Monthly Archives: March 2016

Presidential Prayer Team

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – What Does It All Mean?

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Read: Luke 19:35-40

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech. 9:9)

The disciples threw their coats and robes on top of a young donkey, and for two miles they continued, travelling from Bethany toward Jerusalem, throwing down their coats, making a show out of the procession. This was the triumphal entry’s “pre-party.” Joining in the jubilation were many of those who had travelled with Jesus the whole way. They were the ones who “began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen” (v. 37). They thought they were headed into their victory lap.

The Pharisees worked to rein them in. But Jesus cherished and craved his disciples’ praise because he knew, as he had always known, that before the victory would come a crushing defeat. As they crested the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem and its temple stood before them. Instead of rebuking his disciples as the religious leaders insisted, Jesus rallied the crowd: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (v. 40). As the very human Jesus entered the most difficult week of his life and, ultimately, faced his own death, I wonder what solace he found from friends and followers who praised, even when they couldn’t possibly know what it all meant.

Prayer:

We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ. We may not grasp what it all means, but “blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” Amen.

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Request Response

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Have you ever been given an impossible request? In ancient times, the King of Syria sent a letter to the King of Israel asking him to heal his greatest warrior Naaman of leprosy. It was an outlandish appeal – but Naaman’s wife had heard their Hebrew slave proclaiming that the God of Israel could do miracles. Surprisingly when Israel’s king received the request, he didn’t call upon God seeking guidance or wisdom; instead, he put on a dramatic show, tearing his clothes and bemoaning his hopelessness.

And when the king of Israel read the letter, he…said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive?”

II Kings 5:7

Likewise, some today have given up on America ever again standing for faith and justice at the highest levels. And like Israel’s’ unwise king, they are also looking only to their own abilities. When Israel’s prophet Elisha heard of Naaman’s request, he knew where take the issue. Asking God for help, he received it…and ultimately both nations witnessed the true and powerful God do a miraculous healing.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why God Allows Suffering

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“For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation!”—2 Corinthians 1:5–6

This is not an exhaustive treatment of a very weighty subject, but merely some thoughts for your consideration.

Suffering helps us grow spiritually and makes us stronger in the faith. It takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality, so we can start living out our faith in the real world.

A.B. Simpson said, “Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. It is like military drill and a taste of battle to the young soldier. It puts us under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency. It shows us the recourse of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious leader and new courage for the next onslaught of the foe.”

Continue reading Greg Laurie – Why God Allows Suffering →

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Honest with Us about Sin

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“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Have you ever been told: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!”? If you have, it was probably your parents stopping you from saying something mean to your brother or sister!

Sometimes the things God says to us in His Word do not seem very nice. In fact, sometimes God says very honest and serious words that can be hard to hear. Have you ever wondered why sometimes it seems like God says mean things about people in His Word? Here are some of God’s words to us about ourselves:

“The heart [of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9)

“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

“There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Psalm 14:3)

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – How Honest?

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Today’s Scripture: Proverbs 12:22

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.”

On Christmas Eve, our doorbell rang. Answering it, I found a little four-year-old neighbor girl holding out a plate of cookies. “My mommy sent you some cookies,” she said with a big smile. I thanked her and put them down someplace —and promptly forgot about them for we were just leaving for a church service. A few days later as I was walking out to my car, the little girl came down the sidewalk on her tricycle and asked how I liked the cookies. “Oh, they were fine,” I said, though I hadn’t even tasted them.

As I drove away, I began thinking about this. I had lied. Why? Because it was expedient; it saved me embarrassment and the little girl’s disappointment (though mostly I was concerned about myself). Sure, it was of little or no consequence. But God says without qualification that he detests lying.

Thinking further, I realized this wasn’t an isolated instance. The Holy Spirit reminded me of other occasions of exaggeration or manipulating a story’s facts just a bit. I had to face the fact that I wasn’t quite as honest as I’d considered myself to be. God taught me a valuable, though humbling, lesson.

