and disease than one of the above mentioned.  Why are you allowing this to happen to you and your loved ones?  Why are we so passive about the one thing that is most likely to end your life?  For the next two weeks, we will deal with this issue.

 Where did sickness come from?

Back in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam not to eat from the tree.  Adam was told,” if he ate from that tree, he would surely die!”

Now fast forward to the New Testament; Romans 6:23 says:  For the wages of sin is death.  I believe most people read this and take it as a blanket statement never even meditating on it.  What usually precedes death…. isn’t it the sickness?   (Not always because some people die of natural causes and accidents of many kinds.)  But sickness is a part of the deadly process of sin.  In the book of Acts, Luke writes about Jesus; “Then Jesus went around doing good and healing ALL who were oppressed by the devil.”  (Acts 10:38)  Did you read that carefully?  Healing all who were oppressed by the DEVIL!   Another verse; John 10:10 (NLT):  The thief’s (DEVIL’s) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose (JESUS) is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

My simple theology is this: If something is killing you, stealing from you, or destroying your life, it is the devil or you or both! 

Another tip from the Word in this verse is the word  Kill it means;  The devil gets you to destroy God’s blessing in your life through false religious practices.   An example of this would be this statement, “God gave me this disease to teach me a lesson.”   The devil gets you to cooperate with his plans through some religious ideology.

Religious Debates

There is much debate over sickness and healings within Christian circles.  Some believe healings and miracles are of the past.  Others teach Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was blindness or an eye disease, (religious nonsense).  If you do a reference check, the term used in the Old Testament “thorn in the flesh (sides) is found in Number 33:55”, it refers to persecution.

But if anyone would open up the bible and just read it, they would find that from front to back, God heals His people.  Acts 10:38  and the other Gospels state; Jesus healed all who were oppressed from the devil.  One of the seven names of God the Father is  “Jehovah Rapha”, I am the Lord that heals thee (Exod. 15:26).

Here are some scriptures:

  • Psalm 30:2 – 
O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me
  • Psalm 103:2-4 – 
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,  
  • Jeremiah 17:14 – 
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
  • Psalm 41:2-3
 – The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.  The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.
  • Matthew 9:35 – 
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
 
  • Acts 9:34 –  
And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you.  Arise and make your bed.  ” Then he arose immediately.
  • James 5:16 –  
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

I have only taken a few verses from the Bible.  I did this on purpose rather than taking you through the entire Bible.  However, I have taken these verses from the Old Testament, The Gospels, The Books of Acts and the Epistles to show you that all through the Word of God healing is being taught.  Remember one of His names, Jehovah Rapha, I am the Lord that heals thee.  It does not say the “Lord that once upon a time heals thee”.   God’s will is to heal you!

If The Bible so clearly teaches healing, whats the problem?

For so long the Church has been operating without power.  Through vain traditions and doctrines, the Church has negated healing.  Christianity has become a place where we preach; “Receive Jesus and go to heaven” and then in the meantime, we will teach and preach: “sin or behavior modification.”

Paul states in 1 Corinthians 2:4 – And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.  Today we like fancy sermons and high intellectual style preaching that tickles our ears.  Paul stated his words were not enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in reality they were the exact opposite of what we see in churches today.

It takes courage to preach the “Full Gospel.”  It takes courage to stand up in front of people and say, God is the God who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases.  It takes courage to say God is our protector and our strong tower, and to say to our congregations, God wants us to prosper in all we do.  It simply takes courage to preach “faith that moves mountains.”  But so many today through their vain traditions and doctrines have retreated!

Written by Dennis Stauffer

Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

If you like our Post please “SHARE IT” on Facebook and Twitter!  When you share this post you not only help our ministry, but furthermore when you share you are helping to spread the Gospel.  Your sharing might bring someone, maybe the someone you have praying for, into a personal relationship with Jesus and therefore into the Kingdom of God!

Also before you leave the website, please look around the site.  DSI/Hands In Action is a missionary team who help the poorest of the poor in Northern Guatemala.  Please sign up for our newsletter on this website and also on Facebook.  Thank you.

If DSI has blessed you, please consider becoming a Partner with us to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and be His Hands in Action in Guatemala and around the world with this teaching ministry.

