Monthly Archives: January 2016

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Importance of Humility

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“Walk . . . with all humility” (Ephesians 4:2).

Humility is fundamental to spiritual growth and blessing.

It’s no secret that family problems are on the rise. Husbands and wives can’t get along. Children rebel against their parents. Unfortunately, most of the proposed solutions deal only with the peripheral issues instead of the central issue, which is pride. There will never be unity or happiness in a family without humility.

Humility is not only essential in families; it is also a basic ingredient for all spiritual blessing. The book of Proverbs is rich with such teaching. “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” (11:2). “Before honor comes humility” (15:33). “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life” (22:4). James tells us, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (4:6). Too often we forget how important humility is.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Stop Doing 

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“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:41-42

American culture is plagued by hyperactivity without productivity. We think being busy equals importance or a frantic pace is a path to success. Like a pack mule loaded down with an overabundance of supplies, we pack our calendar to the breaking point. We play mind games with ourselves that busyness is what’s best for our family, when in fact the real outcomes are: relational emptiness, health challenges and irritable emotions. We even justify being over active for Jesus.

Perhaps a wiser start to the year is a stop doing list. As Jesus instructed Martha, we need to take an inventory of our activities and ask what is really needed. What has served its purpose for a season, but is now unnecessary, even an obstacle to what’s best? Let go of emotional attachments and embrace some margin for meaningful relationships. Is it time to stop a sports program, a long commute or a tired volunteer role? Become better with contemplation and strategic availability.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – God’s Job Description

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If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:13

Recommended Reading

Romans 3:1-5

A young man was in an outpatient drug rehab program, meeting with a counselor weekly. Some weeks he had to report that he had succumbed to drug use since their last meeting. “Do you want to get off drugs?” his counselor would ask. Hearing “Yes” as an answer she would say, “Then I will be here for you until you succeed.” When he asked why she didn’t give up on him, the counselor would reply, “My job doesn’t depend on your faithfulness. It’s my job to be faithful regardless.”

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Surrender

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Mary Southerland – Today’s Truth

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

Friend to Friend

I will never forget the day I discovered that our son is not perfect. In fact, I came to the horrifying realization that he is a sinner – just like his mother.

Jered was about six months old and crawling everywhere. I had just returned from running errands and was busy putting groceries away in the kitchen. Jered seemed content as he played with his toys, occasionally taking a break to terrorize our two cats.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – All Your Plans and Paths

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“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at things of God: But They delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on His laws and thinking about ways to follow Him more closely. They are like trees along a river bank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).

Of all the great promises from God’s Word, I claim none more frequently than these. As I focus on the attributes of God, I truly “delight myself in the Lord” and experience the full, adventuresome life which our Lord promised.

The psalmist expands on what it means to delight ourselves in the Lord. Note these three things: First, we should delight in doing everything God wants us to do; second, day and night we should meditate on His laws; and third, we should always be thinking about ways to follow Him more closely.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Born From Above

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Read: John 3:1-16

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said,Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him. Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. (John 3:1-3)

Notice how Jesus cuts right across Nicodemus$apos; inquiry with a sharp and penetrating sentence that must have gone like a sword thrust right into his heart. Observe what Jesus is saying in this startling word to Nicodemus. A new birth is absolutely essential to enter the kingdom. John uses a very interesting word here that is translated anew, or again. It is the Greek word, anothen, which means again or to do something a second time. It often points to a radical new beginning which comes from above. It signifies God must do this. It is speaking of something radical, a new beginning. It is a second birth, but it comes from above. It is God that does it, not man; and it results in a new creation, a new beginning.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – True Source

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British nature enthusiast Bear Grylls, who starred in both TV series Man vs. Wild and Born Survivor, believed in God as a child. It was at age 16, though, when Grylls lost his godfather that he climbed up in a tree and gave his heart to the Lord. Now he knows his faith is the key to his daily survival.

For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 8:35

“I really, desperately have learned in my life that I need my faith, and I’m just not strong enough on my own. I try to start every day by kneeling down and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, I ain’t got it all right, and I’m nervous about today. I will give it my all, but will you help me?’” said Grylls.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie –Just Look Around

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Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. —1 Peter 5:6

When God is looking for a man or a woman to use, He often goes out of His way to find someone who will say, “I’m the last person You would want to choose.”

The Lord might say to that person, “Actually, you are the first person I wanted to choose because you think you’re the last person I would want to choose.” People who think they are qualified, people who think they can do it all and know it all, disqualify themselves. Why? Because “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Sometimes people tell me they want to be in ministry, and they want my advice regarding how they can get into the ministry. Ministry is everywhere. Jesus said, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35).