As I’ve told the story of the cookies to some audiences, I’ve gotten a troubled reaction from a few people. Some sincere Christians think I may be nit-picking. But consider Daniel. The record states that his enemies could find no corruption in him (Daniel 6:4). It seems clear they would have seized upon any inconsistency, regardless of how small or insignificant, to bring Daniel into disrepute. But they could find none. Daniel had evidently mastered this matter of absolute integrity. We should have the same goal.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – From Darkness to Light

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Today’s Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

Every night for three nights we had listened to the slow beat of the African jungle drum and the piercing screams of the people as they shattered the night with the terrifying sound of the African death wail. A woman had died giving birth to a child, and those nearest her gathered night after night to scream for hours. In their screams, we could detect the horror that held them–the hopelessness, the agony of spirit, the fears that Satan whispered to their lost souls. And we were made very much aware in a new and powerful way of the hate, the cruelty, and the delight Satan displays in tormenting those who belong to Jesus. His foul, ugly personality came through loud and clear in the din of the death wail that kept us from sleeping.

Scripture records a visit of the Lord Jesus to the country of the Gadarenes. Mark 5:2,5 tells us, “When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him… Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” What did Jesus do? Jesus took one look at the man and knew that those who said he must be bound in chains were wrong. In fact, what he needed was to be set free. And that’s what Jesus did.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – From Darkness to Light →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Evangelicals and Politics: So What is an Evangelical, Anyway?

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Forty years ago, Time magazine declared 1976 to be “The Year of the Evangelical.” The occasion was the candidacy of then-former governor Jimmy Carter who introduced many Americans to a phrase they had never heard before: “born-again Christian.”

This year, Evangelicals are in the news again, and again, for mostly political reasons. It’s difficult to avoid the plethora of stories about how “Evangelicals” are voting and what it all means.

This broadcast is about none of this. Instead I want to talk about the word “Evangelical” in the context where it makes the most sense: what people believe. In the process we may learn things we probably didn’t know but should.

Writing for Christianity Today, “BreakPoint This Week” co-host Ed Stetzer and Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals sought to define what the term “Evangelical” means, especially in this election year.

Most surveys, especially political ones, depend on self-identification. If a person calls herself an Evangelical, then she is counted as one. Others use denominational affiliation as a proxy. Neither of these gives us an accurate estimate: They either include people who probably shouldn’t be included or miss people who should be included.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD

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Read Luke 14

Two father-son duos have served as U.S. president: the Adamses (John and John Quincy) and the Bushes (George H. W. and George W.) The Canadians have their own notable political family; last October, Justin Trudeau followed the steps of his father, Pierre, and was elected prime minister. Observers of political dynasties love to see whether the governing style will be “like father, like son.”

The Godhead is definitely “like Father, like Son”: Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being and character. What angers God, angers Jesus; what delights God, delights Jesus. In His ministry and teaching, we see an outworking of God’s preoccupations for broken people and this broken world.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees that God isn’t nitpicky about the rules simply for the sake of keeping a moral checklist. All God’s rules are for human flourishing, which is why Jesus healed on the Sabbath though rabbinic law forbade medical treatment (vv. 2–4). If an ox or child can be pulled from a pit on the Sabbath, a sick man can be made well!

Jesus also reminded the Pharisees that God’s priorities are not like those of aspirational, ambitious men and women who vainly pursue the honor of their own name (vv. 7–14). These people want the best seat in the house; they grant favors in order to gain recognition. They are nothing like the heavenly Father who desires humility from His children. God cares for the lowly and humble, and the eternal banquet He is preparing will include an unlikely guest list of the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind (v. 21).

This chapter ends with the call to carry a cross, sacrificing personal ambition for godly devotion (v. 27). God hasn’t promised any of us our best life now.

APPLY THE WORD

The Lamb of God will preside over a great feast (see Rev. 19:7–9). From today’s reading, it’s clear that God extends a gracious invitation to all of humanity, through Jesus, to join Him at that table: “My house will be full!” (v. 23). How can we mirror God’s generosity by telling others about Jesus and the great banquet to come?

http://www.todayintheword.org

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Today Is the Day of Salvation

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Hebrews 3:7-19

Procrastination can be a big problem: Important tasks are neglected, and the benefits of finished work never come to pass. Even worse, though, procrastinating in spiritual matters can be disastrous.

Every person is going to spend eternity somewhere. The destination is determined in this lifetime by a choice to either accept or reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. But eternity seems distant, and there is so much to enjoy in this life, so some people feel that they can delay this decision until later. They assume, I’ll just wait until I’m closer to death. Then I’ll ask Jesus to save me.

