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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life PRAYER REQUESTS Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? If you are in need of prayer, simply drop us a note. Issue # 797 May 2, 2003 Chess Master I've always enjoyed a good game of chess. I've never been really good at the game, and even less so after my brain injury in 1991 but it still fascinates me. A good chess player anticipates all the possible responses to his/her move. Not only do they anticipate the possible immediate response but they also must think through al the possibilities for the whole game for each and every move. I used to be able to think four or five moves ahead but now it's one or at most two moves that I can plan. Needless to say that makes me easy pickings for an experienced player. The players that amaze me the most are the real masters. They can play twenty, thirty or more games at once. Not only can they play those games simultaneously, they win the vast majority of them. I think of God sometimes as the ultimate chess player. He knows the responses to an infinite number of possibilities to billions of player’s moves over untold generations. He is able to do that, know exactly what is needed in every possibility and provide for it. He must know exactly what decisions every person will face on a given day and what all the possible outcomes of those decisions must be. Think of little things, like the cheque that arrived unexpectedly in the mail for the exact amount you needed. That didn't just happen, that was the result of the master strategist at work. Some sceptics would dismiss that as coincidence, but when it happens over and over again to people all over the world, the probability of it being a random event becomes nil. What about those divine appointments? You know the ones where the right person had to be at the right spot and say exactly the right thing to touch your heart or encourage you. Consider the planning that went into making that happen. How many people were involved in the process that led you to a personal relationship with Christ? In my case it took 35 years of situations and circumstances, none of which I could have planned before I finally saw the truth. Only the ultimate chess master, God, could have arranged for that to happen. We often have people who write and share how deeply a given issue of Gleanings From The Word has touched their lives. These are people I've never met, often in place I will never go. Somehow or another, they had to come across Gleanings and get on the mailing list. Then God had to inspire me with the perfect thought to fit their circumstances. There is no way I could know what it was that they needed to hear. It could only happen by God's moving and planning. God truly is in control. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. Psalm 68:20 NIV How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 2 Samuel 7:2 NIV There truly is no one like God. He is the master planner, the great lover and the redeemer of all who will allow themselves to be saved. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. Psalm 86:8 NIV Until next time, let go of your illusions of control. God is truly in control. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING! Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are welcome. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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