Daily Archives: August 3, 2017

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Rely on the Source

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1 Kings 17:8-16

From God’s perspective, being in need can have spiritual benefits. For example, people often look to economies and markets as their basis for financial security. But if the bottom drops out, they’re in a position to discover the reality that all provision comes from God’s hand. The Lord uses various instruments to meet needs, but He alone is the source of all we have.

God can use ordinary means or remarkable methods to supply our needs. Through God’s unusual ways, Elijah had learned to live by faith—such as the time he’d been fed by ravens. Now God sent him to Zarephath, to a starving widow with no ability to feed him.

Every financial need is an opportunity to learn to walk by faith, recognizing the Lord as our source. Prosperity can lead to a sense of independence that blinds us to how inadequate we actually are to provide for ourselves. We’re totally dependent upon the Father whether we know it or not.

Believing God would provide, Elijah witnessed His miraculous intervention. We may not see the Lord perform a supernatural work in our financial situation. However, we can be sure that just as God fulfilled His promise to Elijah, He’ll likewise be faithful to His Word in our situation, supplying “all [our] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

Are you focusing on the instrument or the source of your provision? The means God uses may change, but His faithfulness endures forever. He’s infinitely more reliable than any employer or 401(k). The Lord is inviting you to trust Him and live in both the adventure and security of a life of faith.

Bible in One Year: Isaiah 46-49

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Peace and Trust

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Read: Isaiah 26:1– 9

Bible in a Year: Psalms 63–65; Romans 6

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.—John 14:27

When I was six years old I rode a roller coaster for the first time with my older brothers. As soon as we hit a turn at a high speed I started to yell: “Stop this thing right now! I want to get off!” Of course the roller coaster didn’t stop, and I had to “white knuckle” it, hanging on tight for the rest of the ride.

Sometimes life can feel like an unwanted roller coaster ride, with “downhill” drops and hairpin curves we never see coming. When unexpected difficulties occur, the Bible reminds us that our best recourse is to place our trust in God. It was in a tumultuous time when invasion threatened his country that the prophet Isaiah, inspired by the Spirit, discerned this powerful promise from the Lord: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isa. 26:3).

The peace our Savior gives us as we turn to Him “transcends all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). I will never forget the words of a woman who was struggling with breast cancer. After a group from our church prayed for her one evening, she said, “I don’t know what will happen, but I know that I’ll be okay, because the Lord was here with us tonight.”

Life will have its difficulties, but our Savior, who loves us more than life, is greater than them all. —James Banks

Lord, help me to trust in You so that I may live in peace.

Jesus is our peace.

INSIGHT: The peace Paul referenced in Philippians 4:7 closely parallels the rest that Jesus offers us in Matthew 11:28-29. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” This gift of “soul rest” is the peace that every heart craves—a peace that comes from wholeness and rightness (Isa. 26:3). This peace is much more than the absence of conflict; it is the blessing that comes from resting in Christ and His strength. As we learn to rest in Him, we will experience the resulting peace of His presence and power.

Are there specific struggles that are wearing you down? How might you become more intentional about drawing on Christ’s strength? Bill Crowder

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Starting With a Question

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Starting with a question seems like a good idea to most people: it helps to bring a sharper focus, it’s conversational, it reveals gaps in knowledge, and it’s quite natural.(1) Kids seem to use questions instinctively to find out about the world. Of course, there are lazy questions and there are thoughtful questions. The difference is hard to explain, but anyone who has ever heard or asked a great question, asked at the right time, will immediately know why good, careful, thoughtful questions are always worth asking.

When it comes to questions about faith, Christians have often pointed to the example of God asking Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” and the way in which Jesus interacts with people in the New Testament.(2) Here are just a few of the questions of Jesus:

What are you looking for? What do you want me to do for you? Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me? If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Do you want to be well? Do you see this woman? What good is it to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul? Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Who is greater, the one seated at the table, or the one who serves? Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? Which of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I command? Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For which of these good works are you trying to stone me? Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? Would you like some breakfast? Have you come to believe because you have seen me? I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Do you love me?