Go to the donation page and become a “missionary partner” with us.  When you give you are partnering with me to become a fellow servant for Jesus in this “hungry” world.  Thanks again for blessing not only this ministry but also for serving with and for the Lord.

God Bless

Dennis Stauffer  (Founder/President and writer of DSI Ministries/Hands In Action)

Gary Green (Editor for DSI Ministries)

 

DID YOU GATHER FRESH MANNA TODAY?

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Exodus 16:4: Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day……  21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating.

Mark 1:35,37: (Jesus) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
 
Matthew 6:11: Give us this day our daily bread.

Do we make it a habit to go meet Jesus every morning?

 
Jesus who was perfect met with the Father every morning for fellowship and to receive a fresh supply of marching orders.  The Father decided where He should go and who He should help and heal. Take a moment and think about it.  Did Jesus ever fail or ever get into a rush?  Did He ever get worried or flustered when the multitude surrounded Him?  The reason Jesus always succeeded and never worried is that He did only what the Father told Him and God the Father was never wrong.

Why do we believe we are any different?  Jesus, who was full of the Holy Spirit made it a point to get fresh guidance before every hard day ahead.  I think the reason we neglect to get fresh guidance every morning is that we believe we are too busy and have too many demands.  It says in Mark 1:37: that all men seeked Him.  Do you believe you are busier than Jesus?  Have you ever had to preach all day and then go feed 5000 people?  Did you ever go into a town and heal all the sick and lame who came? Do you have to walk every where you go?

Have you ever considered that our days and lives would be smoother if we also received fresh guidance every day?  I would like to make an analogy here between (Old Testament) OT Israel and (New Testament) NT Christians.  In the OT – Exodus 16:4 God told Israel to gather fresh manna daily – to ensure freshness and prepare them for the upcoming day.  In the NT Christians are exhorted to pray continuously, and as cited above in Matt 6:11 to pray for our daily bread.  You see we also need to be fed by God daily and to be fresh and prepared for each new day.

Many have been deceived into thinking that they can go and receive weekly bread on Sunday morning and make it last for the whole week. God told Israel if you try to gather more than a day worth it will spoil and stink.  Does your life feel like it is rotten and it stinks?  

Maybe you need to go get your daily bread and renew it every morning with new blessings from God.

And to top it off; God is waiting every morning for you, He wants that time with you.  Just as He looked forward to seeing Jesus every morning, He is also looking forward to spending time with you because He loves you.

Verses From the Book of Psalms 
 
Psalms 5:3: My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
 
Psalms 55:17: Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.
 
Psalms 59:16: But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.
 
Psalms 88:13: But to You, I have cried out, O Lord, And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
 
Psalms 92:2: To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,
 
Psalms 119:147: I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
 
Psalm 143:8: Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.

 

Written by Dennis Stauffer
Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

AM I GOING TO HEAVEN? DOES GOD LOVE ME?

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HOW DO I KNOW IF I WILL GO TO HEAVEN?

This is very simple to discover. 

Do you know Him personally here on this side of Eternity? 

Is Jesus, the King of your life and do you hear HIs voice? 

Do you know that there is nothing you can do to earn your way to Heaven or earn God’s favor or love? Including going to church, being baptized, receiving sacraments, even doing good works and or living a good life? 

Do you know that Jesus came and died and paid for all your sins and there is nothing you can do to earn it? It is a free gift, to all who humble themselves to his finish work at the cross and His resurrection. 

  • Simply come to the end of yourself as a sinner or a person who is attempting to earn Heaven by religious ways. Confess your need for Him.
  • Believe by Faith, that Jesus (God in the flesh) came and died to pay for all your sins, every one of them and he will never hold them against you. Your debt was paid at the cross in full. His resurrection is proof that He lives, you also will live. All you have to do is ask and receive it by faith that Jesus paid all your sins.  
  • Now thank Him and make Him, Lord and Master over your life. He will guide you and speak to you if you open your spiritual ears and listen.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Do Not Be Fooled! For You To Live Your Life Without Him Here! You also Decided to Live Your Eternal Life Without Him There.

God Never Sends Anyone To Hell, That Is Your Decision Where You Spend  Eternity. 

NO Jesus Here; NO Jesus There!

by Dennis Stauffer

To study and understand more about eternal life and how much God really loves you, click below on the red box:

How Do I Receive Eternal Life?