The problems with this reasoning are obvious. First of all, there is no guarantee that you will have any warning before death. Second, by spending a lifetime rejecting Christ’s offer, you run the risk of developing a hardened heart. Hebrews 3:13 says, “Encourage one another … so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Saying no to God frequently throughout your life may result in being unable to say yes when death comes knocking at the door. In fact, you may not even be interested in Christ’s offer anymore.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Today Is the Day of Salvation →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — When to Walk Away

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Read: Genesis 39:1-12

Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. —1 Corinthians 10:13

When my father became a Christian in his old age, he fascinated me with his plan for overcoming temptation. Sometimes he just walked away! For example, whenever a disagreement between him and a neighbor began to degenerate into a quarrel, my father just walked away for a time rather than be tempted to advance the quarrel.

One day he met with some friends who ordered pito (a locally brewed alcoholic beer). My father had formerly struggled with alcohol and had decided he was better off without it. So he simply stood up, said his goodbyes, and left the gathering of old friends for another day.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — When to Walk Away →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Windows of Something Other

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A single plastic lawn chair sits small and unbefitting in the jungle of massive concrete pillars Atlantans know as Spaghetti Junction. A tangled intersection of two major interstates and its deluge of exits, onramps, over- and underpasses, Spaghetti Junction is a colossal picture of ordered chaos, the arteries and veins of a massive, active organism. To say the least, the small chair positioned to sit and watch from the side of the road, its matching side table suggesting space for a cup of tea, is incongruous of the congested, noxious web of concrete and frustrated motorists. Spaghetti Junction is far from relaxing, and people who sit still on Atlanta highways sit with enormous risk.

As I drove, I was immediately struck by the ridiculousness of the chair from the perspective of a driver. Who would sit in the middle of a knotted mess of highways? But as I sat in my car, barely inching forward, with a scowl on my face as I watched the car in front of me trying to cut off the merging motorist in front of him, it occurred to me how ridiculous I must have looked from the perspective of the chair. Taking in the soaring overpasses and congested ramps of an anxious world always on the move is perhaps to see some of the absurdity in our distracted lives.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Placing Others Above Yourself

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“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself” (Philippians 2:3).

One important way to prevent factionalism in the church is to regard other members as more important than yourself.

“Humility of mind” is a distinctive New Testament expression. There were similar terms in secular writings, but none that exactly fit the purposes of the New Testament writers. One form of the Greek word was used to describe the mentality of a slave. It was a term of derision, signifying anyone who was considered base, common, shabby, or low. Among pagans before Christ’s time, humility was never a trait to be sought or admired. Thus the New Testament introduced a radically new concept.

In Philippians 2:3 Paul defines “humility of mind” simply as seeing others as more important than yourself. But how often do we really consider others that way? Frequently, even within the church, we think just the opposite of what Paul commands. For example, we are sometimes prone to criticize those with whom we minister. It is naturally easier for us to speak of their faults and failures than it is to refer to our own.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Compassionate Confrontation 

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Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. Proverbs 12:25

Letting someone go at work or trying to correct a friend’s unhealthy habit—having a heated budget or calendar discussion with your spouse or a hard conversation with a truant teenager—all of these scenarios require confrontation. To avoid confrontation when it is necessary, can be unkind—even cruel in some cases. But to confront someone with a caring spirit and helpful attitude is the best approach in dealing with a detrimental issue. It is better to lovingly address a problem early on, while it is fresh, than to ignore and confuse communication. Quick, compassionate confrontation clarifies.

Many people are overweight with anxiety, some obesely so! The frontline of fear is the battle over trust and distrust. Can the Lord be trusted totally or are their occasions to distrust Him? It’s in the middle of these tense, potentially anxious moments that a kind word reminds us of the goodness of God—and our good God can be trusted 100% of the time. Christ followers are kindness ambassadors—for our kind heavenly Father. An attentive word helps shed the weight of worry and replace it with the muscle mass of faith. Compassionate confrontation brings relief.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – The Lord’s Rebuking Ministry

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As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.

Revelation 3:19

Recommended Reading

Hebrews 12:3-11

As you read the Gospels, notice that some of Jesus’ sharpest rebukes were directed to those He loved the most. He told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23) To Martha he said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part” (Luke 10:41-42). He told His disciples, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith” (Matthew 8:26). In Luke 9:55, Jesus turned and rebuked James and John, telling them, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”

Continue reading Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – The Lord’s Rebuking Ministry →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Give Your All to God

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Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.— Jeremiah 1:5

Every day you need to give yourself entirely to God. Say, “Lord, I am Yours. I want to be a vessel fit for Your use. I dedicate myself to You: I give You my hands, my mouth, my mind, my body, my money, and my time. Father, here I am. I am Yours; do with me whatever You want to do today.”

