Tag Archives: christianity

Wisdom Hunters – A Little God-Lesson That Changed My Life

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

While I was single, I became friends with a man I wanted to get to know better. But there was a problem: He had a young daughter and she had a mother who was involved in her life. As a result, I felt as if there wouldn’t be room for me in the little girl’s heart or in the family should I marry this man. My focus was on myself—and being a part of a blended family was not my plan.

One day while I was on my knees in prayer in my apartment, I cried out to the Lord, “I like this man, but his daughter already has a mom.” Immediately, in that still, small voice that convicts, teaches, and comforts, it was as if the Lord said to me, “Yes, but I am her Father.” He was reminding me, “True. I have given the little girl a mother, but because she belongs to Me she has value. That’s why she deserves love. It’s not all about you. It’s about glorifying Me.”

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

That little God-lesson spilled over and changed my life when I met my husband. Because of that special time with the Lord, I decided I would love my step kids even before I met them. Not because I want to try to take their mother’s place, but because they are valuable as people God has created. In the beginning I decided to love them because God loves them. But then, as I moved toward His will by choosing love, genuine love began to bloom in my heart for each of them (and for my sons-in-law, too!) Now I just flat out think they are awesome.

Which brings me to something that I hope encourages and challenges you. There’s a whole lot of mess in the world today because people everywhere are offended by others who are different than them. There are entire nations, cities, groups, families, and individuals who won’t accept others who aren’t like them. Our judgmental, prideful hearts blind us to one important truth: People are important and deserve love simply because God created them. And, when we ignore the value of all people we are refusing to love those whom God loves. We are rejecting those He has created. We are rejecting His will. In this we are completely blinded, and ignorant—and we miss out. But when we open ourselves to love the way God loves, our hearts are enlarged. In this we are blessed and experience joy.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – A Little God-Lesson That Changed My Life →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – A Caring Community

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.

Philippians 1:9

Joyce Meyer – How to Increase Your Faith

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. —Hebrews 10:23

Giving voice to your faith can actually increase your faith—because what you say out loud gets rooted in your heart. I have heard that we believe more of what we say than what anyone else says, so why not say things that we truly want to believe? Say frequently, “I trust God,” or “I believe God is working in my life and circumstances right now.” Say, “God loves me and will work through me to do good to other people.”

The Psalms are filled with confessions of faith: I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! (Psalm 91:2). You can make a similar confession!

The apostle Peter said we should resist the devil at his onset (see 1 Peter 5:9). Developing the habit of confessing your faith as soon as any negative thoughts, words, behaviors, and attitudes appear will increase your faith and your joy. Soon you’ll be living from faith to faith (see Romans 1:17), without wavering.

Power Thought: God is faithful; my hope in Him is unwavering.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Finding Strength For Your Struggle

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Truth

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.

Exodus 15:2

Friend to Friend

Moses faced complicated challenges and circumstances. Born in a time when he, as a Hebrew baby, was supposed to have been killed, Moses was saved by God’s sovereign grace when Pharaoh’s daughter pulled him from the Nile and kept him as her own.

A Hebrew among Egyptians, Moses was raised in a land and culture that was far removed from his heritage and from the One true God of Israel. You know this story! We saw it on the flannel graph boards in Sunday school as little girls. We watched Charlton Heston act it out in the movie The Ten Commandments. Moses had it all in the palace, lost it all when he murdered an Egyptian soldier, then eventually, risked it all for the holy God who called out to him and commissioned him from a flame.

Moses set out to free his people through the power of God. Though the Pharaoh doubted God’s strength, the Lord displayed His might, plague after plague, until finally it looked like Pharaoh got the memo. At last he let God’s people go. Moses and the Israelites left Egypt promptly and high-tailed it down the road of divine deliverance. But when Pharaoh changed his mind and gathered his army to chase them, the Israelites ran smack dab up against the Red Sea.

Major problem.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Finding Strength For Your Struggle →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – A Place Prepared for You

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3, KJV).

