Messages: These powerful short messages encourage, inspire, and convict “People of the Way” to enter into the presence of the Living God and to mirror the image of the precious Lord Jesus, bringing his life to this hurt and broken world. The messages were written by Richard E. Bieber (REB) 1927-2021. A pastor whose prolific writings spanned six decades.

Artwork: The beautiful art featured here enhances the power, depth and visual appeal of the messages. It is by the gracious permission of the artists. We are grateful for their kindness and generosity and blessed and amazed by their talent. Please respect their hard work and time by not using without their permission. The art is linked to their websites where you can learn about them and view more of their moving art.

Recently Formatted Shorts

IN THE DEPTHS OF YOUR HEART

Those who are humble enough to hear the truth written in their DNA know that history is not open-ended.

We are moving toward a climax.

One day the present chaos will give way to penetrating Light.

Every heart will be exposed for what it is.

Every hidden thing will be uncovered.

Meanwhile, as chaos increases worldwide, the Jewish Prophet, Jesus, so badly misrepresented by Christendom, is covering the earth with a new wave of hope, calling all people to receive forgiveness and healing in exchange for their sorry lives.

God Doesn’t need your help or advice, Instead He wants your open heart.

He is your Messiah, and he is closer to you than your breath, as you read these words.

Listen for his voice in the depths of your heart.

Follow him into new life, as you receive his forgiveness, healing and peace.

“Come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your souls.”

He is very much alive from the dead.

Waiting for you to say,

“Here I am, Lord! Help me!”

Prayer: We know Lord that your power is like no other power, unfathomable in its mercy and love, full of healing, beauty, wonder, and the ability to overthrow darkness and pain. We submit to your Spirit, fill us so we may live in, move in, and carry this precious redemptive power. Yes Lord, possess us, sustain us with your power so we can accomplish your holy redeeming purpose beyond anything the kinds of power in this world could ever do. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber 2012 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Michael Cook
Website: hallowed-art.co.uk

#Open_your_heart #Listen #MichaelCookArt

MAYBE IT’S TIME

When I leave this world….

The sun will still rise.

The stars will still shine.

Folks will be going about their lives as always.

The devil and his angels will be getting all the gusto they can before their time is up.

And God will still be in control.

Maybe it’s time for me to let God run the world as he sees fit.

To just serve God quietly in the place where he has put me.

_______________________

Actually, it’s a relief to let God run things without my help.

To let the Lord Jesus fit me into God’s program wherever he chooses.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11)

“But what if God forgets something?”

“What if the devil makes trouble?”

“What if things don’t unfold the way I expect?”

There is nothing you can remember that God could forget.

There’s no evil that God cannot conquer and redeem.

Nothing can get in the way of God’s Kingdom, as it prepares to swallow up all darkness with its light.

“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1)

Prayer: Yes, Lord it is time for us to give up our need to control everything, to give up telling you how to do things. Help us to trust that you are all in all, first and last, that you are alive forever, that you and only have the keys of life and death and that you will defeat darkness and evil forever. Help us to stop fretting and just get on with the simple things, the light things you call us to. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber May 2021 aka Can God Get Along Without My Help Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Michael Cook Website: hallowed-art.co.uk

#Let_God_Run_Things #God_is_in_Control#MichaelCookArt

TWO KINDS OF POWER

Presidents, Prime Ministers, Parliaments…make decisions that affect our lives.

Multinationals and their well-financed lobbies…influence policies that cost us dearly.

This kind of power corrupts even those who begin with the best intentions.

But there is another kind of power that works amid the chaos of this world:

“You gave the Son power over all people so that he could give eternal life to all those you have given to him. (John 17:2)

Redemptive power.

The power of the living God.

If you seek this power, it will find you.

You will not possess this power.

It will possess you.

You will not control this power.

It will sustain you.

The power of the Spirit of God. Given to those who offer up their lives to God.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:19-20)

What greater gift could you ever desire than this?

Prayer: We know Lord that your power is like no other power, unfathomable in its mercy and love, full of healing, beauty, wonder, and the ability to overthrow darkness and pain. We submit to your Spirit, fill us so we may live in, move in, and carry this precious redemptive power. Yes Lord, possess us, sustain us with your power so we can accomplish your holy redeeming purpose beyond anything the kinds of power in this world could ever do. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber 2012 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Chris Powers
Website: Fullofeyes.com

#Sustaining_Power #Redemptive_Power #ChrisPowersArt

THE DEBT THAT KEEPS ME GOING

My bills are paid.

I don’t owe anybody.

But there is one debt that keeps me going:

The debt I owe to the One who redeemed me, restored me, gave me life.

Truth is, my life is no longer my own.

It belongs to him.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

It’s a debt of gratitude,

a debt of love.

I no longer have to prove myself, justify myself, vindicate myself, to human eyes.

My life is consumed with offering back to the Lamb of God the life he has redeemed…..

…with songs of praise

…with washing feet

…with forbearance toward all

…with generosity

…with forgiveness

…with instant obedience to his guiding Spirit.

The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:12-14)

Prayer: Holy lord, we owe you for redeeming us, for calling us, for loving us, for holding us. We belong to you now and we are willing to pay the price for your precious care. And yes, may this debt we owe you keep us going and consume us with offering back whatever we can to you, by putting on your armor of light, by conducting our lives constantly directed by your Spirit…to wash feet, to be generous, kind, gracious, forgiving and forbearing, and at all times aware and thankful for who you are and all you do for us. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber 2008 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Neil Breebaart Website: Artrefined.co.za

#Debt_to_God #Price_Paid #NeilBreebaartArt

LIVING THE MERCY PRAYER

Suddenly we discover that we are not paranoid.

It’s actually happening!

