Okay, I spend waaaaayyyy to much time here, but that's okay. I love it here at stand318.com. This is going to sound silly, but I have become so accustomed to being called "forever" that every time I hear the word forever changed I think of this site. Like I was reading this book that really changed my life a while back, and in the book one of the chapters was called "forever changed". I thought that was really awesome. And then I was reading a book a few weeks ago that really helped me out, and it had the words together: you will be forever changed. I just had to laugh. It was like God knew that I would read those books and take special meaning to them. I know that sounds but that's just me...
ANYWAY, the point of this little anecdote: I have had a lot of trouble struggling with guilt lately, and it has really inhibited my worship. Anyone with me on this? Ever felt so yukky that you wanted to worship but felt like God would just laugh at you if you did because you feel like you don't mean it? Anyone?
Anyway, Monday night, I was struggling again. Really bad. I would start to sing, and then I would trail off. I just couldn't get into it. At all. And then the band started playing that song:
Forever God is faithful.
Forever God is strong.
Forever God is with us.
Forever, forever.
And I just felt something in my spirit like God was speaking to ME.

forever, God is with us!
forever, God is strong!
forever, God is with us!
forever, forever! Hey, are you listening, forever? Michelle, hello! I'm faitful. I'm strong. I am with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. I created you to praise me. So get with it, forever!
And from then on, I was able to put the guilt away and sing out (sorry to those who may have been sitting in front of me... )
So anyway, just thought I'd share that just because I want you all to know how many different ways God has used <FONT face="impact"><FONT size="3">STAND318</FONT s></FONT f> and <FONT face="impact"><FONT size="3">stand318.com</FONT s></FONT f> to change my life.

Excellent word, forever!

Here is another of encouragement:

Jeremiah 1
5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.


Isaiah 49
15
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

sela

These, for some reason, have come to mind, been spoken from a pulpit, etc. several times in the last few weeks... even when we feel non-existent, that God has forsaken us, no-one loves us, we have done too much wrong to ever get back into God's graces, this says to me that God always has, does, and always will love us.

Proverbs 3
5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.


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Allen

just a little thought on "forever"...

earlier this year some of us here at STAND318
had the privilege of helping with a youth event in Houston called DISCIPLE NOW 2000. the weekends theme was about esther and "for such a time as this." i know the weekend was supposed to be for the youth but GOD really opened my eyes to something. Jason and Greta both spoke that weekend and i was just a part of the counselors up until our last session. Jason was speaking and he made the comment that changed my perspective on "forever"; i guess i had never look at it quite like this, but nevertheless it shook the ground beneath my feet just to have this new revelation of understanding. enough already, he commented and i quote,

"There should be no division where i begin and where GOD begins!"

(he went on to talk about a mindset change, and being a world changer...)
immediately i had a picture of a wedding scene in my head. the bride and groom were exchanging vows and rings, "with this ring, i thee wed...to have and to hold from this day forward." i know we have all heard that a ring is a picture of "forever". there is no beginning and no end. but it just never clicked. i have always loved jewelry, and i remember when i was a kid and we would go the the grocery store with mom, we (me and sis) would always want quarters for the machines before we left. anyways i say all of this to say, that in some of those machines there was jewelry, and my favorite were the rings...but the funny thing about these rings is that they didn't connect, they were adjustable! so, what i'm saying is that my revelation of "forever" was knowing that with GOD i don't have to worry about standing at the altar with an adjustable ring, rather one that is whole, complete, never-ending, constant, "forever"...just like HIM. if there is division with me and GOD it is because i chose to adjust what i didn't like, the incredible thing is that HE never adjusts--HE is constant, HE is "forever". it's amazing what you can be taught if you just listen, even when you are surrounded by rowdy teenagers!
WOW!!!
"forever"...what a thought.
court

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STAND 318 MA-MA

<FONT COLOR="#ffffff" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by vikchik on 10-13-2000 at 08:59 AM</font>

Awesome, Court! Thanks for sharing that!!! WOW!

And Allen, that's kinda funny. The day I posted that, on the way home I started thinking about that verse (God knew us before He created us)...Thanks for all of those verses!
You guys rock.