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God’s Construction Crew

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We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual death]… – 1 John 3:14

Life in this verse is the life of God, or “life as God has it.” I don’t want to be one of what I call “the walking dead”—someone who lives and breathes, but never truly lives as God desires. Loving others is the only way to keep the God kind of life flowing through you. It has been given to us as a gift; it’s in us, but we need to release it to others through words and actions. Left dormant, it will stagnate like a pool of water with no outlet.

Are you a part of God’s construction crew, or part of Satan’s destruc¬tion crew? Do you build people up with your words and action, or tear them down? Do you strengthen or weaken them? If you ask these ques¬tions and get the wrong answers, it is easy to fix. Just simply begin today by making a plan to be a blessing to others. Use your words, facial expressions, and voice tones to lift up others. Smile at people; it will be a sign of approval to them. Live to put smiles on others’ faces, and you will always have a smile on yours.

Love Others Today: Look for the needs around you and let God use you to meet those needs. Make sure you’re part of God’s construction crew!

 

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Authority Over the Enemy

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“And I have given you authority over all the power of the Enemy” (Luke 10:19).

By nature I am a very shy, reserved person. But I can look the world in the face and say, “I’m a child of the King. There is royal blood in my veins.”

Because of our identification with Christ, we are no longer ordinary people. The authority of God is available to those who believe in Christ. What a promise!

“Authority over all the power of the Enemy!” That is His promise, but it is something you and I must claim each time we face the enemy. We are to believe this; it is an intellectually valid fact. It is not exercising positive thinking and blindly hoping for the best; rather, it is claiming and leaning on the promises of God by faith.

Supernatural authority belongs to the believer, and there is a difference between authority and power. A policeman standing at a busy intersection has no physical power that would enable him to stop cars coming from all directions. But that little whistle he blows and the uniform he wears represent authority, and because of that authority the drivers know that they had better stop.

You and I have authority – given to us by the Lord Himself – over all the power of the enemy. He may tempt us; he may attack us; he may sorely try us. But victory is assured us as we continue to trust and obey our Lord and claim by faith His supernatural resources for our strength.

Bible Reading: Luke 10:20-24

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Because I have been given authority over the enemy, by faith I will exercise that authority on behalf of others as well as myself, believing God for ultimate victory in each situation.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Delivered from Fear

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God’s grace delivered us from fear, but how quickly we return! Grace told us we didn’t have to spend our lives looking over our shoulders…but look at us glancing backward. Look at us with guilt on our consciences. Why are we so quick to revert back to our old ways? Or, as Paul candidly wrote, “What a miserable man I am. Who will save me from this body that brings me death?” (Romans 7:24).

Simply stated: we are helpless to battle sin alone. Aren’t we glad Paul answered his own question? “I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25). The same one who saved us first is there to save us still. Such is the message of grace. You are saved, not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did! And you are special because of whose you are!

From In the Grip of Grace

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – What Jeff Flake says about our nation

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Arizona until Donald Trump came to office. Since then, he has become a face for the conservative opposition to the kind of politics that have defined the president’s term to date. His recently published book, Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle, continues to cause a stir among those on both sides of the aisle.

James Hohmann of The Washington Post called it “the most courageous conservative rebuttal of Trumpism yet,” while others, like Mark Levin and Brent Bozell, have called him a “liberal” and an “impostor,” respectively. I haven’t had the chance to read Sen. Flake’s book yet and will reserve judgment on it until I get the chance to do so. I’d encourage you to do the same rather than make definitive judgments based on excerpts and secondhand statements.

Rather, my purpose today is to look at the environment in which a sitting senator of the same party as the president felt he needed to publish a book denouncing the commander in chief. Such a move is largely unparalleled, especially considering that Flake’s Senate seat is up for grabs in next year’s elections, and President Trump has already reportedly offered support to conservative candidates thinking about running against the senator. It speaks volumes about Flake’s assessment of the political climate that he felt the risk of losing his seat was worth the potential reward of bringing about what he deems to be necessary changes.

Chief among those changes appears to be the belief that the Republican party has prioritized politics over convictions, embracing the partisan belief that the other party’s “failure would be our success and the fortunes of the citizenry would presumably be sorted out in the meantime.” He traces that belief back to the Republican response to Obama’s first term. Lest we make the mistake of thinking it’s solely a Republican problem, however, the now-minority Democrats have often embraced a very similar tactic since Trump came to office.

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