Daily Archives: February 9, 2018

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Answered Prayer: Our Assurance

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John 16:23-27

Are you confident that the Lord will hear and answer your prayers? One of the reasons we may struggle with doubts is because we don’t realize all that God has done to make it possible for us to bring our requests before Him.

Association. Our sin once separated us from God, but Christ gave His life on the cross as payment of the penalty we owed. At the moment of our salvation, we enter into an intimate association with God the Father through His Son.

Access. With our new relationship comes access to the throne of grace, where we can boldly and confidently bring our concerns to God.

Authority. In the Gospels, the Lord’s prayers always carried the power of His divine position. Now, because of our association with Him through salvation, Jesus Christ has given us the privilege of praying in His name according to His power and authority.

Agreement. But prayer offered in Jesus’ name should always be in agreement with what He would ask. In other words, our requests must align with the character of God and the content of His Word. It does no good to tack “in Jesus’ name” on a petition for something outside His will.

Assurance. When Jesus told His disciples He would answer requests offered in His name, He was saying that we can pray with assurance because of our association and agreement with Him.

When we’re uncertain whether our requests are in accordance with what Jesus would ask, we can take comfort in knowing that Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand, always interceding for us according to God’s will.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 3-5

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Unlikely Friends

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Read: Isaiah 11:1–10

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 6–7; Matthew 25:1–30

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together.—Isaiah 11:6

My Facebook friends often post endearing videos of unlikely animal friendships, such as a recent video I watched of an inseparable pup and pig, another of a deer and cat, and yet another of an orangutan mothering several tiger cubs.

When I view such heartwarmingly unusual friendships, it reminds me of the description of the garden of Eden. In this setting, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God and each other. And because God gave them plants for food, I imagine even the animals lived peacefully together (Genesis 1:30). But this idyllic scene was disrupted when Adam and Eve sinned (3:21-23). Now in both human relationships and the creation, we see constant struggle and conflict.

Yet the prophet Isaiah reassures us that one day, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together” (11:6). Many interpret that future day as when Jesus comes again to reign. When He returns, there will be no more divisions and “no more death . . . or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). On that renewed earth, creation will be restored to its former harmony and people of every tribe, nation, and language will join together to worship God (7:9-10; 22:1-5).

Until then, God can help us to restore broken relationships and to develop new, unlikely friendships. —Alyson Kieda

Dear Father, help us to break down barriers and to seek to befriend others; and as we do, enable us to be bearers of the gospel of peace.

One day God will restore the world to perfect peace.

INSIGHT: Do you long for a day when animals will no longer prey on one another and people will not be bullied? In the days of Isaiah, Assyria was the “Goliath” that made Jewish hearts melt in fear. The prophet Isaiah foresaw a future time when the Messiah will rule and man and beast will live in peace (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:6-9).

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – In This Place

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To the people of ancient Israel, the image of God’s house was the center of the world. It was a house reaching from the heavens to the places on earth where God caused his name to be remembered. God’s house was seen in experiences like Jacob’s, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”(1) It was experienced in the tabernacle that once moved among them as pilgrims, and later in their pilgrimages to the temple. Ever-expanding their vision of God’s house, altars were built over the places where God had appeared to them, marking the reach of its walls. Though at times as prodigals, their longing for home was a part of their identity as children of the house of God: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”(2) The house of God as it reached from heaven to earth was occupied by the Creator. As the people of God, they had been invited inside, where they longed to remain.

As with any group with a clear vision of inside and outside, belonging and not belonging, the Israelite’s understanding of the house of God could have easily become the very rationale for excluding foreigners, neighbors, and outsiders. Yet not long after God had called the people of Israel his own, God instructed them very specifically on the treatment of such people: “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.”(3) “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”(4) The house of God was to be a house of hospitality, for such a spirit reflected the God within it: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”(5) Called to ever-remember their own status as foreigners, the people who were invited into the care of God’s house were to become a sign of that care themselves.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – In This Place →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Enemy Has a Plan Too

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Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.— 1 Peter 5:8 (AMPC)

God has a plan for your life, but the devil has a plan for you too. As a result, the Bible says we need to Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times.