Recently my 93-year-old father went to be with the Lord. Though I was saddened to realize that I would never see him again in this life, and I shed a few tears of sorrow for myself, at the same time I rejoiced in the knowledge that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

My father is now rejoicing in the presence of our wonderful God and Savior. One day I shall join with him, my mother (who is still living at 93), all my brothers and sisters who have declared their faith in Christ, and multitudes of other loved ones, friends and saints to spend eternity in that place where “eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard…what God hath prepared for those who love Him.”

“I cannot think what we shall find to do in heaven,” mused Martin Luther. “No change, no work, no eating, no drinking, nothing to do.”

“Yes,” responded a friend, “‘Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.'”

“Why, of course,” said Luther, “that sight will give us quite enough to do!”

Joy of joys, you and I not only have been given purpose and power for living the supernatural, abundant life – by the indwelling Holy Spirit – but we have also been promised a place in His presence when this life is over. And, as Luther realized, we will then worship Him face to face throughout the endless ages of eternity.

We need not know exactly what heaven will be like; we need only know who will be there – our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That assurance and anticipation should motivate us to live the kind of supernatural life that burdens and concerns us about the needs of others, moment by moment, day by day.

Bible Reading: John 14:27-31

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will meditate on the glory and beauty of my heavenly Father and my eternal home where I shall worship and have fellowship with my Lord throughout eternity. I will encourage loved ones, friends and strangers alike to prepare to go there also when their work on earth is done

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Jacob I have Loved

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Read: Romans 9:1-13

Just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Romans 9:13

Many have struggled over those words. But all the apostle is saying is that it is clear from this story that: First, ancestry does not make any difference (these boys had the same father), and second, what they will do in their lives — including the choices they will make — ultimately will not make any difference. Before they were able to make choices — either good or bad — God had said to their mother, The elder shall serve the younger. By that he implied, not only that there would be a difference in the nations that followed (the descendants of these two men) and that one would be in the place of honor and the other wouldn’t, but, also, that the personal destinies of these two men were involved as well. That is clear from the record of history. Jacob forevermore stands for all the things in men that God honors and wants them to have. Jacob was a scheming, rather weak character — not very lovable. Esau, on the other hand, was a rugged individualist — much more admirable when he was growing up than was his brother Jacob. But through the course of their lives, Jacob was the one who was brought to faith, and Esau was not. God uses this as a symbol of how he works.

I remember hearing of a man who said to a noted Bible teacher, I’m having trouble with this verse, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. How could God ever say, Esau have I hated? The Bible teacher said, I have trouble with that verse, too, but my problem is not quite the same. I have no trouble in understanding the words Esau have I hated. What bothers me is how God could ever say, Jacob have I loved! Read the life of Jacob and you will see why.

I admit that we must not read this word hated as though God actually disliked Esau and would have nothing to do with him and treated him with contempt. That is what we often mean when we say we hate someone. Jesus used this same word when he said, Except a man hate his father and mother and brother and sister and wife and children and houses and land, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple, (Luke 14:26). Clearly he is not saying that we have to treat our mothers and fathers and wives and children and our own lives with contempt and disrespect. He clearly means that he is to have pre-eminence. Hatred, in that sense, means to love less. We are to love these less than we love him.

God didn’t hate Esau, in the sense we usually employ that word. In fact, he blessed him. He made of him a great nation. He gave him promises which he fulfilled to the letter. What these verses imply is that God set his heart on Jacob, to bring him to redemption, and all Jacob’s followers would reflect the possibilities of that. As Paul has argued already, those followers were not all necessarily saved by that, by any means, but Jacob would forever stand for what God wants men to be, and Esau would forever stand as a symbol of what he does not like.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Jacob I have Loved →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Missionary God

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Read: Genesis 3:1-8

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day . . . (v. 8)

Adam and Eve turned away from the path of trust and obedience, and as a result, everything changed, starting with them. They became self conscious; for the first time they felt the emotion of shame (v. 7). They did know good and evil now, but good only as lost innocence, and evil by bitter experience.

