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Sometime back, I was travelling and someone booked our tickets through an Airline I hadn’t flown before. Turbulence scares me and so I fast and pray each time I travel and so this time too I decided to fast until we land back on ground. Soon after settling down into my seat and fastening my seat belt, I felt a strong nudge from the Lord ‘Don’t make fasting a formula. Don’t be so uptight. Just be free. I want you to enjoy the flight. Now just break your fast.’ Firstly, like I said, I always fast when I travel. Number Two, the chances of some good food being readily available on the Aircraft is not much as the Airlines usually do not have much of a choice on the short domestic flights, usually some nuts or instant noodles kind of stuff. Thirdly and most importantly, I don’t want any turbulence when I fly. Usually, this fear wouldn’t allow me to feel relaxed and enjoy my flight. God knows it. This time, He wanted me to deal with that fear. I thought fasting was a better way to deal with fear, but God’s thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. That thought from God to break the fast continued in my mind. Repeatedly. Soon, the cabin crew began serving food to the passengers and to my surprise one of them stopped by my seat and asked me what I would like to have as they are serving complimentary food to all passengers. Now that was a totally unexpected surprise. The Lord not only spoke to me to break my fast but made arrangements for food. No prizes for guessing what I did, I went right ahead and said yes to the food. I broke my fast 30 thousand feet or so above sea level. A few moments later, there was a sudden jolt as the aircraft shuddered violently and seemed to drop down with a sudden force. It was quite scary. For a minute I thought that message I heard might not have been from God and so I started praying with a bit of desperation and fear. The turbulence went on for a few minutes. A little later, it subsided and the flying was smooth again. The Pilot’s calming voice announced that that there was another aircraft that flew just some 1000 feet above our aircraft which caused the turbulence. He reassured that we are now safe and it’s all good. Well, we landed back safely and on schedule. I flew without fasting and enjoyed some really good complimentary food. It was all good. Above all, I faced my fear and overcame it as I trusted and obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit. I learnt something that day. I learnt that Jesus is more powerful than any fear. Yes, Jesus said, this kind shall go by prayer and fasting and there will be times of fasting and praying but not if we depend on a solution based only on fasting. His Word, His Command, His Love and His Authority is beyond fasting or anything else that we can do. Fear comes to intimidate us. That fear is just an illusion. If you give in you get yourself trapped into that fear. Remember what the Word says, ‘Resist the devil and he will flee.’ No fear is bigger than Jesus! My message to everyone out there, especially all the singles is this, no matter how single your circumstances are making you feel, it’s just an illusion. God is Love and if you will believe in Him you will find Love. Don’t give in to the fear or anxiety of how alone you are. Our God knows exactly what you feel. He knows exactly where you are. He will send Love your way and when you find it treasure it. Remember, before being defeated, Goliath, the giant intimidated everyone including the King. Then, David came to the scene. Can you imagine how alone David must have felt with everyone around him talking negative and being fearful? Moreover, instead of support there was criticism from his own brothers. And then, the intimidating threat from the giant continued not knowing that there was now someone new on the scene, someone ready to take up the challenge to fight, someone with no military qualification or resources but full of the Spirit of God. One stone in faith and the intimidation as well as the fear fell as though it was just an illusion! Whoever you are that’s reading this, no matter what it is that seems to be intimidating you, today, this message is just for you. Trust the Spirit of God. He is trying to say something to you. Read the Word of God, pray and listen to His voice, He will speak to you and show you that the Fear and anxiety that is intimidating you right now is only an illusion and will disappear in His presence. Psalm 23 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Sophia Benjamin’s regular devotional column TheGodMinute encourages readers to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fetuHjfsro&t=456s /