The Lord Said; Sit Down, I Will Get Your Keys?

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If there is anything I love to do, it is to start a person on a spiritual journey!  On June 10, 1985, after a long time as an addict, I met the Lord personally and He spoke to me.  While speaking to me, He also relieved me of my alcoholism and addictions.  I have now listened to His still small voice and His instructional Word for over 32 years.

My sole purpose is to show people that God is not off somewhere in the cosmos but He can be as near as our own hearts.  I would like to share that you too can have a personal one on one encounter and relationship with God.  God is simply waiting for you and I to come and meet Him.  So as I love to say, God cannot be proven, He can only be experienced in a one on one relationship.  Enjoy this testimony!

On July 3, 2017, I woke up and discovered I had lost my keys, keys to the house, trailer, and truck.  I knew the keys had to be here because my truck was here and I drove it home the night before.  This was not a good way to start my Monday morning!  I looked everywhere!  I overturned everything including my bed and I searched everywhere, finally getting to the point of total frustration.  I spent 2 hours going through everything!  Finally, I turned to God.  Why did I wait so long?

If you know anything about me, I cherish my Morning quiet time with God.  I get my coffee, my devotionals, and Bible and I spend my first part of every day with the Lord.  I have done this for 3o years.  I love making the Lord the first part of my day.

In the midst of my searching frustration, while I really wanted to spend the morning with the Lord, I heard His voice saying:

Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

I thought to myself, “what does that mean?”  The Lord spoke again and said “sit down, do your prayer time and relax, I will bring your keys to you.  Seek me first!”  

I went and got my coffee, sat down and then forced myself not to worry or doubt.  I knew that the Lord could bring my keys to me.  So I spent a half hour doing my quiet time and then went into the house and started working for the ministry.  I was still wondering in the back of my mind, how was the Lord going t o bring my keys?  Then Mark, one of the guys I live with, came in with my keys.  He said; “someone put your keys in my car by accident.”

The Lord lived up to His promise and had my keys brought to me, just like He said He would.

He is good and faithful!

Written by Dennis Stauffer

Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

If you like our Post please “SHARE IT” on Facebook and Twitter!  When you share this post you not only help our ministry but furthermore when you share you are helping to spread the Gospel.  Your sharing might bring someone, maybe the someone you have been praying for, into a personal relationship with Jesus and therefore into the Kingdom of God!

Also before you leave the website, please look around the site.  DSI/Hands In Action is a missionary team who help the poorest of the poor in Northern Guatemala.  Please sign up for our newsletter on this website and also on Facebook.  Thank you.

If DSI has blessed you, please consider becoming a Partner with us to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and be His Hands in Action in Guatemala and around the world with this teaching ministry.

Go to the donation page and become a “missionary partner” with us.  

DONATE

When you give you are partnering with me to become a fellow servant for Jesus in this “hungry” world.  Thanks again for blessing not only this ministry but also for serving with and for the Lord.

 

The Encounter: A God-Hating Atheist’s Journey To Find Out The Truth

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The corner where I had my own Encounter 

My Journey To Find Out If God Existed

Does God Exist or Just another Fairy Tale

What a question to ask? Unfortunately, it is a relevant question because no matter what you believe or do not believe, there is one fact that faces us all…..

DEATH, WE ALL HAVE A DATE WITH THAT PINE BOX.  IT MIGHT BE SOONER THAN YOU THINK!

What Will You Do When You Die?

Some may ignore this question.  Some might live life like it doesn’t really end, but that is not reality!  You absolutely need to investigate the one area of your life that you will not escape.

When I was 12 years old, I became an atheist, hardcore alcoholic and druggy.  I did not want anything to do with Jesus or any type of religion.  That is until I ran out of options of getting sober.  The only choice I had left according to my rehab counselor was …. to find God!  I don’t like being forced into a decision, and I certainly did not like this option, but it was better than the alternative, drinking myself to death.  Which, according to my counselor was not so far away.  Nevertheless, through foolish living, I stayed in this condition for nearly another decade.

Then, finally, I woke up and I earnestly sought God through prayer.  God answered me and on June 10, 1985, my questions came to an end when in a life crisis I called on the name of Jesus and He appeared to me in the physical realm.  I found out that God really did exist.  Not only do I believe in God, I KNOW JESUS PERSONALLY and we have now been walking together for 32 years, ever since that day that I cried out to Jesus.

