Tag Archives: christianity

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Jesus Came to Set Us Free

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Charles Stanley

Luke 4:14-19

On returning to His hometown, Jesus entered the synagogue and—to the amazement of all who were listening—read His job description from the book of Isaiah. Perhaps some people in that congregation were confused by His statement that He was sent to release captives and set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18). Who were those captives? Was He going to storm the prisons?

Jesus was talking about spiritual bonds, not physical ones. Everyone is born with a sinful nature, and we’re all enslaved to sin until that bondage gets broken by faith in the Savior. But even after salvation, Jesus is continually setting us free from things that entrap us, hindering our relationship with Him. He delivers us . . .

• From error: The Word of God protects us from the misconceptions and lies that Satan and his world system use to bombard us.

• From evil deeds: God’s indwelling Spirit empowers us to resist temptation and live a righteous lifestyle.

• From emotional bondage: The Lord doesn’t want us to be controlled by fear, guilt, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, or inadequacy, which steal the peace and joy Christ promised. When we learn to trust Him in every situation, He’ll set us free from these negative emotions.

Many Christians live in bondage with-out realizing it. They know something is wrong but can’t straighten out their lives. Despite all their efforts to “be better,” they keep failing. No prisoner has the key to unlock the door, but Jesus is standing outside the cell, calling, “Trust Me, and I will set you free!”

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Eternal Eyesight

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Our Daily Bread

July 4, 2013 — by Anne Cetas

2 Corinthians 4:16–5:8

We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. —2 Corinthians 4:18

Bible in a Year:

Job 28-29; Acts 13:1-25

I received good news at my eye checkup last month—my faraway vision has improved. Well, I thought it was good news until a friend informed me: “Faraway vision can improve as we age; close-up vision may diminish.”

The report made me think of another kind of improved faraway vision that I have observed in some Christians. Those who have known the Lord for a long time or who have gone through great trials seem to have a better heavenly vision than the rest of us. Their eternal eyesight has gotten better and their close-up “earthly” vision is diminishing.

Because the apostle Paul had that type of eternal vision, he encouraged the church in Corinth: “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory . . . . The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

For now we struggle with our “eyesight.” There’s a tension between enjoying all that God has given us in this life, yet still believing what theologian Jonathan Edwards said about our future: “To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.” Seeing Him will bring perfect vision.

Lord, we know that our life on this earth is but

a moment compared to eternity. Help us to enjoy

the time we’ve been given, and use us to tell of Your

love and goodness until that day when we see You.

Keep your eyes fixed on the prize.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The sympathy of the two worlds

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“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10

Suggested Further Reading: Luke 1:5-23

Our text tells us that the angels of God rejoice over repenting sinners. How is that? They are always as happy as they can be; how can they be any happier? The text does not say that they are any happier; but perhaps that they show their happiness more. A man may have a Sabbath every day, as he ought to if he is a Christian; and yet on the first day of the week he will let his Sabbatarianism come out plainly; for then the world shall see that he rests. “A merry heart hath a continual feast;” but then even the merry heart has some special days on which it feasts well. To the glorified, every day is a Sabbath, but of some it can be said, “and that Sabbath was an high day.” There are days when the angels sing more loudly than usual; they are always harping God’s praise, but sometimes the gathering hosts who have been flitting far through the universe, come home to their centre; and round the throne of God, standing in close ranks, marshalled not for battle but for music, on certain set and appointed days they chant the praises of the Son of God, “who loved us and gave himself for us.” And do you ask me when those days occur? I tell you, the birthday of every Christian is a sonnet day in heaven. There are Christmas days in paradise, where Christ’s high mass is kept, and Christ is glorified not because he was born in a manger, but because he is born in a broken heart. There are days—good days in heaven; days of poetry, red letter days, of overflowing adoration. And these are days when the shepherd brings home the lost sheep upon his shoulder, when the church has swept her house and found the lost piece of money.

For meditation: The Lord Jesus Christ keeps his angels informed about us (Luke 12:8,9). Have they received good news about you?

Sermon no. 203

4 July (1858)

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Peace of Heart and Mind

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“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27).

A stricken widow stood beside the coffin of her husband. She said to a friend, “There lies my only earthly support, my most faithful human friend, one who has never failed me; but I must not forget there lies also the will of God, and that will is perfect love.”

