Tag Archives: asia minor

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Heavenly Dispatches        

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When they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. —Acts 16:6

I find it somewhat comforting that at times in his life, even the great apostle Paul could be moving in the wrong direction to the point that the Lord had to redirect him. After his first missionary journey, Paul was concerned for the churches that were left behind in the area known as Asia Minor. He wanted to revisit them and check on their progress. But there was one small problem: God had a different plan. Paul made every attempt to go to Asia Minor, but he was forbidden by the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever been determined to do a certain thing? Maybe you were determined to undertake a certain project or marry a certain person or pursue a certain career, but God redirected you.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up every morning with a little heavenly dispatch at our door with the itinerary for the day? Wouldn’t it be great if He could just map out our entire day, telling us what challenges we would face so we could be prepared and ready and know everything that was about to happen?

But the Lord has never led me in such a way. I have never received a heavenly dispatch. Rather, I have found that divine guidance often comes as a result of taking steps of faith. And God not only has His will, but He also has His timing for each and every situation. The Bible tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Therefore, we want to make sure we are in the will of God and are moving according to the timing of God.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Standing on Our Principles

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Charles Stanley

Revelation 2:12-17

We all admire men and women of principle who are ready to pay a heavy price for what they believe. At the same time, we do well not to trust everyone who displays conviction. As we see all too often in the news, it is possible to have unsound beliefs that are not based on Scripture.

Even as Christians, we have to be careful, or we could easily mistake personal preferences for convictions. We cannot afford to build our life’s foundation with any materials that are not totally scriptural. The apostle Paul told us that the quality of each man’s work will be tested by fire (1 Cor. 3:13), and that includes what we believe.

Such a test came to a church in a little town called Pergamum in Asia Minor. It was a foul place—Jesus even said that Satan’s throne was there. Evil men were disseminating the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans throughout the local church. A man named Antipas, however, felt strongly that this teaching was wrong and should be confronted. So he stepped forward to oppose it, at the cost of his life.

Yes, Antipas was killed, but listen to the tribute the Lord Himself gave: He referred to this saint as “My witness, My faithful one.” And He commended the church in Pergamum with these words: “You hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas” (Rev. 2:13).

Thank God that the trial of our faith, even though tested by fire, will “result in praise and glory and honor at the revela- tion of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).