So I want you to know from one former atheist that God really exists and Jesus is the Savior of the World.  I hope you will begin your spiritual journey today and do not put off what is inevitable, – your own death, for today you are one step closer than you were yesterday.

Isn’t it time to start, let me help.

First, God cannot be proven!  You say why?  That is because God wants to be experienced and be met on a one on one personal level.  He is a person and you are created in His image.  So like any other person, He would personally like to meet you.  God does not want to be the basis of some science project.  God does not want you to try and prove whether or not He exists.  If He wanted to prove Himself, He could and would just appear in the sky for all to see.  He has chosen the more personal way of meeting you, one on one. 

How Can I Meet God?

I can only tell you my own journey and be only what the Bible calls a witness – someone who can tell you what they saw and heard and experienced. 

After leaving that counselor’s office, I was depressed but determined to never go back to my addiction.  I also decided to keep my word and do whatever he told me to do, in order to achieve sobriety!

I was told every morning to get on my knees (this was for me only because of my ego and pride issues).

My prayers were; “God, IF YOU REALLY EXIST I need your help!  I cannot stop drinking for any amount of time and I was told if I asked for your help, you would help me.  So please, HELP ME! Please help me know if you are real or not?

My night time prayer was only this: THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SOBER DAY!

WHAT HAPPENED?

At first, NOTHING!  Then after a short while, some very strange “coincidences” started to happen.  There were many times that I needed something that was really important and then out of the blue it was supplied.

In addition to material needs being supplied, I started receiving non-material answers to questions that were plaguing me.  For example, I would have a question or problem with no answer or solution.  Then someone would come up to me, start a “random” conversation and during the discussion would end up supplying an answer or provide a solution to my problem.  This scenario happened more than once.

Each time this occurred I sort of “freaked out”.  How was this happening I would ask myself?   At this time I was not ready to admit that some higher power or a spiritual being was at work in my life.

So I put God to the test.

I would take these problems or questions to Him personally and tell Him to answer them if He was really listening.  Every time, He would answer them like I said above or by speaking to me in my head.  I then would try the solution and it would always work.  One example; my car broke down in Pittsburgh and I hardly knew anyone since I was from another town in Pennsylvania.  I called on God while on the highway and said If you are listening I need help because I have no money and no one to call (cell phones were not available yet!)  As soon as that prayer went out, 5 minutes later a friend from the rehab pulled up behind me and as you might think, he was a mechanic!

June 10, 1985;  7 months into recovery and after I moved back home,  I stayed with my sister who was also in recovery.  We had a horrible disagreement and she asked me to leave.  I ended up once again homeless.  I tried to get a place to stay but with no money, a broken down car again, no one wanted to help me.  I ended up back at a corner where I used to hang out and drink. (the picture above is the exact corner)  No one was there.  I sat there for hours and I prayed but it seemed to me God was not at home either!  The self-pity and despair set in around twelve midnight.

Then this tempting voice came to me, and said, “Dennis why are you sitting on this corner alone?  You know what to do!  Go down to your corner bar which was only 3 blocks away and pick up a woman like you have done so many times before.  You know you do not have to drink.”  The battle began in my mind and soul not to go there and listen to this lie.  I knew it was a lie because I had done this so many times before and ended up drunk and back in my addiction.

1:30 am; It was only a half hour to the bar was going to close and I was growing weaker and the temptation was more than I could bear.  At this time in my recovery, the shaking and compulsion had not left yet.  I still struggled with it every day since I stopped drinking.

I finally cried out to God; “If you really exist I cannot deal with this invisibility stuff anymore.  If you do not come and help me, I am going to end up drinking and it will be the end of my life.  Please come and relieve me of this temptation.”

In the Bible when Paul describes the time he went to heaven, he could not even tell if he left his body or if this was really happening to him….

