Tradition and religion show God as angry or sad or indefferent. But how is He, really? Find out in thes powerful article from Blessed Beyond Measure.
There are no instructions in the Bible as to how to handle the physical body after death. While cremation has pagan roots, we do not see the prohibiting of the practice mentioned in Scripture.
There are many examples of burials throughout the Bible. In Genesis 23:9, Abraham purchased a burial site for Sarah and himself, and Joseph requested that his bones be carried out of Egypt (Genesis 50:25). In the New Testament, ground burials were noted for John the Baptist (Mark 6:29), Lazarus (John 11:17-19) and Jesus (Mark 15:46). There are no mentions of cremation in the New Testament.
Part of finding perfect peace is through learning to enter into God’s rest. To learn more about God’s rest, here’s a great Bible study outline from Kenneth Copeland. This outline is a part of his personal study notes and it is included in both the Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition Bible and the Kenneth Copeland Personal Notes Edition New Testament.
Entering into God’s Rest
I. Hebrews 1:3—Jesus sat down.
Yes, if given opportunity. And you can be sure Satan will try to take advantage of every opportunity made available to him (1 Peter 5:8). Many people are oppressed by Satan in their minds, as others are in their bodies. Satan cannot read our minds, but he can tempt us with wrong thoughts. The good news is that we can resist those thoughts by speaking God’s Word out of our mouths.
To understand the full intent and extent of THE BLESSING, you have to return to where it was first expressed—in the creation of man. In the Garden of Eden, God’s intent was for man to have dominion over the whole earth.
Unity is vital to marriage, whether deciding on church attendance or any other important issue. God loves you and your spouse deeply, and His main desire is that you walk in unity with one another. Sometimes it may seem difficult to gain common ground on certain issues, but by the power of God you can both walk in unity if you will put your trust in Him.
Religious tradition says that healing has passed away. They aren’t exactly sure when it happened, but they seem certain of its demise.
When you start reading the Bible, however, it’s easy to see why tradition is mistaken. God said, “I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26, KJV). He didn’t say, "I was the LORD who healed you," or, "I will be the LORD who heals you in heaven someday." He said, "I am your Healer—right now, today!" “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6, KJV).
Jesus said as long as you live in the world, you're going to have trouble. (I can vouch for that!) But you're not just in the world. You're in Jesus in the world, and that makes all the difference. You're in Him and He's overcome every kind of trouble there is.
As God's child, you're not the defeated trying to get victory. You're the overcomer, and Satan's trying to rob you of the victory that already belongs to you.
Are you doing what God called you to do?
If you haven't ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, "Oh, I'm not really called to do anything. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind...I guess I'm just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ."
Let me tell you something: No matter who you are, God has put a holy calling in you. He's designed you and called you to meet a need in the Body of Christ that nobody else can meet quite like you can.
Living in a home filled with the love and the peace of God Himself is almost like living in heaven right here on earth. We all know that's true. And we long to live in such a home. Yet, time and time again, we shortchange our families. We spend our kindest words and our most winning smiles on those beyond our front door.
Have you ever wondered why?
Preparation. When it comes to fighting spiritual battles, that's a word you'd do well to remember. Most believers don't pay much attention to it. They don't prepare themselves in advance. They fiddle around until the devil makes his move, then they jump up and try to fight him with the Word... and they usually lose.
Can you really have a merry Christmas even when you have a thousand and one pressures bearing down on you? Yes, you can—and you don't have to leave the country to do it. No matter how intense or how trivial the problems are that you're facing right now, you can have the most wonderful, most carefree Christmas season you've ever had in your life; and you can start having it today.
Are you ready to face a crisis? Don't wait until one hits to find out. Prepare yourself now.
That's what a couple of my Partners did. They faced a situation that would have made many people panic. But when the crisis hit, their hearts were so deeply established on the Word of God that their first response was not one of fear but of faith.
What affected me most when I heard their testimony was one particular phrase they kept using:
No Deposit—No Return
Christmas is a very important time of year. It's a time of year when the whole world is hearing the message of the birth of Jesus. It's a time when people are tenderhearted...the perfect time to plant seeds of love in the lives of those you meet.
Sometimes those seeds may just take the form of a kind word in the middle of rush-hour shopping. Other times, you may get the opportunity to pray and minister to someone. But whatever the situation, keep a sharp eye out for even the smallest chance to assist people.
If you were given the choice between life and death, which would you choose? The answer seems obvious. But, in reality, it's not.
You see, choosing death doesn't necessarily mean jumping from the nearest cliff. It's much more subtle than that.
The Bible says death is being carnally minded, being entangled in this present worldly realm. The Bible also tells us what life is. "My son, attend to my words," says Proverbs 4:20-22, "...for they are life!"
To be worldly minded is death. To be Word-minded is life.
We are commanded to pray for our country and our leaders. But having prayed, God expects us to act. The elections in the United States are vital to the future of this nation. Our country is in the midst of a spiritual outpouring, and it’s vitally important that the right people be elected. We must see to it.
You may be facing trouble today that’s being caused by people who have willfully plotted to do you harm. They may be trying to steal your business, your home, your children, or even to destroy your marriage. If so, I have a word of encouragement for you. According to Psalm 33:10, God will bring the plans of those people to nought. He will make their devices of none effect. The counsel of the heathen is brought to nought, but the counsel of the Lord stands forever!
If you were to look up the Greek word that’s translated “knowledge” in that scripture, you’d find out that it means more than just a mental understanding of something, more than the kind of knowledge that can be gained through your senses. It means exact knowledge. Knowledge that’s been revealed directly to your heart by the Spirit of God. I call it revelation knowledge.
God’s rest. Considering the hectic, busy lives you and I live that sounds like a pretty good thing to have, doesn’t it? But exactly what is that rest? And how do we enter it?
The third and fourth chapters of Hebrews compare God’s rest with the children of Israel taking possession of the Promised Land. That land was to be a place where their every need would be met, a place of freedom from their warring enemies, a place no one would ever drive them from again. All they had to do was go in and possess it. But something kept them from it: unbelief and disobedience.