Once you dedicate yourself to God, then go on about your business. But expect His leading all day long. Listen for His voice to direct you in the way you should go. Accept the challenge to be an instrument for the Lord’s use today.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Comparing Game

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Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Friend to Friend

We live in a competitive world. The pressures to be thin, beautiful, fit, smart, sexy, funny, rich, and popular trap us in a relentless vise-grip. Anyone can become gripped by a disorder or an addictive lifestyle. You could be a college student, a businesswoman, a nurse, a mom, a dance instructor, a retail clerk, or a Sunday school teacher. No one is exempt. Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority ravage hearts of Christians and non-Christians alike.

Our attempts to measure up are all-consuming traps. They focus our attention inward verses upward. When we get caught in the trap of striving to measure up, we focus on ourselves. That was never God’s plan. We were designed to focus on Him. Shifting our attention from ourselves to God will change our perspective. God longs for our obsession to be Him.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Father and Son

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“For a person who doesn’t believe in Christ, God’s Son, can’t have God the Father either. But he who has Christ, God’s Son, has God the Father also” (1 John 2:23).

An angry young student leader of a leftist movement approached me after one of my lectures on campus. “I resent your poisoning the minds of these students with your religious ideas,” he said, obviously trying to start an argument.

Instead of responding in kind, I asked him to come to our home for dinner where we could talk quietly and more in depth. He accepted the invitation.

After dinner, we discussed our individual views concerning God and man and the way we felt our ideas could best help man to maximize his potential. He objected when I started to read from the Bible.

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Father and Son →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Menace of External Religion

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Read: Philippians 3:2

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. Phil 3:2

This is a warning about the menace of external religion. This seems like a rather abrupt change of subject, but there is a very vital connection with the previous verse. What is it that destroys rejoicing in the Lord? It’s dwelling on external circumstances as being the important thing. It’s looking away from the indwelling Lord to the outward event with which you are concerned, and counting that the important thing. That will inevitably destroy a spirit of rejoicing. So he warns against certain false teachers who were posing as Christians, who went about trying to get peoples’ faith centered on outward things.

The terms he uses to describe these men are bold and blunt, because in matters of this importance the apostle never minces words. He calls them three things: dogs, evil-doers, mutilators. The reference to dogs is not to the pampered, shampooed, manicured pets we have today. These were not cultured canines. These were the snarling, half-wild curs found on the streets of the city. They can still be found today. The term dogs is a term of reproach used by both Jew and Gentile. Because of what the dogs fed on, they were regarded as unclean animals. They fed on the refuse of the streets, the garbage, decayed meat, rotten vegetables that had been disposed.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Menace of External Religion →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Not What We Expected

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Read: Luke 19:28-34

He set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51)

It had been a long journey for the disciples following Jesus. Ever since the whirlwind of events in Luke 9 his disciples had been waiting for Jesus to become Israel’s king. Instead, the ragtag little band wound their way through Samaria, trying to make sense of their master’s stories and confrontations, while dealing with their disappointed expectations.

With the capital just beyond the next hilltop, maybe the disciples finally dared to think, “This is it. Now Jesus is going to bust out the dissident politics, the blazing rhetoric, and start the radical revolution.” And it looked promising. Jesus sent some disciples up ahead to bring him “a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat” (v. 30). Based on the word used for “colt,” the disciples may not have been sure whether Jesus was looking for an unbroken stallion or some other four-legged animal.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; – Dead Men Redemptions?

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The proliferation of media today – round-the-clock news channels, the Internet, and armies of professional pundits – has polarized America and made it nearly impossible for the government to get anything done. How much easier it would be if we could return to the days of the nation’s founding when George Washington was president and the nation was united. Right?

While I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death!

Deuteronomy 31:27

Wrong. During Washington’s presidency, notes one of his biographers, “the number of newspapers printed in the United States exploded…from under 50 newspapers around 1776 to over 250 by 1800, encouraged by new federal laws that made it cheaper to send newspapers through the postal system. Newly aggressive newspaper editors spurned the old standard of impartiality, taking a stronger role in shaping the newspaper’s message in support of, or in opposition to, the government.”

Continue reading Presidential Prayer Team; – Dead Men Redemptions? →