Daily Archives: March 8, 2014

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – In His Presence

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Charles Stanley

Acts 17:22-31

The apostle Paul told the Greeks on Mars Hill that in God, we live and move and exist. He was saying that we forever remain in the Lord’s presence, which is a blessed reassurance to those who know the Savior.

The reality of the Lord’s presence is this: God is complete, and He exists in His fullness wherever He is. Psalm 139 tells us that there is no place on the face of the earth in which God does not exist: “If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will . . . lay hold of me” (vv. 9-10).

This means that God is not at one place in His mercy and at another in His wrath. He is not at one location with His forgiveness and at another in His rebuke. Rather, He is whole—and wholly holy—wherever He is. His fullness exists wherever His presence exists.

This should affect how we act, what we believe, and how we respond to our circumstances. If we believe God is always perfect, this conviction should impact our words, thoughts, and actions. It should certainly also strengthen our faith.

If God is perfect and He calls you His child, could there be so much as one single moment in which He is not looking out for your best interest? Is there ever, for one instant, the chance that something will slip past Him and into your life? Does the Enemy of your soul have even a nanosecond’s opportunity to destroy you?

The answer is emphatically no! Trust in God’s presence and know that He is with you every second.

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Transforming Power

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Our Daily Bread

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. —Deuteronomy 6:6

Many people love to play games that test their knowledge. Recently, a colleague and I were testing a Bible-knowledge game. Since we were seated in an open area of our office, those nearby could hear our conversation. Soon questions ranging from Noah’s ark to the woman at the well were being answered by those within earshot of us. It was a delight to hear various staff members volunteering responses to Bible questions.

A knowledge of the Bible is important, but God desires us to be saturated with His Word and to internalize it so we can grow in our relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to make us more like Christ (Eph. 4:20-24). Consider these benefits of internalizing the Bible: joy and rejoicing (Jer. 15:16); spiritual success (Josh. 1:8); a tool in spiritual warfare (Matt. 4:1-11); correction (2 Tim. 3:15-16); light for our path (Ps. 119:105); wisdom with problem solving (Prov. 1:1-2); and stimulating faith (Rom. 10:17).

Learning about the Bible just to increase our knowledge can lead to spiritual pride (1 Cor. 8:1). But allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us by the Word helps us navigate through life’s twists and turns and respond in love to God and to each other. —Dennis Fisher

My hunger for the truth He satisfies;

Upon the Word, the Living Bread, I feed:

No parching thirst I know, because His grace,

A pool of endless depth, supplies my need. —Sanders

Many books can inform, but only the Bible can transform.

Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 5-7; Mark 11:1-18

Insight

There is no record in the Bible of God speaking to anyone in any form—including dreams, oracles, or visions—from the time of Joseph to the time of Moses. When the people of Israel were led out into the wilderness, it is likely that they had little knowledge of the God who had delivered them and was leading them to a new home. The commands given through Moses were meant to reintroduce God to them and to help them to be people who would be a light to others (cf. Isa. 49:3). By keeping God’s words always in front of them (Deut. 6:6-9), they could live by those words and be transformed into people who showed God to the world.

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – A faithful friend

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“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Suggested Further Reading: Proverbs 27:6-10

You have a friend, have you? Yes; and he keeps a pair of horses, and has a good establishment. Ah! but your best way to prove your friend is to know that he will be your friend when you have not so much as a mean cottage; and when homeless and without clothing, you are driven to beg for your bread. Thus you would make true proof of a friend. Give me a friend who was born in the winter time, whose cradle was rocked in the storm; he will last. Our fair weather friends shall flee away from us. I had rather have a robin for a friend than a swallow; for a swallow abides with us only in the summer time, but a robin cometh to us in the winter. Those are tight friends that will come the nearest to us when we are in the most distress; but those are not friends who speed themselves away when ill times come. Believer, have you reason to fear that Christ will leave you now? Has he not been with you in the house of mourning? You found your friend where men find pearls, “In caverns deep, where darkness dwells;” you found Jesus in your hour of trouble. It was on the bed of sickness that you first learned the value of his name; it was in the hour of mental anguish that you first did lay hold of the hem of his garment; and since then, your nearest and sweetest intercourse has been held with him in hours of darkness. Well then, such a friend, proved in the house of sorrow—a friend who gave his heart’s blood for you, and let his soul run out in one great river of blood—such a friend never can and never will forsake you; he sticketh closer than a brother.

For meditation: God offered us the hand of friendship when we were his enemies (Romans 5:10)—it cost the Lord Jesus Christ his life to make us his friends (John 15:13-15). How much do you display your side of the friendship in a world which has no time for the cause of Christ (James 4:4)?

Sermon no. 120

8 March (1857)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Confessing Your Sins

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John MacArthur

“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed” (Dan. 9:4).

Confessing your sins means you agree with God that you have offended His holy character, are worthy of punishment, and in need of forgiveness. That’s exactly what we see Daniel doing in verses 5-16. Verse 20 summarizes his prayer: “I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God.”

Unlike some who suffer God’s chastening, Daniel didn’t shift the blame for Israel’s calamity. Instead he admitted that his people had willfully disobeyed God’s Word and ignored His prophets, thereby bringing judgment upon themselves. Once they were a nation blessed by God; now they were aliens and captives in a foreign land. God had kept His promise to curse them if they disobeyed Him (Deut. 28:15).

In verses 12-15 Daniel analyzes the consequences of Israel’s sin, which included her captivity and the guilt she bore for her arrogance and reluctance to repent.

