A Lesson to be Learned!

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A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

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The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.

Just read this straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point:

* None of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
* These are no second-rate achievers.
* They are the best in their fields.
* But the applause dies....
* Awards tarnish.
* Achievements are forgotten.
* Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. Proverbs 8:35

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of people who made you feel appreciated and special!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Was this easier?

The lesson:

* People who make a difference in life are not the ones with:

* the most credentials... the most money... or the most awards.

* They simply are the ones who care the most.

A friend loveth at all times... Proverbs 17:17

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1


"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia !" The main thing is to know God as your Father and to have good Christian friends.

Share this with others!

In God's service for His Friends,

Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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Obey Him and be blessed!

* The Lord is a Light on my path, I shall not fear.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 30:15-20

May the word of the Lord find entrance in your heart. As God has spoken so He will do, for He is not a man that He shall lie. Therefore pay close attention and meditate upon His word, that you may understand and learn His will.

Blessed be the name of the Lord. AMEN!

For His glory,

Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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Preaching the Truth?

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SOMEONE TOLD THE PASTOR, "ITS NOT NICE TO KEEP THE TRUTH FROM YOUR CONGREGATION." THE PASTOR REPLIED, "THAT'S TRUE, BUT ITS GOOD FOR BUSINESS."

Business....Hmmm! Some use God's word for their own gain, even at the cost of going around the Truth, tickle the ears of the people and give them what is easy to swallow. Where do you think the such will end up? NOT in the Kingdom of God!

Collecting earthly "treasures", instead of seeking the TREASURES of the Kingdom of God? The pastor must have forgotten the scripture: "AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE."

He is withholding the Bread of Life from his congregation. Jesus said to Peter: "Feed My sheep." This includes presenting God's truth.

Something related was going on in the days of Jesus, as we can read below.

And He went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. Luke 19:45,46

Another warning for the pastor who pretends to bring God's word, but in fact is running his own business, is the following scripture.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21

I wouldn't want to be in the pastor's shoes.

Woe unto them that deceive the flock.

In God's truth,
Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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Temptation

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Temptation is something which will try to lure the follower of Christ into sin.

BUT... we can react by not allowing temptation and sin to whip us around.
I would like to add some words of prevention and help.

The believer can allow all kinds of feelings and/or thoughts to take over in his life if he/she listens to the whisperings of their own mind or that of satan. When bad or negative thoughts come up we have not sinned. But, if we allow this to linger and brood upon them, these thoughts will be acted out by deeds and will bring forth sin.

James 1:14,15... But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

"Temptation is the pull of man's own evil thoughts and wishes... that lead to evil actions." How true it is that, "What the mind dwells on the body acts upon!"

Temptation works in different ways. A seemingly innocent thought may come to mind out of the blue. Subconsciously one decides to dwell on that thought which will then effects their emotions. The more one concentrates on that thought, the stronger they feel about it. The more one thinks about it, they will then begin to visualize it in their mind what they desire and want to do. Unless one makes a conscious choice to stop thinking about it, they are most likely to give in to and act upon the temptation.

The battle is won or lost in the mind before one ever acts out the temptation. One of many dangers, in consistently giving into temptation, is what others have pointed out: "If we don't live the life we believe, we will end up unhappily believing the life we live." We do this because as long as we don't live consistently with what we believe, our mind experiences what is called "cognitive dissonance"; this is mental disharmony.

Because mankind can't tolerate this mental conflict, we change our beliefs to match our behavior and then rationalize and justify what we do. This is an extremely dangerous path to follow. The end result is, what the Bible calls, having a dead conscience which ultimately leads to death, spiritual death.

Being tempted is not sin, but to respond to temptation will lead to sin. You need to exchange the sinful thoughts that satan gives with the Word of God! Thoughts may pop up in our minds, yet when we meditate on them we start to make them our own. Thus, the key is to replace immediately your wrong thinking!

We can choose our thoughts! So also we can choose to quote scriptures and meditate on what the Word says instead! Satan can never over-ride your free will. You do have power and authority in Jesus Christ!! A follower of Christ needs to take control over his thoughts. Draw on His strength in times of weakness!! He is only a prayer away!!

Psalm 37:4-5... Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Allow the Fruit of the Holy Spirit to develop in your life; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance as written in Galatians 5:22,23


Shun sin and worldly places and through videos, TV programs, books, magazines etc. DO SOME HOUSECLEANING.

Proverbs 4:14,15... Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

When you get negative or sinful thoughts, which are not well pleasing unto the Lord, start singing: "All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give" or "What a friend I have in Jesus, All my sins and grieves to bear", and your bad thoughts have to leave immediately. Boy, you'll really chase satan away with this!