2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

This is the closest I can describe the feeling and what was happening to me.  Jesus was in front of me, in me and encompassed my whole being. THIS POWERFUL AND WONDERFUL PRESENSES WAS SURROUNDING ME!  The peace, joy, and rapture I was feeling were nothing I had ever felt in my life.  Drugs or alcohol did not compare to what I was feeling in His presence.  Then there was that voice, the voice was like His presence.  It also encompassed me, I could hear Him audibly and also in me and through me.  It was like every cell in my body was in tune with His voice.  It was the most remarkable experience I ever had.  I remember that all I could say was; “you really exist!  You are really here!  “Jesus said to me; ” I have always been with you nor will I ever leave you or forsake you.”

I am not sure how long He was with me, but He said many things to me.  He then told me he had one more gift for me.  He was going to remove the demons that held me in the alcohol and violent life I was living.  I literally could feel them leaving my body and they have never been back in 32 years.

You could write this off as a flashback or hallucination I was having!  I would likely agree with you if that was all or the only time it has happened.  I will admit that that experience never happened again but His voice and His working in my life have never left.  We have since worked together as what the scripture calls the church; The bride of Christ.  He has been by my side and working with me the whole time.

Jesus was even with me this morning when I lost my keys.  I flipped my bedroom and living area inside out.  I looked everywhere.  I was getting frustrated in losing my truck and house keys.  When I sat down after looking everywhere and finally prayed about it.  The words came; “seek first the Kingdom of God and everything will be added to you.”  So, I sat down and did my morning prayers and had coffee with the Lord.  Then His voice came to me and said, ” Sit here and I will have someone bring you your keys.”  My mind wondered how are you going to bring my keys to me if I just sit here and not look for them?  I went in the house and got my coffee and told my roommate I lost my keys and I looked everywhere.  He said, “he did not see them either.”  So I went outside and drank my coffee and after I finished my quiet time, Mark came around and said I found your keys, they were somehow put in my car.  The Lord kept his word and had my keys brought to me after He said He would.

So in closing, I no longer just believe in God!  I know God personally and I know without a doubt I am part of His family.  So if you are wondering if God is real or not, I would love to prove him to you, but I cannot.  You must go and seek Him on your own like I did and I promise you will find Him if you seek him like treasure.  So go and have your own experience and let Him make Himself known to you.  He will I promise!

Written by Dennis Stauffer Jr

Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

If DSI has blessed you, please consider becoming a Partner with us to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and be His Hands in Action in Guatemala and around the world with this teaching ministry.

Go to the donation page and become a “missionary partner” with us.

 When you give you are partnering with me to become a fellow servant for Jesus in this “hungry” world.  Thanks again for blessing not only this ministry but also for serving with and for the Lord.

God Bless

Dennis Stauffer  (Founder/President and writer of DSI Ministries/Hands In Action)

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Did Jesus Ever Claim To Be God?

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This devotional deals with; did Jesus ever claim to be God?  The answer is yes and Jesus said so in many places in the Bible.  But for this devotional, I want to use an often overlooked passage on this subject.  Personally, I have never heard a message taught on this subject.

Satan Tempts Jesus

Matthew 4: 1-10: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,  and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. 

For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you,’and,

‘In their hands, they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, the devil came at him in so many ways.
 
 
When we read this passage, most simply teach that Jesus is only quoting Scripture to fight the temptations of the devil.  This is true as a Biblical principle, and Jesus is teaching us here in these passages how to combat the devil’s temptations.  But I believe, that in teaching this principle of quoting Scripture to fight temptation, we overlook another very important principle, that is what Jesus is actually saying!  I believe most miss these simple truths.
 
When Satan tempts Jesus to jump off the pinnacle, what is Jesus’s response?

You shall not tempt… who? “the LORD YOUR GOD!

Who is being tempted?  Jesus!  Then who does Jesus say not to tempt “The Lord your God! – this in response to his own temptation!  God the Father was not being tempted here!  The Holy Spirit was not being tempted here!  Who was being tempted?  Jesus, the Lord your God!
 
Again, we see Satan tempting Jesus to worship him and then offering Jesus the Kingdoms of the world.
Jesus again said:  ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
 
You might say in this last verse Jesus was referring to God the Father, but in other parts of Scripture it records that Jesus also received worship.
 
Matthew 2:2; saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
 
Matthew 8:2: And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
 
Matthew 14:33: Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
 
If you notice in Matthew 14:33 and again in Matthew 4:3:  These two verses connected what Satan called Jesus and what the disciples called him:  The Son of God, then in Verse 33 it says they worshiped Him.
 
