The Lost Fruit – Kindness I have recently found myself being concerned about the lack of kindness in the world. The fruit of the Spirit is listed in the Bible and part of that fruit is “kindness”. Many Christians could list the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians from memory. If you haven’t memorized that passage, it can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.”

 In the middle of this passage we find “Kindness”. Kindness could easily be overlooked, but it’s there, held between long-suffering and goodness. Kindness is as important as anything listed in Galatians 5. Mark Twain said, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” The one thing that concerns me the most is when I hear well meaning Christians (and often leaders) claim to speak the truth and yet they do it in an unkind spirit.

Many times we wonder why the truth that we speak isn’t received or adhered to and perhaps it is because of the unkind spirit with which it is delivered. Truth delivered with the wrong spirit can leave people wounded. Although we may not be able to change people, we can change the way we treat them.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant or any public place and “people watched”? It is interesting to see how people interact with one another. Maybe God has sent someone across your path to simply show a smile and kindness to someone unknowingly going through the hardest time in their life.  Maybe the store clerk or the waiter/waitress made a mistake and you feel justified in harshly correcting them. The correction is not the problem; however, the spirit in which it is done can make all the difference.  Often the person that we are dealing with can’t hear the truth because our unkind attitude is screaming louder than our words. We can’t expect our children to treat others with kindness, if it is not properly modeled in front of them. Share God’s love and kindness with those you come in contact with. You might just change someone’s life.

By Shannon Tuten

A NEW WAY OF LIVING REQUIRES A NEW WAY OF THINKING

By Howard Tuten

-Don’t waste the day in dread, when you could be spending it in expectation.
If we can pray against bad things happening, we can pray for good things to happen.

-You may say today, “Nothing will ever change…” but the truth is, the only thing here to stay is constant change.

-Psalm 37:34

“Wait passionately for God, don’t leave the path. He’ll give you a place in the sun while you watch the wicked lose it.” Don’t leave the path God placed you on.

-You may also say, “It’s not my nature to wait…” Well, allow today to be the first day of the rest of your life.

-The Holy Spirit said, “You are destined for greatness, but first you must change the way you think…” It’s time to see things differently. We must be willing to change, before we can change. Once we change, the situations we face will change or God will show us how to deal with them the way they are.

-The Bible says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities (principles we’ve been taught), powers, and Spiritual wickedness in high places…” This could deal with deception in our ways of thinking things ought to be that have influenced our belief system.

-Some principles, the way we were programmed to respond to “LIFE”, may be wrong, or just incomplete. We need to re-program our minds according to the principles of God’s Word and things will begin to change.

-We will prosper as our soul (mind, will, and emotions) prospers. We don’t have to worry & we don’t have to live in a constant state of dread. Those are FEAR BASED principles that need to be DELETED from our way of thinking and facing situations.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become your words.

Watch your  words, for they become your actions.

Watch your actions, for they become your habits.

Watch your habits, for they become your character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Author Unknown.

As many of you know, Immanuel Broadcasting was facing a very difficult financial situation. After raising only 56% of our 6 month operating budget in our September Share-a-Thon, we found ourselves in December needing $130,000.00 to close the year in the black with all bills paid in full. As in times past, we felt led of the Lord to get onair and once again ask for donations to help us close the year in the black.

To make a long story short, GOD WORKED A MIRACLE THROUGH HIS PEOPLE! For the first time in 7yrs, we closed the books in the black with  ALL BILLS PAID FOR 2012!!!

We give God all the glory and say, “A GREAT BIG GOD BLESS YOU” to our partners who have labored with us and given sacrificially. We believe God has great plans in store for all of us in 2013. Have a great, and prosperous New Year.

Blessings to you all,

From the Management & Staff