Psalm 118:14... The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

We have to discipline ourselves in all aspects of our Christian walk, including our thinking. Applying God's word to one's life is the road to VICTORY.

Romans 12:1,2... Ours is the daily sacrifice of the sinful self on the cross of Christ.... Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Philippians 4:8...Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on THESE things.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18...Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 3:2...Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

God has given us an opportunity to say NO to temptation, it is up to us to react.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

In His service.

Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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Serving two Masters?

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Since many people have a love for money, it has become their "god".
Having money is no sin, but if you are putting this above God money has become an idol. The Bible teaches that we cannot serve two master, the mammon and the Lord God. It will rip one apart if they try.

When people run out of money they are asking for prayer and begin seeking God to fill their wallet. Wallet filled, prayer is gone.

Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Acts 8:20

The love of money will destroy you. I recently read that a German Billionaire got in financial trouble due to the economical situation in the world. He threw himself before an uncoming train. His "god" was vanishing and so did he.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

There is far more to life than $$, believe me. Usually believers are living closer to God with little money than with too much. Life can be challenging, but God will provide if we put our trust in Him alone and as long as we focus on God and not having the dollar sign in our eyes.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

Naked we were born and naked we will die. In other words, we brought nothing with us when we arrived on this planet and we cannot take anything with us when we leave this world.

All the things of this world are temporal, including money. Life after death is eternal, be it eternal bliss or eternal burning. Something to think about!

In God's service,
Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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His Footprints

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I wander through life as a follower of Him
Who calmed the waters from my storms within
And as I walk at the beach of life's sea
I see footprints in the sand, leading me

They bring me to places which make me aware
Of my own soul's condition, my desires and fare
He reveals my own ambition, as where I stand
And gently leads me back by His holy hand

I've missed His footprints from time to time
Doing my own thing, as I followed a crooked line
Assuming that it would be alright for now
Just to find myself off track, with sweat on my brow

I've learned by following Jesus in His steps
Living according to His word and precepts
That we will be indeed a useful tool
Called wise by God, but by the world a fool

To be the greatest in the Kingdom of our Lord
One has to be humble, according to God's word
Not considering one's own comfort and care
But be servant of all, with whom Jesus we share

When we'll think nothing of ourselves, while we serve
Following in His footprints, with great nerve
Allowing His Spirit to take full control in our life
We'll see fruits for our labor, through souls that survive

Now let us reach out as true servants of God
Encouraging each other on the path we've trod
Walking together, while for souls we'll fight
Will glorify the Father and make our bonds tight

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Remember the word that I said to you, "A servant is not greater than his master." If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:20.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you. John 15: 13,14.

His handmaiden by His grace,
Dr. Trudy Veerman.

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WHAT IS FAITH?

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"HAVE FAITH IN GOD"

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Not having faith in what has been promised shows distrust in the one who gave the promise.

Faith is trusting God and acting upon it. Faith without works is dead. The word "works" here does not mean labor, but rather ACTION.

Faith does not come at once. It is a development... a growth. It is a matter of trust. It starts with little things first. For example: a little girl jumps off of the table in her father's arms, because he tells her to jump. She does not think: "I hope daddy does not let me fall flat on my face"... no... she jumps. Faith of a child.

Faith comes by hearing of the Word. Faith is active, it is not acquired by wishing, but through practice; by acting upon God's Word. For example: a pianist has to practice to develop her skills, just looking at the piano does not do her any good.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26

You must abide in Him, obey His word and walk by faith, not by sight. Exercise your faith and allow it to develop into maturity. Establish a deeper bond with the Lord, let holiness be your partner. Be in constant communication with Him and have your mind set on Him.

Whatever you pray for, walk by faith in the direction of your prayer.

Be encouraged for a closer walk with Him, get saturated with the scriptures, dwell upon Him and discipline yourself to praise Him at ALL times. For the Lord dwells in the praises of His children.

Now faith is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things NOT SEEN. Hebrews 11:1

In the natural realm, children will start asking questions of their parents. Their trust in their parents depends on how consistent the answers are. That is why children will ask the same questions over and over again, because they want to hear the SAME answers over and over again. This also provides a feeling of security.

A human being does not automatically trust someone or something. It has to be tried out, it is a learning experience. When a child grows up in a family where he has learned from previous experience to trust his parents, because they followed up their promises, he can easily tell his classmates that he is getting a new bike tomorrow, if his parents told him so.

Although the child has NOT seen the bike, he KNOWS he will get it.
It is a combination of communication and faith in action.

Such childlike faith can be transferred to your relationship with God, the Father.

In the service of the Master,

Minister Dr. Trudy Veerman

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