So not only with these verses did Jesus call himself; “Lord your God”, but we can further meditate on these Scriptures when Jesus said:  ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”  We can then deduce this – if we should only worship the Lord your God, and if He was truly referring to, and only to God the Father, then we must ask a question!  Why was He (Jesus)  through-out Scripture receiving worship if He said you should only worship the Lord God?  The answer is simple, Jesus is God in the flesh.   
In Matthew 1, the Bible gives us another name for Jesus:
Matthew 1:23; “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
 
So, when those religious groups knock on your door on Saturday morning and try to present a false gospel, that Jesus was not really God but another of God’s creation, you can be sure in your spirit that Jesus, the Immanuel was truly God with us!

Written by Dennis Stauffer

Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

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Also before you leave the website, please look around the site.  DSI/Hands In Action is a missionary team who help the poorest of the poor in Northern Guatemala.  Please sign up for our newsletter on this website and also on Facebook.  Thank you.

If DSI has blessed you, please consider becoming a Partner with us to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and be His Hands in Action in Guatemala and around the world with this teaching ministry.

Go to the donation page and become a “missionary partner” with us.  When you give you are partnering with me to become a fellow servant for Jesus in this “hungry” world.  Thanks again for blessing not only this ministry but also for serving with and for the Lord.

God Bless

Dennis Stauffer  (Founder/President and writer of DSI Ministries/Hands In Action)

 

 

URGENT NEWS! Soldiers Forced To Buy Their Own Ammunitions

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Soldiers Forced To Buy Their Own Ammunition!  Are you outraged?  How can this be?  How can the American people allow such a thing to happen in a rich country such as the United States?

 Relax, our government is not doing this, but the Church of Jesus Christ is!

Do you remember the beginning of the Iraq wars?  Many soldiers were injured or killed due to lack of proper protection for themselves and their vehicles.  The American people were outraged and the government began to make immediate improvements to better supply our soldiers in harm’s way.  So what am I talking about?  I am talking about American Christian Soldiers:  Missionaries to other countries!

So many missionaries today are being forced to buy their own supplies and buy their own way to the mission field.  However, this is nothing new, sadly it is the norm!  I have read the history of such missionaries as Hudson Taylor, missionary to China in late 1800 and George Muller, German missionary to England in the late 1800’s.  They were both forced to live in extreme hardship due to the lack of support for their missions. 

Can you imagine seeing our brave American soldiers coming home and delivering pizzas or doing odd jobs to go and purchase their own weapons to go back and fight for our American freedom and liberties? The American people would never stand for such atrocities as this.  But Christianity has allowed this to continue for centuries.  Why is this acceptable to the Church of Jesus Christ, where the greatest example of giving is ultimately shown by our God and Lord Jesus Christ when he was sent to die for us on the cross?

John 3;16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you never thought of this, Jesus was a missionary to our world.  He came from Heaven to a very hostile and violent world.  It is the same today as missionaries go to front lines in this world, where there are very violent and hostile people around them.  Many are being sent not only to hostile environments, but they are also inadequately supplied to do what God has called them to do.

The “spiritual Christian” at this point might say: “God shall supply all  your needs.”  While this is true in a general sense, I feel that this is not God’s intent nor desire.  I have seen missionaries having to take sabbaticals just to go home in order to earn enough money to spend in their mission field.  I have also witnessed other missionaries using their life savings or their retirement checks to offset their lack of support.  Then there is the worst: many Christian missionaries give up after just ONE tour of duty! How sad is that, but it is a reality being played over and over on the mission field, even though they come from the richest Christian nation in the world!  I do not believe this is God’s desire or intent!

I want to confess before I go any further, I was the same as most Christians are today.  Unaware of this horrible condition, or worse yet, I found that I was just not paying attention to the Christian world around me.

I was a youth pastor for over 18 years in 2 small independent churches.  Every year our churches would be visited by missionaries and tell us of their work in foreign fields.  My heart would go out to them and I would always give in the offering basket.  But after they were gone, I simply went back to my work and soon forgot them in my thoughts, prayers and my WALLET!