They accuse us of wrongs we never committed.

They slander us.

Behind their smiles they’re trying to take us down.

“Lord God, I’m losing sleep over it. I don’t know what they’re going to do next. Help me!”

That’s a valid prayer.

But here’s a better one to add to it suggested by Rex Andrews:

“Lord Jesus, flood that person with your fulfilling mercies, meeting all their needs!”

Moreover our Lord commands us in the midst of our despair to…

“Pray for those who persecute you.”

When we pray for our persecutors….

We’re asking God to bless them!

For Him to envelope them with his love.

It’s the kingdom way, a prayer we keep praying for our persecutors till our dying day.

Living what we pray

But we don’t just pray the mercy prayer, we live it.

We enter into the mind of Christ, who lived this kind of mercy all the way to Calvary.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (I Peter 2:21-25)

But what if I can’t do it?

What if the wound they inflicted on my life is so deep, I just cannot bring myself to pray blessing on them?

What if my soul would feel betrayed by praying for the one who has destroyed my life?

I just can’t do it, Lord! Not after what they did to me.

If you want me to pray mercy on them, you will have to help me to die again with you!

Help me to pray the words with my mouth until they reach my heart!

Flood this person with your fulfilling mercies, meeting all their needs!

And Lord, empower me to live what I pray!

Prayer: Amen! Yes, Lord, help that mercy reach our lips, our hearts, and our feet.

Message: Richard E. Bieber July 2021 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Jane Spencer
Website: The Secret Place on Facebook

#The_Mercy_Prayer #Help_me_to_have_mercy #Pray_for_those_who_persecute_you #Live_Mercy #JaneSpencerArt

THAT FIRST STEP

It’s not enough to “see the light.”

After you’ve “seen the light” …. the miracle takes place…

…only when you enter the light.

…only when you walk in it.

Nothing redemptive happens within you, until you take that first step.

“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.”

“Rise, take up your bed and go home.”

“Leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift.”

Whenever God “turns on the light” he always illuminates a single step.

An act of repentance.

A change of attitude.

A leap of faith.

The abandoning of a long-held grudge.

A gift to a needy one.

The instant we take that step,

— our chains begin to fall away,

— our eyes open,

— the life of heaven floods our being.

And we have entered God’s world.

Prayer: Oh precious Lord, help us to take that first step each and every day. Rescue us from running ahead and veering off course trying to do something big, something spectacular for you. Help us to perceive that it’s these small redemptive, merciful, kind acts that are covered with your power. It’s the littlest steps in which true miracles happen. And it’s in the little steps where we find your healing, your rest, your very heart. And yes Lord, flood us with the life of heaven as we enter your world by embracing lives of healing forgiveness and mercy and continue to take these single, beautiful, redemptive steps each day. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber 2010 Printable/Shareable Copy

Featured Artist: Courtesy of Jane Spencer Website: The Secret Place on Facebook

#Forgive #Small_Redemptive_Steps #JaneSpencerArt

WHOEVER HAS EARS…

Some people get it.

Some people don’t.

Jesus never wastes time trying to convince those who have no ears for his message. He says what he has to say and lets the seeds fall where they will.

Jesus is not a salesman.

He is not a debater.

Jesus is the WORD.

Jesus is God speaking.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!”

Jesus speaks to you….

Because he loves you

He knows you inside-and-out.

He makes sure you hear what he has to tell you.

Then it’s up to you.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!”

When I hear Jesus speak….

Do his words fall to the ground, or do they burn with fire as they enter my ears?

Do they reach my heart or dry up in my distracted mind?

Jesus’ words have unspeakable power.

But do I have ears?

The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)

Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for speaking to us. Thank you for loving us enough to call us, to guide us, and to lead us to life. May we listen, may we hear, may your words burn with life within us. May we let go of what distracts us from following them. May we live and walk in the power of your words every day of our lives. Amen.

Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2020 Printable/Shareable Copy
Featured Artist: Jon Tyson
Website: Via Unsplash

#TheVoiceOfJesus #Listen_to_Him #JonTysonPhotography

JESUS VS.THE CULT LEADER

How do cult leaders compare to Jesus?

Jesus:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

The cult leader:

“Don’t worry, trust me, support me, I know what I’m doing.”

Jesus speaks the truth.

The cult leader pretends to speak the truth.

Jesus is a servant.

The cult leader, beneath his soft smile, is a tyrant.

Jesus never lets you down.

The cult leader will support you as long as you are of use to him. When you are no longer of use, he hangs you out to dry.

The cult leader requires loyalty above everything else. Loyalty to him. “How can I lead you, unless I have your total loyalty. If you’re not willing to commit yourself to me, don’t waste my time”

Who is this cult leader?

He could be the guru of a commune on the edge of town.

He could be your favorite preacher.

He could be your beloved politician.

He is anyone who tolerates evil…. while demanding total loyalty to himself.

A cult is not just a group of weird souls gathered around a tyrant.

A cult is any group of people who have surrendered their minds to an ideology.

Who yield their wills to a man or woman who claims to embody that ideology.

Cult members no longer ask, “Is my leader speaking the truth?” “Of course he speaks the truth!” they insist.

There are Christian cults which are more cult than Christian.

There are political cults which wave their patriotic flags, while they push their doubtful agendas.

There are “spiritual” cults which are more “occult” than spiritual.

All cults have one thing in common:

They are based on a lie and controlled by a liar.

Jesus is the exact opposite of a cult leader.

Jesus speaks truth.

He never compromises that truth.

Jesus never dominates his followers.

His disciples are free to turn away at any point.

Jesus’ life matches his message.

Everything he commands of his followers he does himself.

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

Jesus holds us accountable if we allow ourselves to be deceived.

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7)