Would You Trade Places With a King?

King Solomon was the richest man in the world at his time (1 Kings 10:23). Would you like to trade places with him? He didn’t have electricity, television, the Internet, a cell phone, air-conditioning or heating. But you do.
 
Solomon didn’t have ovens, stoves, slow-cookers, microwave ovens, refrigerators, freezers, hot and cold running water, toilets, or purified water. But you do.
 
He had to ride a donkey or camel on dusty roads. He didn’t have a car that could drive 70 mph on paved highways, or listen to his favorite music as he drove, or have a GPS to guide him to his destination. But you do.
 
King Solomon didn’t have a grocery store filled with hundreds of choices of canned food, frozen foods, boxed cereals, bottled drinks, or pastries. But you do.
 
The king didn’t have hospitals, dentists, optometrists, glasses, chiropractors, hearing aids, or medicines to treat nearly every illness imaginable. But you do.
 
Solomon didn’t have a variety of restaurants serving American food, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, fast food, or buffets. But you do.
 
He didn’t have the entertainment like today—golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, movies or video games. But you do.
 
Perhaps you now understand that you live with far more luxuries than kings did in ages past. So, do you still want to change places? Probably not. But Solomon might love to change places with you!
 
Thankfulness is directly tied to your perspective, and you cannot be thankful until you actually look for and see the good things that you’ve taken for granted. “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).
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New BIBLE STUDY: When the Ark of the Covenant was missing from the Temple
 
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The Scales of Injustice?

Now that the election is over, there have been many accusations of voter fraud. Was there massive cheating? God knows if there was, or if there wasn’t. But what if there was massive voter fraud and the cheaters get away with it? God knows how to deal with those who unjustly tip the scales.
 
Proverbs 11:1 says, "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight." In biblical times, some merchants would cheat their customers by using two sets of weights when weighing merchandise. They placed lighter stones on their scales when they were selling so they could sell a lesser quantity for a stated price. Then, when they were buying from someone, they used heavier stones so they could obtain more than the stated price.
 
They could cheat their customers without them knowing it, but they couldn't hide their sleazy tricks from God because He called it “an abomination.” An abomination is something that is disgusting and intolerable to God, but the Lord was pleased when merchants used “a just weight,” meaning they were fair and just in their dealings.
 
When people cheat, they fail to realize God is watching and will punish them. Those who falsely balance the scales will suffer harmful repercussions for their actions. Proverbs 20:17 says, “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel." At first the bread tastes sweet, but then it becomes as unpleasant as eating gravel. Even if it seems like they’re getting away with it, they will one day answer to God for their abominable deeds.
Over 270 printable Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
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The Only Way to Defeat Fear

Are you afraid about the uncertainty going on in our country? King David tells us how to get rid of fear.

After David killed Goliath, Saul became jealous of David and constantly tried to kill him. David knew he would be recognized anywhere in Israel, so he fled to Gath, hoping to live inconspicuously among the Philistines. He knew Saul would never look for him there.

Goliath was from the city of Gath (1 Sam. 17:4), and it didn’t take long for the servants of king Achish to recognize David. They even knew about the song the women sang after his victory over Goliath, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (see 1 Sam. 18:7 and 21:11). David was terrified when he heard the king’s servants talking about seizing him. “Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath” (1 Sam. 21:12).

Later, David wrote Psalm 56 about his experience when the Philistines captured him in Gath. In Psalm 56:3-4, he tells us how he overcame his fear. He said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You … In God I have put my trust. I shall not be afraid.” David knew fear can only be defeated by replacing it with trust in God. He said, “I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). 

To “put” means to transfer something from one place to another. When you put gasoline into your car, you transfer the fuel from the gas pump to your tank. So when you put your trust in the Lord, you stop trusting in yourself and transfer your trust completely to Him. How will you know if you trust Him? Your fear will leave and you will have peace in your heart.

PRAYER: “Lord, you know that I’m afraid. I choose right now to put my trust in you. I trust you to guide me and provide for me. I will not be afraid because I believe you are in control and I trust you completely.”

For more about overcoming fear, read The Sure Cure for Worry.

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What is the Purpose of Fasting?

Fasting is choosing to go without eating for a period of time. Matthew 4:2 says, “And after He (Jesus) had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry” (Matt. 4:2). I love to eat, and it’s hard for me to fast 40 minutes without becoming hungry! The Bible talks a lot about fasting, but it doesn’t specifically tell us WHY we need to fast.
 
So what is the purpose of fasting? If you don’t know why you are doing something, it won’t be long before you quit doing it. Prayer and fasting often go together. I believe fasting shows God how desperately we want Him to answer our prayers. Fasting is not something that I enjoy doing, but some situations are so important that my desire to see God answer my request is more important than eating that day.
 