I was no different!  As I rationalized, I wasn’t rich and I was barely making it just taking care of my own family and my own bills.  This did not stop me from buying coffee every morning at the local convenient store, or buying lunches, renting movies, taking my family out or ordering pizza every Friday.  But, when you add this normal lifestyle (luxury) up, how much did I spend a month not even considering how I could help keep a family on the mission field.

Adding up this expense, I calculated that I was spending $31.25 a month.  That was for $1.25 coffee, what does a cup of coffee cost today?  Now add up the movie rentals and other weekly habits we just take for granted.  I realize now that I was simply not paying enough attention to our Lord’s call to each and every one of us.  I was no different than many Christians today that also attend church every Sunday.  Then God got my attention!

How did God get My Attention?

God called me to be a foreign missionary. After years in the field and living in a different culture, when I came back to the United States my eyes were opened to my own sins of the past.  

I have now come to see how many in our churches and even our pastors do not show concern for the American Christian Soldiers Missionary.  Why do I call us “soldiers?”  Some of us are sent to the front lines of very violent and dark countries, where the work of the devil is fierce.  Risking our lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In these countries, I have seen poverty at levels not known in America.  I’ve seen families sell their daughters into prostitution just to feed the rest of the family.  Then I come back to America and people tell me how hard the economy is as they buy their new cars and upgrade their homes. We are a consumer nation. We are actually deceived money that we make is really ares as Christians. I write more on that in the upcoming blogs.

Do you also know most Christian today spend more on their pets than on missions?  We also spend more money on Christian seminars, books and several different translations of the Bible.  Christians in America are no different than Christians elsewhere in the world when it comes to our entertainment, in fact, we may be worse as we have more opportunity.  We spend millions and millions of dollars on Christian music and concerts.  I was reading that one famous Christian Artist is worth around 10 million dollars.  That is just one artist and not counting his record label.

We are spending more money on Television Evangelists and TV ministries who are grossing hundreds of millions of dollars a year.  We are giving more money to them than our own local churches and missionaries.  

On the day when we face the Lord what will we say as He opens up our checkbook of life and shows that we spent more of His money on our pets than we did for reaching a lost world for Jesus Christ.

I have come to believe that every Christian in America not only should support their local church (currently only 2-3 percent actually tithe) but we should adopt a missionary too.  But unfortunately, we think this is the responsibility only of our Pastors and a local church.  (Where do you think the local church gets its money)?  How wrong I believe we will be when we face the Lord.

I have nothing against Television Evangelists, but do they come and pray for your family, marry and bury you, visit you in the hospital? Our hard working Pastors do this!  Do these TV Evangelists go to foreign mission fields and sell everything they have accumulated in their life?  Do they risk their lives to spread the Gospel where no one wants to go?  Do they live in deplorable, dangerous conditions?  No, of course not – they are too busy raking in millions of dollars!

But American Christians are just like like the rest of the secular world,  we pay sports stars and rock stars more than we pay our soldiers, police, firefighters and teachers.  We want our entertainment and we gladly shell out millions of dollars to be entertained.

I admit I would have died, unaware of this condition if the Lord did not call me to the mission field, and one real reason is…. We as missionaries are trained not to talk about this and we are simply to trust in the Lord for his provision.  To a degree, I agree but why are so many missionaries coming home dejected, depressed and defeated.  They are unable to make a real and lasting impact in the area where God called them.

This is an area where the body of Christ is dropping the ball.  Christians have lost their fervor and we are losing the war to such religions and sects as Islam, Mormonism, and others.  Do you know one of the best missionary forces for their sect is Mormonism?  They have the best trained and best facilities on the mission field.  They are organized and well supported in their efforts.  Islam is also in every  European country, and now in America.  They are taking over due to their well thought out plan to convert the world to Islam.  We Christians in America are the richest and most influential people in the world and 97 percent of all of the Lord’s money is spent on us!  This leads me to my upcoming blogs: “Living in the Laodicean Church in America in the End Times”

I pray that this article not only upset you but also convicted you to look at your life and how you are spending the Lord’s money.  Are you being a faithful steward or are you just another American consumer? So please ask the Lord today to open your heart and your finances to see if you are obedient to Him.  It is better to ask now and repent than at the judgment seat of Christ.  He will look to you and ask this question?  What did you do with what I have given you in your Christian life?  Will you be prepared and have a good answer?

Written by Dennis Stauffer

Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)

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