By faith, she saw good and blessing, remembering the promise of God, “I know the plans that I have for you…plans for good…” (Jeremiah 29:11).

As the Prince of Peace, Jesus gives peace of heart and mind, truly one of the greatest and most remarkable gifts we can receive. In the midst of trial and testing, His perfect peace is a supernatural blessing far exceeding even such coveted gifts as good health, for with His inner peace we have everything we need.

How do we obtain that kind of peace? First, it is the fruit of the Spirit. “Love, joy, peace…” As we are yielding to Him and controlled by the Holy Spirit, the fruit of peace is being cultivated in our lives moment by moment, day by day.

Second, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV); “As he thinketh in his heart so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). It is a fact of life that we become in our attitudes and actions like that which most dominates our thoughts. That explains the dramatic moral spiritual deterioration resulting from the influence of immoral television programming. When the Lord is given His proper priority in our lives, His perfect peace will reign in our hearts.

While it is true that all such blessings are a gift of God and cannot be earned or merited, it is equally true that we can deliberately choose to cooperate with God’s Holy Spirit by yielding ourselves to Him and thus cultivating the fruit of peace.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 26:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: By faith I shall claim God’s promised peace for today and every day. I shall ask the Holy Spirit to help me concentrate my heart’s gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and I will encourage someone else to do the same.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Last Enemy

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The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. —1 Corinthians 15:26

When someone loses a loved one, there is a place for mourning. The depth of our sorrow is an indication of the depth of our love. But there is also a place for rejoicing if that loved one is a believer because we know we will see him or her again.

Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus as he saw the devastating power of death. Death is an enemy, and 1 Corinthians 15:26 tells us, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”

No one wants to die. No one looks forward to death. But we all will die, and we want to have put our faith in Christ before we enter into eternity. However, there is something we need to remember about heaven.

Paul the apostle, when he went to heaven and came back to earth, tried to put his experience into words. He could find only one word that helped him describe it, and that was “paradise” (see 2 Corinthians 12:4). It is an interesting Greek word that actually refers to the royal garden of a king. Think about the most beautiful garden you have ever seen or the most amazing sight you have ever laid eyes on. That was the depiction of heaven Paul gave. He was saying, “I don’t really have the words, but it was like a paradise.”

As Pastor Adrian Rogers put it, “The God who sculpted the wings of the butterfly, blended the hues of the rainbow, and painted the meadows with daffodils is the same One who made heaven.”

In heaven all questions are answered, all tears are dried, and all pain is gone. Heaven is pure bliss. That is why Paul said that he longed to be there. Heaven is far, far better than earth.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – An earnest invitation

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“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Psalm 2:12

Suggested Further Reading: Psalm 1

Those that trust in him are blessed; and I would observe, first, that they are really blessed. It is no fiction, no imaginary blessing; it is a real blessedness which belongs to those who trust in God: a blessedness that will stand the test of consideration, the test of life, and the trial of death; a blessedness into which we cannot plunge too deeply, for none of it is a dream, but all a reality. Again, those that trust in him have not only a real blessedness, but they oftentimes have a conscious blessedness. They know what it is to be blest in their troubles, for they are in their trials comforted, and they are blest in their joys, for their joys are sanctified. They are blest and they know it, they sing about it and they rejoice in it. It is their joy to know that God’s blessing is come to them not in word only but in very deed. They are blessed men and blessed women.

“They would not change their blest estate

For all the world calls good and great.”

Then, further, they are not only really blessed, and consciously blessed, but they are increasingly blessed. Their blessedness grows. They do not go downhill, as the wicked do, from bright hope to black despair. They do not diminish in their delights, the river deepens as they wade into it. They are blessed when the first ray of heavenly light streams on their eyeballs; they are blessed when their eyes are opened wider still, to see more of the love of Christ; they are blessed the more their experience widens, and their knowledge deepens, and their love increases. They are blessed in the hour of death, and, best of all, their blessedness increases to eternal blessedness,—the perfection of the saints at the right hand of God. “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

For meditation: How often do you take time to count your blessings in Christ?