Verse 14 reflects perhaps the most important aspect of confession: Daniel’s affirmation that “the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done.” The Gentile nations knew that the Israelites were God’s chosen people. Surely the fall of Jerusalem raised questions about God’s character: What kind of God would stand idly by while His people are ravaged and His Temple plundered? What is the benefit of having a God like that? This, in effect, is Daniel’s response: “God is righteous in everything He does. We deserve this punishment, so don’t accuse Him of acting unjustly.”

Confession therefore serves a dual purpose: it brings forgiveness and frees God to chasten us without bringing accusations of inequity or injustice upon Himself.

Daniel’s prayer came at a special time in Israel’s history, but undoubtedly confession was a regular part of his life. That should be your pattern as well. Don’t wait until disaster strikes before you confess your sin. Make it a daily practice.

Suggestions for Prayer:

If you have not developed a systematic approach to prayer, the “ACTS” format is a good way to start.

Adoration–praising God

Confession–confessing sin

Thanksgiving–thanking God

Supplication–praying for others

For Further Study:

Read about David’s sin in 2 Samuel 11:1þ12:25 and his confession in Psalm 51. What are the similarities and differences between David’s confession and Daniel’s?

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Experience Joy as a Calm Delight

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I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.—John 15:11

Are you like some believers who think that in order to be filled with the joy of the Lord they must be turned on, fired up, and super-hyped? God wants your joy to be full and complete, but that doesn’t mean you have to swing from chandeliers! Some define joy as “hilarity,” and there is some basis for that definition. But according to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word chara, translated joy in the above verse, means “calm delight.”

My husband, Dave, likens this calm delight to a bubbling brook that just flows along quietly and peacefully, bringing refreshment to everything and everyone along its path. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Of course there will be times when your joy will be supercharged and exciting, but most of the time we will live with a simple “calm delight.”

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Can Bear It

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“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV).

I find great comfort and encouragement in this promise from God, one of my favorite Scriptures. Believing in this promise has saved me from falling into sin more times than I could ever begin to count.

As Christians, we are on the offensive. We do not have to cringe, trembling in our boots, wondering when Satan is going to attack again and what form it will take. We are the ones on the move. We are to be the aggressors, for we have God’s promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against us (Matthew 16:18).

There is no stronghold of Satan that cannot be recaptured for our Lord, who promises to fight for us. God’s Word reminds us that all authority in heaven and on earth is given to the Lord Jesus, and He promises always to be with us, never to leave us.

Satan would have you believe that there is no hope for you. You are discouraged, you have financial problems physical problems, sorrow from losing loved ones. The whole world seems to be caving in on you, and Satan says, “God doesn’t love or care for you. He can’t help you. You’re on your own. You might as well give up.”

When that temptation comes, we cry out to God in believing prayer and we resist the enemy who is the author of depression. He is the author of negative thinking. He is the author of criticism, lies and all things that are contrary to the will of God.

If we are going to take a proper offense, we must live in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the reason our Savior – after commanding the disciples to go and preach the gospel to all men everywhere – also commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Act 1:8, KJV).

The key to escaping temptation and resisting sin is faith in the faithfulness of God to keep His promise that you will not be tempted more than you are able to bear.

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 10:9-12

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will not go into the spiritual battle unarmed, but will count on God’s Holy Spirit to make a way of escape when temptation comes. I will tell others how they too can be victorious over temptation.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Long Term Project

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One of the most beautiful buildings in America is the Washington National Cathedral. The building has hosted the funeral of Ronald Reagan, the 9/11 remembrance service and many other important events. But it was the longest-running construction project in Washington, D.C. history. Major Pierre L’Enfant, who designed the city, first proposed it in 1791. The work began in 1907 and wasn’t completed until 1990. At times, there was doubt whether it would ever be done, and no one who started the project was around to see its dedication.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Ephesians 2:10

God is making you into the person He designed you to be, but it’s a process that will continue for a lifetime. The biggest mistake you can make is to believe the fallacy that you’ll be equipped for good works only after you become a finished product. He wants you to serve today, where you are, with whatever resources He’s given you. At the very least, God has given you the power of prayer.

Today, make your heart a cathedral and lift up your nation’s leaders in prayer, asking God to guide them and draw them to the truth of His Holy Word. Finished or not, He has created you for this moment!

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Not the Time to Stop

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greglaurie

You, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith. —Jude 1:20

A sign posted at the end of the road on an airport runway reads, “Keep moving. If you stop, you are in danger and a danger to those who are flying.” We could apply the same principle to the Christian life: Keep moving. If you stop, you are in danger.

Why should we keep moving? Because we have a natural tendency to slip back into our old, sinful ways. Just as a car parked on a hill will naturally roll backward when shifted into neutral, we will naturally go the wrong way if we shift our Christian lives into neutral and stop seeking to learn and grow as believers.

Take a flower and a weed for example. Our old nature, that part of us that doesn’t want to obey God, is like a weed. Our new nature is like a flower. Now, my wife Cathe loves to grow flowers. She will tend them, care for them, fertilize them, and pull any weeds that get remotely close to them. And in the time it has taken for those flowers to grow a few inches, a weed will have found a crack in the sidewalk and has grown eighteen feet tall. How much nurturing did the weed need? None. It simply took off. Like Cathe’s beautiful flowers, our new nature needs nurturing. We need to do the things that will build us up spiritually. But if we cease to do those things, that old nature will come back to haunt us.

The Christian life isn’t just about obeying commandments. It is also about wanting to please the Lord, wanting to grow, and wanting to become more like Him.