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Powerful

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“Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Scientists tell us that there are at least 70 sextillion stars in the universe. Wow! That’s the number 7 followed by 22 zeroes!

Scientists also tell us that the Pacific Ocean holds 192 quintillion gallons of water and that the surface of the sun is 16 times hotter than boiling water.

Have you ever stopped to think that there is always enough oxygen for everyone in the world to breathe every day? In fact, by the time you are ten years old, you’ve taken about 74 million breaths.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Preach the Gospel to Yourself

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1

“I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.”

To preach the Gospel to yourself means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in his shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God. In both its precepts and penalty, he fulfilled the law of God in its most exacting requirements. And he did this in our place as our representative and our substitute. He is your propitiation, so that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Satan’s Lies

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Today’s Scripture: Genesis 3-5

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked… He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. – Psalm 1:1,3

The greatest lie ever told comes at the beginning of the saddest story ever written. “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat [this fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Adam and Eve believed the lie and ate the only fruit God had kept from them.

As Genesis 3 opens, we see our first parents enjoying a life of fellowship with God in a garden home filled with His abundant provision. They were holy. They were experiencing the grace and blessing of God. Everything that surrounded them was good. But in one devastating stroke, the scene changes.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Satan’s Lies →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Is Football Too Violent for Christians to Support?

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Thirteen years ago, Dr. Bennet Omalu, a pathologist working at the Alleghany County Coroner’s office in Pittsburgh, performed an autopsy on one of the Steel City’s greatest sports heroes: Steeler Hall of Famer “Iron” Mike Webster.

What the Nigerian physician found shocked him. Webster’s teeth had rotted away and he had resorted to using Super Glue to try to reattach them. His remains looked and smelled like he had been living in his car, which he had.

Omalu began wondering how a man so celebrated in life wound up dying as he did. The answer to that question is a story of courage, perseverance and more than a little faith. And it’s depicted brilliantly in the new film “Concussion” starring Will Smith.

Omalu examined Webster’s brain, which showed no readily visible signs of trauma. But further tests, which Omalu paid for out of his own pocket, revealed “brown and red splotches” all over his brain. These splotches, called “Tau proteins,” are also found in the brains of those suffering from Alzheimer’s and senile dementia. They’re described as being “kind of like sludge, clogging up the works, killing cells in regions responsible for mood, emotions, and executive functioning.”

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – TAMAR: SHAME IMPOSED

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Read 2 Samuel 13:1-20

A woman was on her way to an elegant charity event in New York City. She had gone to great lengths to make herself ready: her hair was perfectly styled, her dress was beautifully draped, and her jewelry sparkled in the streetlights. As she was preparing to enter the building, however, a car drove by and splashed mud from a nearby puddle all over her. Through circumstances beyond her control, her appearance was completely marred and she was no longer fit to attend the party.

Tamar’s shame came upon her in an unforeseen and uninvited manner, through no fault or choice of her own. She savored her status as a royal princess, wearing the beautiful robes that signified her virginity (v. 18). She went to her brother’s house only out of obedience to her father, King David. When it became obvious that Amnon’s intention was dishonorable and repulsive, she did all within her power to stop him.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – POWERBALL NOW $700 MILLION, LARGEST JACKPOT EVER

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The Powerball lottery is played in forty-four states, Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories. The drawing to be held tomorrow has grown to over $700 million, the largest in history. Every hour, between $5 million and $10 million in Powerball sales are expected in California. Clearly people want to be part of such a huge jackpot.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Electronics Show is continuing through tomorrow. It seems appropriate that the show is in Las Vegas, since so much of what is being revealed is a gamble—for inventors, producers, and consumers. A robotic dog, a smart ski airbag vest, and an alarm clock that wakes you by using scents are among the inventions unveiled so far. Companies must think we want ever-smarter technology, because that’s what they’re creating.

In Teach Us to Want, Jen Pollock Michel reports on a new field of psychology called “wantology.” According to her, “A wantologist helps clients verbalize their latent, unrequited desires and moves them toward achieving happiness by identifying the ways they can satisfy those desires. The goal of wantology is to help clients connect the dots of desire: what do they want, and how do they get it?”

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Jesus: Our Best Friend

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John 15:9-17

As believers, we think of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, King, or Master, but rarely do we think of Him as our close friend. We may have difficulty with the concept, but Jesus does not. Once we can grasp what kind of companion He is, we’ll realize that a truly joyful life is possible only through a friendship with Him.

Jesus accepts us. Unconditional acceptance means we can always approach Him, even with our dirty sin baggage. He doesn’t intend to leave us in our present state, and we’re accepted no matter what’s happening in our lives.