The 7 books support Roman Catholicism. The remaining 66 contradict Roman Catholicism. They are not, and have never been, in the Jewish canon. Josephus explicitly excluded them from his list. Philo (20 B.C.-50 A.D.) neither mentions or quotes them. Jewish scholars meeting at the Council of Jabneh did not recognize them. Most Church Fathers in fact rejected them. The sermons in the Book of Acts, which outline Jewish history, do not included apocryphal events. None of the Apocrypha claim inspiration or divine authority. Many of the Apocryphal books contain historical, geographical, and chronological errors. Many of the Apocryphal books teach heresy, contrary to the Word of God. Their literary style is legendary and fantasy. Some stories are grotesque and demonic. They lack the power and distinctive elements of the Word of God.ons in the Book of Acts, which outline Jewish history, do not included - Judith falsely states that Nebuchadnezzar reigns over the Assyrians,whereas he ruled Babylon instead.Torbit could not have witnessed the division of Israel into the northern and southern kingdoms in 931BC(Tor1:4),and have been deported 200 years later in 734BC(Tor1:10).Tobit 4:11 and Tobit 12:9 state that giving money forgives sins. This contradicts Christs' work on the cross. Jesus and the apostles quote 260 times from the 35 out of 39 OT books, yet they NEVER quoted the apocrypha. - Wisdom 8:19,20 is another contradiction between the apocrypha and Scripture. “For I was a witty child, and had a good spirit. Yea rather, being good, I came into a body undefiled.” However, the Bible teaches that all are born with original sin. "Through one man’s offense judgment came to all men... by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners" (Romans 5:18, 19). “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). The author of Wisdom believes he was an exception. Neither their authors nor the circumstances of their writings are known.The Jews nor the early Christians accepted them as inspired scripture.The books themselves dont claim inspiration.There's no"Thus saith the Lord"'s .Although the N.T has 263 direct quotes from and 370 allusions to the O.T,there's not a single reference to the books of the apocrypha.It was at Trent,Ap.8th1546,that the pope declared tradition+the apocrypha to be canonical and authoritative. God did not give councils the authority to select His sacred books, nor does He expect men to receive His sacred books only because of councils or on the basis of councils. It takes no vote or sanction of a council to make the books of the Bible authoritative. Men were able to rightly discern which books were inspired before the existence of ecclesiastical councils and men can do so today. A council of men in 390 with no divine authority whatever, supposedly took upon itself the right to state which books were inspired, and Catholics argue, "We can accept the Bible only on the authority of the Catholic Church." Can we follow such reasoning? It cannot be proven that the Catholic Church is solely responsible for the gathering and selection of the New Testament books. In fact, it can be shown that the New Testament books were gathered into one volume and were in circulation long before the Catholic Church claims to have taken its action in 390 at the council of Hippo. Catholics mearly defined what THEY would use as Scripture, NOT what Scripture WAS.

Psalm 139:23,24 - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." Observation: THE ENEMIES WHICH DEFEAT ME ARE HIDDEN AND LATENT WITHIN ME. THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST EXPOSE MY FOES BEFORE I CAN CONQUER THEM! AM I TOO PROUD OR TOO INSECURE TO ADMIT I NEED HELP? John 10:10 - "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The Holy Spirit, the Helper, is ready to give out gifts and is giving out gifts to those who are ASKING,KNOCKING and SEEKING and BELIEVING that God will do what He says He will do. Divine increase abounds right and left. Curses will be broken and blessings of God will be released. AFFIRMATIONS: I CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME THAT I MIGHT HAVE, KEEP, AND CONSTANTLY RETAIN A VITALITY, GUSTO, VIGOR, AND ZEST FOR LIVING THAT SPRINGS UP FROM DEEP DOWN INSIDE ME. I'M TAKING MY EYES OFF THE LOW ROAD, AND I'M HEADED FOR THE HIGH ROAD OF BLESSING GOD HAS PLANNED FOR ME! Isaiah 55:1,2 - "Wait and listen, every one who is thirsty, come to the waters, and he that has no money: come, buy, and eat; yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which does not satisfy? hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness (the profuseness of spiritual joy)." Observation: WHY DO I OFFER THE SILVER OF MY WILL FOR WHAT IS NOT BREAD (THE BREAD OF THE DIVINE SPIRIT) AND WASTE THE LABOR FOR MY APPETITES ON WHAT CANNOT SATISFY THEM? I WAIT AND LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HAVE THE FOOD I DESIRE AND MY SOUL DELIGHTS IN ABUNDANCE. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY