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								<title>Blogs - PERSEVERE RSS Feed</title> <link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/index.cfm</link> <description>TheCypressTimes  PERSEVERE</description>
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											<title>THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD WILL HAVE ALL THEY NEED. OH REALLY?</title>
											<description>&lt;p&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&apos;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fear
 the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all 
they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who 
trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.&apos; Psalm 34: 9-10&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
 &lt;br&gt;When I feel discouraged and overwhelmed by 
life, I always navigate to the Psalms. Wow, the above verses seemed to 
jump off the page at me. All I can say is, really? At first, it can 
seem like David&apos;s words are questionable; because, let&apos;s face it. the 
majority of us lack many good things. Can you relate?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;
 &lt;em&gt;&apos;Those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing&apos;&lt;/em&gt;isn&apos;t&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt; a
 blanket promise that all Christians will have everything they want. 
David is praising God for His goodness - period. This means all of 
those who call upon God in both good and bad times (especially in bad 
times) will have their needs met, sometimes in unexpected ways. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/THOSE_WHO_FEAR_THE_LORD_WILL_HAVE_ALL_THEY_NEED_OH_REALLY/59862</link>
											<author>No Author</author>
											<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 15:27:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SKIT GUYS - THE MOM SONG</title>
											<description>&lt;brclass=&apos;apple-interchange-newline&apos;&gt;The Skit Guys deliver a special Mother’s Day message, but Tommy gets a little carried away in song...&lt;/brclass=&apos;apple-interchange-newline&apos;&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SKIT_GUYS_THE_MOM_SONG/59720</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sat, 12 May 2012 09:55:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>HE PURGETH IT!</title>
											<description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15: 2&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;He purges it! Think about this verse of Scripture…&lt;em&gt; “In His atonement Christ purged our sins by His own blood (Hebrews 1:3, 9:22).”&lt;/em&gt;The result of that purging is nothing but lovely and beautiful, but ”cruelty” is the word associated with the agonizing way Christ had to die. Yet Jesus knew of the joy set before Him and therefore trusted and obeyed His Father.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/HE_PURGETH_IT/59638</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 14:42:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SEEING THE WAY GOD WANTS ME TO SEE</title>
											<description>After our new birth something amazing happens… the Holy Spirit removes whatever blinders we have that are preventing us from seeing the way things truly are; He opens our eyes so we can see the meaning of God’s Word, and He shows us how it applies to our lives. Experience has taught me well, and I can say with much confidence that God allows his children to learn certain secrets of His providence and sovereignty…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SEEING_THE_WAY_GOD_WANTS_ME_TO_SEE/59513</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 14:59:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SHOW SOME LUV TO A NEW CHRISTIAN BOOK REVIEWER</title>
											<description>Hello! My name is Valerie Lynn and I am the author of “&lt;a href=&apos;http://aroadtohome.wordpress.com/&apos;&gt;A Road To Home&lt;/a&gt;.” My blog is a Christian blog which I write about the road I am traveling with Jesus Christ. My motto is, “Life comes with many bumps in the road, but with Jesus life is a lot smoother.” I am also a Christian book reviewer for &lt;a href=&apos;http://cwareviewcrew.com/&apos;&gt;Christian Women Reviewers&lt;/a&gt;which is a division of &lt;a href=&apos;http://christianwomenaffiliate.com/&apos;&gt;Christian Women Affiliate&lt;/a&gt;. Christian Women Affiliate brings resources to the Christian women online. They have started a review division ( which by the way they are looking for authors to submit their material for review). I have been accepted, I just need some more followers of my blog. If you could please click the “a road to home” link above and look at my blog I would appreciate it. If you decide to follow that will be wonderful, but the decision is yours. Thank you! so much.For His Glory!Valerie Lynn</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SHOW_SOME_LUV_TO_A_NEW_CHRISTIAN_BOOK_REVIEWER/59417</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 12:03:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>THE HOLY SPIRIT AND YOU</title>
											<description>Do we really know Him? He’s the most ignored member of the Godhead. We need to know what is of God and what is of the flesh… and the only way we can see that difference is getting the gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit. He’s not just an emotional experience. He’s a person who removes the blinders from our eyes. He’s waiting to give us wisdom from God Almighty. It would do us well to recognize and worship Him! I want to know what His ministry is in me. I totally want to cooperate with Him.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/THE_HOLY_SPIRIT_AND_YOU/59194</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:41:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>HOW CAN WE SAY WE KNOW HIM?</title>
											<description>Jesus is the Man of Sorrows. He swallowed pain, and swallowed it whole. Should we never taste a morsel of that pain? How can we say we know Him, if we refuse to live through some of that sorrow?</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/HOW_CAN_WE_SAY_WE_KNOW_HIM/59032</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:46:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>AFTER THE LOCUSTS HAVE EATEN</title>
											<description>&lt;brclass=&apos;apple-interchange-newline&apos;&gt;It’s a fact, a sad fact, that all of us have times of scarcity and famine. But the flip side of these times speak of R-E-S-T-O-R-A-T-I-O-N! God says we can expect restoration, and that’s exciting. There’s one word that God has spoken over and over to me, and that is&lt;strong&gt; focus&lt;/strong&gt;. Oh yes my friend, God brings both the bad and good. Going through the hard places in our lives accomplishes something only a hard place can accomplish. The hard places… they can be like a jackhammer breaking apart the rocks of resistance, and stripping away the junk we’re carrying. It may even remove the things and people we rely on for comfort. It can seem very cruel. God loves us too much to allow us to stay like we are.&lt;/brclass=&apos;apple-interchange-newline&apos;&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/AFTER_THE_LOCUSTS_HAVE_EATEN/58948</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:04:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>CAN I TRUST THE BIBLE?</title>
											<description>Some super intelligent people tell me that the Bible contradicts itself. They say that it’s just a book, that it’s nothing but a collection of fairy tales. But they’re wrong. I used to feel the way they do. I didn’t give much credence to the Bible. I used to think being born-again meant you were a Jesus freak, even a fanatic. With much conviction, my answer to them is – “I was once blind but now I can see.” Hard to explain, but one thing I know for sure is that Jesus meant what He said…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/CAN_I_TRUST_THE_BIBLE/58835</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:16:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SHORT BUT SO SWEET</title>
											<description>&lt;br&gt;Hi everyone! &amp;amp;nbsp;I posted this on Facebook today and felt led to post it here too...
&lt;p style=&apos;text-align: center;&apos;&gt;&lt;a href=&apos;http://www.lorilaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/lens19133211_1329666861aa.jpg&apos;&gt;&lt;img class=&apos;size-full wp-image-7501 aligncenter&apos; title=&apos;lens19133211_1329666861aa&apos; src=&apos;http://www.lorilaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/lens19133211_1329666861aa.jpg&apos; alt=&apos;&apos; height=&apos;250&apos; width=&apos;250&apos;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;You will never fully realize the level of strength of your grasp on Christ, or His grasp on you, until the Devil uses all his force to attract you to himself. It is then you will feel the tug of Christ&apos;s hand. &lt;em&gt;~Streams in the Desert&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&apos;http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3744292249533&amp;amp;amp;set=a.1062259560392.10349.1343047894&amp;amp;amp;type=1&apos; rel=&apos;theater&apos;&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SHORT_BUT_SO_SWEET/58638</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:10:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>HE IS MASTER OVER ALL...</title>
											<description>If the Bible says that God determined the time in which we live and 
where we live, then why is it so hard for some to really grasp His 
sovereignty? There is no attribute more comforting to His children, 
than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, 
in the most severe trials–they believe that sovereignty has ordained 
their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty
 will sanctify them all. I am sure God wants me to address this &lt;img src=&apos;http://www.lorilaws.net/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif&apos; alt=&apos;:)&apos;&gt;
 I HATE the “Health Prosperity Gospel,” and I HATE that most of our 
pulpits skirt around the suffering issue or outright speak an untruth 
about it. When you are seriously trying to find answers about this, God
 will meet you up close and personal with the truth.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/HE_IS_MASTER_OVER_ALL/58431</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:50:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SO DON&apos;T BE SURPRISED, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IF THE WORLD HATES YOU - 1 JOHN 3: 13 </title>
											<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and 
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
 my sake.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is 
your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were 
before you.” Matthew 5: 11-13&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SO_DONT_BE_SURPRISED_DEAR_BROTHERS_AND_SISTERS_IF_THE_WORLD_HATES_YOU_1_JOHN_3_13/58167</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:17:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>GOD, IF YOU DON&apos;T SHOW UP... I&apos;M SUNK!</title>
											<description>Delays. For some of us, the most difficult ingredient in suffering 
is time! Short lived, sharp pain is easily endured, but one can become 
very weary when suffering drags on year after monotonous year. Let’s 
be honest… A heart can lose strength and without the grace of God, that 
battered heart can sink into dismal despair and dark depression. I know
 I’m describing someone’s heart or at best, masses of hearts.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/GOD_IF_YOU_DONT_SHOW_UP_IM_SUNK/58104</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:07:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>DID THE LORD EVER SPEAK TO ME AT ALL?</title>
											<description>“Did the Lord Ever Speak to Me at All? If so, why does He allow the 
innocent to suffer? Why was I sent to this filthy prison while that 
lewd woman (Potiphar’s wife) lives in the lap of luxury? Could not an 
omnipotent God deliver me? Why then does He leave me here?” Could 
Joseph in the face of such questions still cling to God’s faithfulness 
and reliability? He could and he did. This is what it means to be 
tried by the Word. Joseph’s faith, integrity, and endurance were put to
 the test.
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/DID_THE_LORD_EVER_SPEAK_TO_ME_AT_ALL/57860</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:25:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title> AND GOD SAID... NO!</title>
											<description>Hi everyone. My surgery went good. I’m
 just trying to recover and take things slow but that’s not an easy 
thing to do! It feels like things are back to normal, but every now and
 then I’m reminded that I just had surgery, by the pain at my incision. 
 So I need to lay off the bending and sitting until I get my sutures 
removed – that will be next Thursday. I found this earlier on Facebook,
 and loved it! I asked for permission to republish it here…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/AND_GOD_SAID_NO/57766</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:55:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>THE FAT YEARS AND THE LEAN YEARS</title>
											<description>Are you liking this study we’re doing on Joseph? I sure am! My last 
post ended by saying that the chief use of trial to Joseph, and to us is
 very often seen in our future lives. While Joseph was tried in prison, 
God’s ultimate goal was to prepare him for the government position that 
awaited him.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/THE_FAT_YEARS_AND_THE_LEAN_YEARS/57218</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:52:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>AND LAID YOUR HAND UPON ME</title>
											<description>It takes tremendous courage to look away from circumstance and look 
instead to God. A good measure of our faith is having the courage to 
believe in a good outcome, despite all that we see. We all know it’s 
seldom easy to do the right thing. It takes courage and faith to stand 
up when the world or our circumstances want to beat us down. In all 
things God is there to hold us up when we rely on Him for support.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/AND_LAID_YOUR_HAND_UPON_ME/57168</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:22:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>GOD&apos;S LOVE IN ADVERSITY</title>
											<description>Joseph! Oh how I want to have a conversation with Joseph when I get 
to Heaven! I find myself time and time again getting hope and 
encouragement from his story. My desire is for you also to glean hope, 
encouragement, and the wisdom to know that God always-always has a plan 
of redemption for us. But I’ll be the first to admit… that thought is 
tough, and almost impossible to embrace when all hell breaks loose in 
our lives! But I know when our emotions go haywire we have to rely on 
the facts… and the only facts to rely on are what God says in the Word.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/GODS_LOVE_IN_ADVERSITY/56871</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:44:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>THE WORD OF GOD WILL TRY YOU</title>
											<description>Dear friend, if God gifts you, or if he graces you – then He intends 
to try you. Being “tried by the Word” is something that has lately been
 mulling over in my mind. So when I received a devotional that spoke 
about this, I knew I should write about it here. When we remember the 
story of Joseph in the Old Testament, we see how much hardship he 
endured. Poor Joseph was up to his neck in adversity! We learn the 
details of this “swan in the ducks nest” in the Bible…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/THE_WORD_OF_GOD_WILL_TRY_YOU/56806</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:47:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>BE AT REST ONCE MORE,  MY SOUL</title>
											<description>&lt;em&gt;“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” Psalm 116: 7&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;br&gt;
I laid my heart out to God last night, like I have done so many times 
before. There are times when nothing is being said. There are times when
 all you can do is cry and not say a word, but God hears every whisper 
of your breaking heart. He knows. Yes, He knows. When I woke up today &lt;em&gt;“Be at rest once more, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you”&lt;/em&gt; penetrated my heart and flooded my thoughts. I immediately searched for this phrase online (I used&lt;a href=&apos;http://www.blueletterbible.org/&apos;&gt; The Blue Letter Bible&lt;/a&gt;) and Psalm 116 came on the screen. A beautiful Psalm! Let me share the first six verses with you…&lt;/p&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/BE_AT_REST_ONCE_MORE_MY_SOUL/56613</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:03:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SEEKING THE KINGDOM</title>
											<description>We left off saying that true spirituality is from the heart. 
Christianity is not about religion; it’s about following a person. Jesus
 isn’t someone we one day decide to believe and then tuck away and 
forget. He desires an authentic, ongoing relationship with us. To do 
this takes effort, and if you are a believer it should be the driving 
force of your life. Jesus told us that before anything else, we should 
seek the Kingdom of God. In short, what that means is to put God first. 
We must fill our thoughts with His desires, not ours.</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SEEKING_THE_KINGDOM/56504</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:20:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>TRUE SPIRITUALITY</title>
											<description>These fours verses in Scripture have the potential to dramatically 
change your life if you can really grab hold of them. Why? Because it 
puts a finger on why many of us live defeated spiritual lives, without 
victory…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/TRUE_SPIRITUALITY/56412</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:06:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>SOME ENCOURAGING WORDS...</title>
											<description>God has a way of quieting us with His love. The world around us keeps spinning, but somehow you’ve ended up on the sidelines watching others succeed and be blessed. You feel left out. Be patient. God has not forgotten about you, He hasn’t forgotten the dreams and visions He placed on your heart. Listen to what He has to say to you…</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/SOME_ENCOURAGING_WORDS/56356</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:34:00 EST</pubDate>
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											<title>NOTHING BUT SILENCE</title>
											<description>&lt;h3&gt;“But He kept silent and answered nothing.” Mark 14: 61&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Let me speak from what I know. Are you in the midst of some trial now? Are you disappointed… heartbroken… sorrowful? You’ve been silently crying out to God from the depths of your heart. You need a word. You need direction. You need counsel. All those things are promised by God, yet you have failed to see or hear any of them. Nothing come to your rescue. There is only the sound of deafening silence. God’s heart&lt;em&gt; has to ache&lt;/em&gt; listening to our sad, pitiful, complaining cries – He&lt;em&gt; has to feel&lt;/em&gt; the sting in His chest…&lt;/p&gt;</description>
											<link>http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Blogs/PERSEVERE/NOTHING_BUT_SILENCE/56226</link>
											<author>Lori Laws</author>
											<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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