L.I.F.E. Word Ministries
8338 Friendship Road
Cross Plains, TN 37049
L.I.F.E. Words began in 1998 as a small devotional email that was sent to family and friends named Daily Faith Words. As the name indicates, it was originally a daily e-mail and those who received them shared them with others, L.I.F.E. Word Ministries (then known as Faith Word Ministries) soon found others requesting to receive the e-mail as well. Later Daily Faith Words "evolved" into a daily teaching e-mail, with much longer content than the original devotional email. Most subscribers preferred the longer teaching to the shorter devotional, and the word spread. Before a year had passed, Daily Faith Words had subscribers all over the United States and in many other countries as well (India, England, Italy, Philippines, Belgium, Canada, France, Singapore, and others.)
Several folks attested to Daily Faith Words being a daily blessing in their lives. (See "Testimonial Letters" on menu at bottom of page.) Others were even reportedly using Daily Faith Words as study material in cell groups, in Sunday School classes, or even in a counseling ministry. And one subscriber wrote to inform us that a series of teaching on prayer revolutionized her prayer life and enable her to obtain healing cancer. Praise be to God!
The mailings stopped in 2000, as the ministry went on a "sabbatical" for a period of time due to lack of any support. Dr. Bolton has never charged for ministry, and never sought to be paid for ministry, but the fact is, there are costs to operating a ministry -- even if it is "just" an Internet ministry. Without financial support and donations from subscribers, the ministry had to go dormant for a time. It was also a period of time that God was working on Dr. Bolton to refine him and bring him to a higher level in knowledge, a deeper level of intimacy with Him, and to a stronger level of faithfulness and commitment. The daily nature of the e-mail teachings required a commitment of time that left a one-person ministry a bit overwhelmed. God gave a new vision for the "resurrection" of Daily Faith Words in 2002 with a new emphasis. In 2005, the daily e-mails became a weekly e-mail, due to the extensive time demands a daily e-mailing required. It also became quite a challenge to continue to come up with a new, fresh message each and every day.
What is L.I.F.E. Faith Words?
It's a ministry of weekly e-mail messages of faith and inspiration from L.I.F.E. Word Ministries. It originally consisted of:
The new emphasis on L.I.F.E. Words returns to the strictly devotional approach, leaving out the humor, the brief thought, and the trivia, as part of the new vision given to Dr. Bolton, and will not be as long as the previous e-mailings, but will include many of the same elements.
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You Don't Need To Feel Powerless! --------------------------------------SCRIPTURE-------------------------------------- I John 5:4~5 Do you ever feel powerless over your behavior? If so, how can you become responsible? What do you have the power to do? Our text tells us we have the power to overcome the world, if we're born of God. Let us understand that the "world" and the "earth" are not synonymous. The "world" refers to a system of operation. The worldy system of operation (the "world") is in direct contrast and opposition to the heavenly system of operation (the kingdom of God). Yet, as I pointed out in yesterday's Daily Faith Words, we still sometimes sin, despite the fact that John tells us that "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (I John 3:9). We should understand that the English translation of John's words cheats us out of full understanding of the original Greek. According to the English renderings, those born of God do not and cannot sin! Yet we know that we do and can sin. Is John off base here? No! The actual Greek rendering is very different. The verb used in the Greek is in the present tense, indicating continual action. This verse does not say that a Christian never sins after conversion. The present tense indicates the breaking of a perpetual hold of sin in the life of the believer. A better English translation might be, "Whosoever is born of God does not continually and habitually sin." The power to overcome habitual sin is said to be a "seed" that remains in us. What might that seed be? A born-again Christian has the seed of faith planted within him. He has the Holy Spirit within him. And he has the seed of God's Word. In I John 2:14, John tells us he writes "because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one." And in verse 27, he reminds us that "the anointing that ye have received of him abideth in you." Love dwells in us (I John 4:12). The Spirit dwells in us as well (I John 4:13). And God Himself dwells in us (I John 4:16). No wonder John was able to say "...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4)!!! It's not of our own ability or power, but by God's Word, the Anointing, the love of God, the Spirit, and God Himself, that we have power to be overcomers of the world. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the Bible, teach that people must admit they are moral failures. Alcoholics admit they are powerless over alcohol. They don't have the fruit of self-control. Their powerlessness over addiction is similar to Paul's frustration that "what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:15, 19, 23) Though we do not have the power in and of ourselves to overcome these patterns, we do have the power to do some things that will bring fruits of victory later. 1 You have the power to agree with the truth about your problems. In the Bible this is called "confession." You can say, "That is me." You may not be able to change it yet, but you can confess the Truth. 2 You have the power to submit your inability to God. You always have the power to ask for help and yield. You have the power to humble yourself and turn your life over to Him. The humbling of yourself, commanded in the Bible, is always coupled with great promises. (1 John 1:9; James 4:7-10; Matt. 5:3-6) 3 You have the power to search, and ask God to reveal more about what is within your being. Ask for feedback from trusted individuals who have the insight to your character and can help you value what you already possess and help you see the area that needs improvement. But most importantly, submit yourself to the examination of the Holy Spirit. 4 You have the power to turn from the evil that you find within you. This is called "repentance." This does not mean that you'll be perfect; it means that you can see your sinful parts as aspects that you want to change. 5 You have the power to humble yourself and ask God to help you with your developmental insecurities and leftover childhood needs. Many of your problematic parts come from being empty inside, and you need to seek God to have those needs met. 6 You have the power to seek out those you have injured and make amends. You need to do this in order to be responsible for yourself and your sin, and be responsible to those you have injured. (Matt. 5:23-24) This, then, shows us just some of the ways we have power to be victorious, overcoming Christians. But the most important thing we must always keep in mind is the "power within": that which we have in us that is greater than that which is in the world. We are not powerless! As US tourists in Israel, a man and his wife were sitting outside a Bethlehem souvenir shop, waiting for fellow tourists. An Arab salesman approached them carrying belts. After an impassioned sales talk yielded no results, he asked where they were from. "America," the husband replied. Looking at her dark hair and olive skin, the Arab responded. "She's not from the States." "Yes I am." said the wife. He looked at her and asked, "Is he your husband?" "Yes." she replied. Turning to the husband, he offered.... "I'll give you 100 camels for her." The husband looked stunned, and there was a long silence. Finally he replied, "she's not for sale." After the salesman left, the somewhat indignant wife asked her husband what took him so long to answer, to which the husband replied, "I was trying to figure out how to get 100 camels back home."
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) *From "101 Things God Can't Do" by Maisie Sparks. It's because God can't do these things that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! Daily Faith Words © 1998 by Faith Word Ministries. All rights reserved. |
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Your SupportMakes This Ministry Possible!L.I.F.E. Word Ministries is registered with the I.R.S. and is supported in the same way your church is supported--through the voluntary and generous contributions from the people we serve. Like your pastor, I am not "in it for the money." Unlike your pastor, I do not receive tithes, but I do receive offerings or love gifts to enable this ministry to continue. L.I.F.E. Word Ministries serves people world-wide, from North and South America to Europe to Asia and Africa. If you use these resources regularly, I would like to ask you or your church to make a regular contribution to this ministry. Make checks payable to LIFE Word Ministries and mail to 8338 Friendship Rd., Cross Plains, TN 37049. |
L.I.F.E. Word Ministries
8338 Friendship Road
Cross Plains, TN 37049