In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples couldn’t cast a demon out of a boy. Jesus commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it immediately came out. He then said, “This kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21). Evidently, fasting increases the effectiveness of our prayers.
 
I ask you to FAST and PRAY for the election on Tuesday. Ask God to foil the attempts at voter fraud. Pray for our nation to turn to God in repentance. Pray that God will have His way in the outcome of this election.
 
Whoever is elected, whether it’s Trump or Biden, will have to deal with the ticking time bomb of over $27,000,000,000,000 of debt That’s 27 trillion dollars of government overspending since 1970. This by itself could instigate an economic depression. That’s another big reason to pray for our country.
 
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Making Life Count Ministries
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Some Things Will Not Happen Unless You Pray

James was a new believer and a member of our church. One day he told me he had the same nightmare every night for eight years. Eight years earlier, when he was a professional bodyguard, he fought and killed a man who tried to attack the client he was guarding.
 
After this incident, James dreamed about fighting this man every night for eight years. Every night it took him until at least 1 a.m. before he could fall asleep. I asked him if I could pray for God to set him free from his nightmares. He said yes.
 
As I prayed for his nightmare to leave in Jesus’ name, he said, “I’m getting an excruciating headache.” Then he said, “I just felt something leave me.” Immediately his head quit hurting. He became sleepy and went home to go to bed at 4 p.m. For the first time in eight years, he slept peacefully all night without dreaming of killing the man—and he never again had a problem with insomnia. This happened over a decade ago and his nightmare has never returned!
 
A counselor, who was also a member our church, heard about his recurring nightmare leaving through prayer. He told me, “We spend years counseling people who have recurring nightmares and can’t cure them.” Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
 
Many things will not happen unless we pray for them to happen. Otherwise, why bother praying? What if I hadn't prayed for his nightmare to leave? He might still be having that terrible dream even to this day.

Prayer is the privilege God has given us where we can appeal to Him to intervene in our situations. I am asking you to FAST and PRAY for God to foil the attempts at voter fraud and He will have His way in the outcome of this election. VOTE for the candidates that uphold biblical values.
Click here to compare WHERE BIDEN & TRUMP STAND ON THE ISSUES
Click here to compare WHERE CANDIDATES IN YOUR STATE STAND ON ISSUES
 
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The Future of Our Nation is at Stake

This might be the most important election of our country since 1864, when Abraham Lincoln defeated the Democratic nominee George McClellan. If Lincoln had lost, slavery would have continued and the country would have been torn apart.
 
Do not base your vote on who is the “most likeable.” Vote on the ISSUES.
These two presidential candidates will take the country in two completely different directions. This election will determine if our country will continue in freedom as it was founded, or if our country will turn in the opposite direction and become a socialist nation, where the government takes control of nearly every area of our lives. Some people say the United States would become like Venezuela.
 

Click here to compare WHERE BIDEN & TRUMP STAND ON THE ISSUES
 
Click here to compare WHERE CANDIDATES IN YOUR STATE STAND ON ISSUES
 
As a Christian who believes the Bible, I will vote for those candidates who make decisions based on the values in the Bible. I’ve known people who claim to believe the Bible, but vote for candidates who make decisions that go completely against the Bible. I have to wonder if those voters really do believe what they claim to believe.
 
This election will determine the future world of our children and grandchildren. VOTE for the candidates that uphold biblical values. Pray that God will foil the attempts of voter fraud and that He will have His way in the outcome of this election.
Over 270 printable Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
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It's Easy to Drift From God

Every summer when I was a kid, our family would travel to Florida to go to the beach for a week. One day, I climbed on my inflatable raft and closed my eyes. The gentle waves rocked me like a baby, and I didn’t realize the current was pulling me out to sea.

 
Then a wave splashed me in the face. When I looked up, I was shocked to discover I had drifted so far away I could barely see the shore. The current pulled me away so gradually that I didn’t notice it was happening. I floated away because I wasn’t paying attention.
 
We drift away from God the same way. We quit paying attention to Him, and little by little we move away. The writer of Hebrews warns, “For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).
 
When we quit talking with God and reading His Word each day, it’s inevitable that we’ll gradually drift away from Him. It happens so slowly it’s almost unnoticeable. Then something happens that upsets the raft and when we look up, we see how far away we are. 
 
When I realized how far I was from shore, I didn’t get back to the beach by drifting there. I had to swim against the current and paddle my way back. To return to God, you must make an effort to get close to the Lord again. Seek His face. Talk to Him throughout the day. Meditate on His Word. Make sure you are in Christian fellowship. Before you know it, you’ll be back at the shore.
 
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BIBLE STUDY: How did Peter’s shadow and Paul’s handkerchiefs heal people?
 
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Making Life Count Ministries
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