Temperate means “disciplined,” sober of mind means “serious,” vigilant means “determined” and cautious means “careful.” We are to live like this at all times. That’s serious.

But we need to get serious to fight off the enemy. Whenever God shows you an area in your life where the enemy is attacking you, that’s not the time to sit back and do nothing. It’s time to get serious and fight back against Satan.

God’s plan is for us to be more than conquerors in Christ. We don’t have to live enslaved to the enemy’s plan. You can decide right now to do what you need to do. Get serious with God, follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and stay on guard against the enemy. Choose today to follow God’s plan for your life, not Satan’s, and you will defeat the enemy at every turn.

Prayer Starter: God, I choose Your plan, not the enemy’s. Show me the areas where he is attacking me and guide me in defeating him.

 

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Heavens Declare God’s Glory

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“The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of His craftmanship” (Psalm 19:1).

When King David was a small lad, his father assigned him the care of the sheep. Day after day, night after night he cared for his sheep as a loving shepherd. No doubt on numerous occasions he would lie on his back and look up at the sun and the vastness of space, during the daytime. At night, the stars and the moon would seem so close that he could almost reach them, as he would talk to the God of his fathers.

The vast expanse of creation captivated him, and instinctively he knew that God, who created it all, was his God and he could trust Him with his life, so that just before he went against the giant Goliath he could say to King Saul, “When I am taking care of my father’s sheep and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club…I’ve done it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:34-37). When David went out against Goliath, he said to the giant, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the armies of heaven and of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45). Then with a sling and a stone, he killed the Philistine.

I personally believe David triumphed because his confidence in God came not only from the teachings of the holy Scriptures, but also from the experience that he had had with God, who created all the heavens and the earth.

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:2-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will make a special point to study the vastness of God’s creation through books about science and to take time – not only in Scriptures, but also in books of science — to notice the handiwork of God’s beautiful creation, conscious that it will help me to become more sensitive and alert to the needs of others.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – The Compelling Example of Jesus

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer! Jesus set a compelling prayer example. He prayed before He ate. He prayed for children. He prayed for the sick. He prayed with thanks, and with tears. He had made the planets and shaped the stars, yet He prayed.

Here’s a prayer for us today!

“Father, you’ve made me your child through your Spirit. In your kindness you have adopted me and delivered me from sin and death. Remind me today what it means to be your child.

It’s so easy for me to live every day on my own terms. Help me live it in light of your grace.

Thank you for accepting me as I am but not leaving me the same. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Here’s my prayer challenge for you! Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!

Read more Before Amen

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Down syndrome child is Gerber’s “Spokesbaby of the year”

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Congress voted early this morning to reopen the federal government by passing a $400 billion budget deal. Meanwhile, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony began in South Korea just a few minutes ago.

These events are leading the news, but I want to focus on a completely different story.

Lucas Warren is eighteen months old and lives in Dalton, Georgia. He was chosen this week to be Gerber’s new “Spokesbaby of the year.” Lucas was selected from more than 140,000 entries in the company’s photo search contest.

He is the first child with Down syndrome to be chosen.

As Nick Pitts notes, Lucas would probably have been aborted if his parents lived in the Netherlands. Their termination rate for babies with Downs is between 74 percent and 94 percent.

In Denmark, the abortion rate for Down syndrome babies is 98 percent. As much as 80 percent of the Danish population is irreligious. Here’s my question: Should not such a secular culture be especially committed to the value of this life since they don’t believe in the life to come?

My son Ryan and I were discussing this subject and he asked the converse question, “Why would we mourn death if we don’t value life?” If life has no intrinsic meaning, why would death matter?

Ryan noted that Christians don’t fear death because we value the life to come. We know that death is not the end of life but the beginning of its next stage. That’s why Scripture teaches, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

“Make me know my end” Continue reading Denison Forum – Down syndrome child is Gerber’s “Spokesbaby of the year” →