Sermon no. 260

3 July (1859)

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Mercy and Grace

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“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Though prayer has been a vital, integral part of my life since I became a Christian, I am always discovering new challenges and new facets of prayer. I find one of the most powerful, exciting and fulfilling privileges God has given to man to be that of prayer based on the authority of God’s Word.

Man instinctively prays, even if only to false gods built of sticks and stones. Whenever he is faced with tragedy, heartache, sorrow or danger, he prays.

There is a serious danger in this “ignorant” kind of praying, however. It is a well-established fact of philosophy and history that man always assimilates the moral character of the object he worships. People who have prayed to gods of blood, fire and war have become militaristic, ruthless and sadistic.

This same principle applies to the Christian, who can pray to the one true God. “As we behold His [Christ’s] face, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” This explains the scriptural emphasis of praying worshipfully to the only true, righteous, holy and loving God.

In spite of this potential metamorphosis, however, the lives of few Christians today are impotent and fruitless compared to those of the first century. This is because the average Christian spends so little time at the throne of grace, so little time beholding the face of our Lord. And, as a result, he does not really believe that mercy and grace are available to enable him to live a supernatural life.

Bible Reading: Hebrews 3:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing I can come boldly to the throne of grace and receive mercy, cleansing, forgiveness and help for my every need, challenge and opportunity – from my Lord Jesus Himself, our great high priest – I will spend more time in His presence and not be satisfied with an impotent, fruitless life.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Divine Power That Is in the Believer

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Charles Stanley

John 16:5-15

In Matthew 13:11, Jesus told the disciples, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to [the crowd] it has not been granted.” As followers of Christ, we, too, have the privilege to know all of the truths God has chosen to reveal in Scripture.

But do you ever feel as if other believers are somehow in on a secret that you don’t know? Do you ever have the sense that they have managed to solve the mystery of how to rejoice in suffering, conquer sin, forgive the unforgivable, or live a life of love in ways you haven’t yet discovered?

If that’s your situation, then I have good news for you. So draw near to hear, and open your eyes to see the truth: The secret to living the Christian life is to become best friends with the Holy Spirit. He has all the right qualities for that role and will not disappoint you—the Bible teaches us that the Spirit of God is someone we can lean on, who helps us make the right decisions, and with whom we can share our deepest feelings (John 14:17; 16:13; 2 Cor. 13:14).

And the Holy Spirit offers believers much more. He loves us, protects us, and assists when we pray. He also works in and through us with divine power, and helps us to become like Jesus.

God’s Spirit is a person with whom we can have a close personal relationship—and He has our best interest at heart. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you through the Scriptures, and then be prepared to have a friend unlike any earthly companion—one who is with you constantly, whispering of your heavenly Father’s mercy and your Savior’s love.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Personal service

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“O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.” Psalm 116:16

Suggested Further Reading: Romans 6:15-23

A liberty to be holy is a grander liberty than a licence to be sinful. A liberty to be conscientious; a liberty to know forgiven sin; a liberty to trample upon conquered lusts, this is an infinitely wider liberty than that which would permit me to be the comfortable slave of sin, and yet indulge the elusive hope that I may one day enter the kingdom of heaven. The largest expressions that can ever be used by the boldest minister of free grace, cannot here be exaggerations. Luther may exhaust his thunders, and Calvin may spend his logic, but after all the grand things that have been spoken about the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, we are freer than those men knew. Free as the very air he breathes is the Christian, if he lives up to his privileges. If he is in bondage at all, it is because he has not as yet yielded his spirit fully to the redeeming and emancipating influence of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the fullest and widest sense therefore, the believer may cry, “Thou has loosed my bonds.” Nor is this liberty merely consistent with the profoundest and most reverent service, but the service is, indeed, a main characteristic of the exalted freedom. “Truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant and the son of thine handmaid.” This does not conflict with the sentence that follows it,—“Thou hast loosed my bonds.” This fact of my being God’s servant is to me a proof and evidence, and a delightful fruit and effect of my having had my bonds loosed by the great emancipator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Service then, as well as liberty!

For meditation: The Christian has been freed from being a slave of sin in order to become a servant of God. Does your lifestyle illustrate this (Galatians 5:13)?

Sermon no. 312

2 July (Preached 3 May 1860)

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Written on Our Hearts

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But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. —Romans 1:18

We are all born with a sense of right and wrong. Before children can even speak, they have a sense of it. You can tell by watching them. They check to see if they can get away with something, and when you tell them no, they do it anyway.

Right and wrong are in our human nature. There is a human conscience. Romans 1:18 says, “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

Some say they live by their own standards, but I would argue they don’t. They know what is right, and they know what is wrong. And they have broken their own human standards. We are told in Romans 2:12, “When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.”

Down in our hearts, we know right from wrong. God’s laws are written within them. Our own conscience either accuses or excuses us. And God will judge us according to the light we have received.

Know this: God wants to save us even more than we want to be saved. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10).

David told his son Solomon, “Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

If you are a true seeker, then you will find your way to Jesus Christ.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Who Is the Holy Spirit?

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Charles Stanley

John 14:16-18

If you were asked who the Holy Spirit is, would you say He’s a ghost, a power, or a person? The Bible clearly teaches that God’s Spirit is a person, and He . . .

• Is a member of the Godhead. The Trinity includes God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

• Acts like a person. He lives, testifies, teaches, convicts, guides, and speaks.

• Has a personality, shown by knowledge, thoughts, will, and language (1 Cor. 2:13).

• Has many names, including Spirit of Holiness, Spirit of Christ, and Spirit of God, which all indicate His divine nature.

• Can be treated—or mistreated—like any person: He can be lied to, resisted, obeyed, and called upon.

Yet many believers don’t think of God’s Spirit as someone they can know. Perhaps these Christians have misconstrued verses that speak of the “Holy Ghost,” or received incomplete teaching about Him. Or maybe, when reading about His power, they assume “power” is all He is. It could even be that their church may have focused on the Father and/or Son to the exclusion of the Spirit.

If we believe anything less than what Scripture teaches about the Holy Spirit, then we will experience far less of the victorious Christian life than God intended. That would delight Satan, because he doesn’t want us to know the whole truth.

The remedy is easy: Ask the Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures about Himself so you can know Him in all His fullness. He’s the one who will help you find in Christ a life that is radiant, powerful, fragrant, satisfying, and victorious. What are you waiting for?

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Bouncing Back

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Our Daily Bread

1 John 1:5–2:2

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

On January 18, 2012, the longest winning streak in US intercollegiate varsity sports history—252 consecutive victories—ended when Trinity College lost a squash match to Yale. The morning after the team’s first loss in 14 years, Trinity’s coach, Paul Assaiante, received an e-mail from a friend, a prominent professional football coach, who wrote, “Well, now you get to bounce back.” Ten days later, that football coach’s team lost in one of the most widely seen athletic events—the NFL Super Bowl. All of us must cope with defeat.

The feeling of failure after an athletic loss mirrors our greater self-condemnation following a spiritual collapse. How can we recover from grieving God and others, along with disappointing ourselves? The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). God forgives us because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins (2:2).

God’s pardon sets us free to begin again and focus on today’s opportunity rather than yesterday’s defeat. His faithful cleansing allows us to start over with a pure heart. Today, God invites and enables us to bounce back. —David McCasland

When you’ve trusted Jesus and walked His way,

When you’ve felt His hand lead you day by day,

But your steps now take you another way,

Start over. —Kroll

Instead of living in the shadows of yesterday, walk in the light of today and the hope of tomorrow.

Bible in a year: Job 20-21 & Acts 10:24-48

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – An Abiding Stream

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Alistair Begg

It shall continue in summer as in winter. Zechariah 14:8

The streams of living water that flow from Jerusalem are not dried up by the parching heats of sultry midsummer any more than they are frozen by the cold winds of blustering winter.

Rejoice, O my soul, that you are spared to testify of the faithfulness of the Lord. The seasons change, and you change, but your Lord abides evermore the same, and the streams of His love are as deep, as broad, and as full as ever. The heats of business cares and scorching trials make me need the cooling influences of the river of His grace; I may go at once and drink to the full from the inexhaustible fountain, for in summer and in winter it pours forth its flood. The upper springs are never scanty, and blessed be the name of the Lord, the lower springs cannot fail either.

Elijah found Cherith dried up, but Jehovah was still the same God of providence. Job said his brethren were like deceitful brooks, but he found his God an overflowing river of consolation. The Nile is the great confidence of Egypt, but its floods are variable; our Lord is evermore the same. By turning the course of the Euphrates, Cyrus took the city of Babylon; but no power, human or infernal, can divert the current of divine grace.

The tracks of ancient rivers have been found all dry and desolate, but the streams that take their rise on the mountains of divine sovereignty and infinite love shall ever be full to the brim. Generations melt away, but the course of grace is unaltered. The river of God may sing with greater truth than the brook in the poem–

Men may come, and men may go,

But I go on forever.

How happy you are, my soul, to be led beside such still waters! Never wander to other streams, lest you hear the Lord’s rebuke, “What do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile?”1

1 – Jeremiah 2:18

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.K. – Cleared For You

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In biblical times, if royalty passed through a village, people were instructed to clear the path for them, removing stones in the road so the way was level. Dear one, do you realize how God has treated you royally and made your way easier?

The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous. Isaiah 26:7

God – the righteous God – demands that you do right. In the Old Testament, the law provided a guide for the Jews, but obeying it did not gain them access to Heaven. It was faith that prompted the Lord to say of Abraham that “he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) Abraham’s godly life pleased the Lord, but it was his faith that covered his sin.

The apostle Paul explains that God sent Jesus to take on your sins so that you might take on His righteousness and stand clean before the Father (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Lord cleared the way for you. Believing allows Jesus to reside within you so the Holy Spirit can prompt you to do right.

Oh, the power of faith…a gift from God that levels the path and makes life easier! Intercede for this nation that it might know the joy of “the way of the righteous.”

Recommended Reading: II Corinthians 5:11-21

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God’s Perfect Timing

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But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. —James 1:4

“Due season” is God’s season, not ours. We are in a hurry, God isn’t. He takes time to do things right—He lays a solid foundation before He attempts to build a building. We are God’s building under construction. He is the Master Builder, and He knows what He is doing. We may not know what He is doing, but He does, and that will have to be good enough. We may not always know, but we can be satisfied to know the One Who knows.

God’s timing seems to be His own little secret. The Bible promises us that He will never be late, but I have also discovered that He is usually not early. It seems that He takes every available opportunity to develop the fruit of patience in us.

Vine’s dictionary of Greek words begins the definition of patience (in James 1:3), as “Patience, which grows only in trial.” Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that grows under trial. My own particular natural temperament is filled with impatience. I have become much more patient over the years, but all the waiting required to teach me patience was hard on me. I wanted everything now!

Patience is vital to the development of our full potential. Actually, our potential is only developed as our patience is developed. It is God’s way—there is no other, so why not settle down and enjoy the journey?

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Don’t Look Back

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I find it interesting how we can look at the past through rose-colored glasses. Remember the children of Israel? They had been delivered from the tyranny and bondage of Egypt, where for years they had languished in slavery. In their deep distress they cried out to God for deliverance, and the Lord answered their prayers through a man named Moses.

As they made their way through the wilderness, God supernaturally fed them with an incredible bread-like substance called manna. Manna literally means, “What is it?” They had it daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But after a while, they got tired of it. They said, we are sick of manna. We remember the good old days back in Egypt, where we ate garlic, leeks, and onions (see Numbers 11:5).

They spoke of the good old days in Egypt, but as slaves they basically ate table scraps. They barely scraped out a miserable existence. Yet in their imaginations, they magnified these scraps into some sumptuous feast they had each and every day. Don’t build up the past in your mind. Remember it for what it was. Don’t allow the enemy to pull you down by fantasizing about it. Protect your mind, and don’t look back. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (NLT). These words contain an implied promise that ought to challenge us to the core. The Lord is telling us: If you do not move forward for My glory, then you will not be fit for My Kingdom. But if you move forward, then you will have an honored place at My table . . . forever.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Miserable Success

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Our Daily Bread

Luke 9:18-27

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. —Luke 9:23

“In whatever a man does without God, he must fail miserably—or succeed more miserably,” wrote George MacDonald (1824–1905), a Scottish novelist, poet, and Christian minister. This intriguing statement is often cited by modern speakers and writers and appears in MacDonald’s book Unspoken Sermons.

MacDonald was dealing with the difficult subject of a Christian’s self-denial and how we are to apply this teaching of Jesus: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

Rather than merely trying to suppress our natural desires, MacDonald said that true self-denial means “we must see things as [Christ] saw them, regard them as He regarded them; we must take the will of God as the very life of our being . . . . We are no more to think, ‘What should I like to do?’ but ‘What would the Living One have me do?’”

Getting only what we want is succeeding miserably. True success is found in “losing” our lives for Jesus’ sake and finding them again full and free in His will. —David McCasland

More like the Master I would live and grow,

More of His love to others I would show;

More self-denial, like His in Galilee,

More like the Master I long to ever be. —Gabriel

The spirit of humility and self-denial precedes a deeper and closer walk with God.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Prayer—the forerunner of mercy

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“Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.” Ezekiel 36:37

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Samuel 22:9-23:5

First, I enquire what the promise is. I turn to my Bible, and I seek to find the promise whereby the thing which I desire to seek is certified to me as being a thing which God is willing to give. Having enquired so far as that, I take that promise, and on my bended knees I enquire of God whether he will fulfil his own promise. I take to him his own word of covenant, and I say to him, “O Lord, wilt thou not fulfil it, and wilt thou not fulfil it now?” So that there, again, prayer is enquiry. After prayer I look out for the answer; I expect to be heard; and if I am not answered I pray again, and my repeated prayers are but fresh enquiries. I expect the blessing to arrive; I go and enquire whether there is any tidings of its coming. I ask; and thus I say, “Wilt thou answer me, O Lord? Wilt thou keep thy promise. Or wilt thou shut up thine ear, because I misunderstand my own wants and mistake thy promise?” Brethren, we must use enquiry in prayer, and regard prayer as being, first, an enquiry for the promise, and then on the strength of that promise an enquiry for the fulfilment. We expect something to come as a present from a friend: we first have the note, whereby we are informed it is upon the road. We enquire as to what the present is by the reading of the note; and then, if it arrive not, we call at the accustomed place where the parcel ought to have been left, and we ask or enquire for such and such a thing. We have enquired about the promise, and then we go and enquire again, until we get an answer that the promised gift has arrived and is ours. So with prayer.

For meditation: Asking comes in two shapes—questions and requests. God is able to give us all the answers we need (Luke 11:9,10).

Sermon no. 138

28 June (1857)

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Strength to the Humble

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“But He gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives strength to the humble, but sets Himself against the proud and haughty” (James 4:6).

Dr. A. B. Simpson, leader of the Christian and Missionary Alliance at its inception, wisely said years ago.” Humility is not thinking meanly of yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all.”

Under that rigid definition, not many of us would qualify as being truly humble – nevertheless, the statement contains a great deal of truth, for it is a goal toward which we should all strive.

No real progress is made toward God in any person’s life – believer or unbeliever – without this special characteristic of humility. One proof of that is found in the familiar verse:

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

Even before we pray, before we seek His face, before we turn from our wicked ways, we must humble ourselves. Why? Because we are in no position to meet any of these other three criteria without first humbling ourselves.

Every Christian who seeks to advance in a holy life must remember well that humility is the most important lesson a believer has to learn. There may be intense consecration, fervent zeal and heavenly experience, yet there also may be an unconscious self-exaltation. True humility must come from God.

Bible Reading: James 4:7-10

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Remembering that pride is the root sin from which all others grow, I will humble myself and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit I will stay so busy helping, praying for and encouraging others that pride cannot take root in my life.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Enduring Prayers

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In today’s society, we tenaciously avoid waiting. The Bible mentions primarily three types of waiting. The first is the evil man waiting on his unsuspecting victim. He greatly desires what his victim has, whether it’s treasure, supplies or power, so he waits for the right time to snatch it. The second is a servant waiting on his master. Everything on the servant’s agenda is set aside; his only concern is what concerns his master. The third type is waiting on God.

Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. Psalm 37:34

You can learn from the other two types of waiting. Do you want God and what He has for you enough to stop everything and wait? Do you wait on the Lord as a servant waits on his master, putting His will first? The Bible also says to wait patiently. Patience is the ability to endure trials with a good attitude while waiting for God’s blessings – not demanding your own way, and knowing His blessings are worth it.

Are you seeking your Heavenly Father for your life and country, patiently trusting He hears you and will answer? Set your heart to wait on the Lord. He will reward your enduring prayers in due time.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31