Jesus walks through trials with us. God’s promise never to leave or forsake His people is repeated throughout the Scriptures. (See Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5.) That promise is individualized for each believer through Jesus’ companionship. He is our constant encourager and faithful friend during both the good and dark times in our lives.

Jesus is always available. He has no need to sleep, take a dinner break, or go on vacation. Unlike humans, Jesus is never too busy to meet our needs or respond to our prayers. Continue reading Charles Stanley – Jesus: Our Best Friend →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Starting Upstream

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Read: Matthew 6:5-10

Bible in a Year: Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6:1-18

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. —Matthew 6:8

My home sits along a creek in a canyon in the shadow of a large mountain. During the spring snowmelt and after heavy rains this stream swells and acts more like a river than a creek. People have drowned in it. One day I traced the origin of the creek to its very source, a snowfield atop the mountain. From there the melted snow begins the long journey down the mountain, joining other rivulets to take shape as the creek below my house.

It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God. I inform God, as if God did not already know. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God’s mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead, I should start upstream where the flow begins.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Love Stories

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Driving to work one day, a commercial on the radio offered the compelling thought of “recess time” for adults. Immediately, memories of school came to my mind: the daily struggles of learning and discipline, math and reading, tests and exercises. “Was the strain of school any different from the chores and deadlines that bombard you today,” the advertiser seemed to ask effectively. “And yet, the refreshing reward of afternoon free time and recess: Where has that gone?” In fact, the commercial’s invitation was to a steakhouse that promised the delight of recess for those craving a break, though it certainly prompted the thoughts of much more. The nostalgic use of my own memory was powerfully utilized to urge me not to miss out on life itself, via missing out on recess, store-bought relaxation, and steak.

The world of advertising continues to woo us with packaged worldviews and lifestyles, and this time of year the packaging is particularly eye-catching. We are led to believe that if we buy this product, experience this item, or go to this place in this vehicle, then, and maybe only then, we will really live.

I do not doubt that there are people who would claim to be satisfied by the pursuit of materialism as a way of life. Nonetheless, we have an abundance of evidence clearly stating the futility of pursuing these ends. If we are purely material beings with our lives confined to the years we have on earth, then perhaps living for pleasure might be a legitimate goal. Yet it seems that the human spirit cannot be reduced to mere matter. Such a contrast is seen in the movie Chariots of Fire when the vision of life modeled by Harold Abrams—who lives for success in this world alone—is set in sharp relief by Eric Liddel, who runs for the glory of God and in running feels God’s delight. In our best moments, we often recognize that we are somehow destined for higher, greater, more enduring things.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Divine Resources for Walking Worthy

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“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

A worthy lifestyle is possible only by depending on God’s resources.

Walking is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the Christian life. It is simply a reference to your daily conduct or lifestyle—a day-by-day, step-by-step commitment to follow Christ. As Christians we “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). John wrote, “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 6). Paul said to walk in good works (Eph. 2:10) and to please God in our walk before Him (1 Thess. 4:1).

In Ephesians 4:1 Paul is saying, “Let your lifestyle be worthy of the calling to which you are called.”

You may ask, “Is it possible to walk this way?” Yes, but only on this basis: you must devote yourself to be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16), Christ’s Word must dwell in your heart, His love must penetrate your life (vv. 17-19), and you must be “filled up to all the fulness of God” (v. 19), who “is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (v. 20). We must live by the resources God has given us to walk the worthy walk. We’ll never do it by just knowing the theology and then trying really hard.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Total Devotion 

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By Tripp Prince.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29

For most of us, we spend the majority of our lives pursuing the very things Jesus identifies in this verse: a home to call our own, a family to love and laugh with, and a meaningful and life-giving vocation.  These are so widely accepted as virtuous and noble pursuits that few people would ever question their value or worth. Yet, here in Matthew 19, we see Jesus promising a hundredfold reward for those who have left them behind! What’s going on here?

In this verse, Jesus is teaching us a central aspect of faithful discipleship: it’s possible to love good things in the wrong way.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah –Agreeing With God

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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Recommended Reading

Psalm 51:1-6

Confession of sin is multifaceted, but there is a core principle. It is not sorrow, guilt, or shame. It is agreement. The Greek translation for “confess” is made of two words: homos means “same,” and lego means “say or speak.” So, to confess means “to say the same thing as.” As who? As God! We don’t inform God of our sins by confessing them. He already knows what we have done. Our greatest need is to humbly agree with Him: “Father, You call what I did ‘sin’ and I agree with You.”

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