From verse 7 onwards we are in our world, the world where thorns and thistles grow when we sow good seed, the world where daily life is a sweat drenched struggle against futility and frustration, the world where even the greatest joys are accompanied by pain, and where every hope filled birth ends in death. Adam and Eve didn’t quite realize all this yet, though they were starting to suspect that what they’d done wasn’t such a good idea.

But then God comes into the story. Adam and Eve heard him walking in the garden; what was that like, I wonder? However it happened, it means that God had come personally, looking for his lost children. The God of the Bible was on a mission, and the first missionary he sent into the world was himself. His mission of salvation began in the garden of Eden, but ultimately it would lead him into another garden–one with an empty tomb. If he weren’t this kind of God, the Bible would be a very short book. It would have ended at Genesis 3:7.

Thankfully, it doesn’t!

PRAYER:

We bless you for being a missionary God.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Take a Risk

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”—Acts 9:15

Saul had no idea what had just happened to him. After hearing the voice of Jesus on the Damascus Road, he fell to the ground, blinded by a searing light that penetrated the sun. Then he was led to the home of a man named Judas (no relation to Judas Iscariot).

Enter Ananias, the unsung hero. God told him in a vision,

“Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” (Acts 9:11–12)

But Ananias had his doubts. He said, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name” (verses 13–14).

You can understand Ananias’ reticence. Saul was a notorious hunter of Christians. Saul had consented to Stephen’s murder. Yet God said, “Go.”

Do you know someone right now whom you cannot imagine ever becoming a Christian? That is what it was like when Saul of Tarsus came to Christ.

Sometimes God will put a burden on your heart. You will see someone, and there will be a burden from God that you ought to talk to that person. Of course, if God says go, we can say no. God said “Go” to Jonah, and he said no at first. But eventually he went, dragging his feet.

Are you going to be a Jonah or an Ananias? When the Lord says, “Go,” are you going to fight it? Or, will you be an Ananias? Just go. Do it. Take a risk.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Our Safety

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

For many nights after the terrorists’ attacks on the World Trade towers, Leah used to lie awake for hours, because she was afraid. As soon as she snuggled under the covers in the darkness of her room, Leah imagined she was on one of those planes, and she could “see” the terrorists’ angry, hateful faces glaring at her. She just could not get them out of her mind.

After several sleepless nights, it finally occurred to Leah that she did not need to carry her burden of fear all by herself! She prayed to God that He would help her to trust Him with her future, and she prayed that He would take away her fears about the terrorists. It was comforting to leave her fright and worry at the feet of Jesus, knowing that He would be her Protector. Nothing in the world could happen without Him allowing it.

Sometimes we all have feelings of fear. But when we fight away our fear with God’s Word as our sword, we can be comforted, and we can rest.

God is in control of everything that happens in the world, and we can trust Him with our fears .

My Response:

» Do I have fears that I need to trust God with?

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Conduct and Character

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

“The mature . . . have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

The relationship between conduct and character is an intimate one. In the form of repeated actions over time, conduct produces character. That’s the teaching of 2 Peter 2:14 and Romans 6:19. But it’s also true that character determines actions. What we do, we become; what we are, we do.

Conduct is always feeding character, but character is also always feeding conduct. Paul’s experience while shipwrecked on the island of Malta furnishes a good example of this relationship. The islanders built the refugees a fire because of the rain and cold. Luke related in Acts 28 that Paul gathered a pile of brushwood, and, as he put it on the fire, a snake came out of the brushwood and fastened itself on Paul’s hand. Under the adverse circumstances of shipwreck, why would Paul have gone about gathering fuel for a fire built and tended by someone else? Why not just stand by the fire and warm himself? Because it was his character to serve (Acts 20:33-35; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9). He’d learned well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples’ feet. Because it was Paul’s character to serve, he gathered the brushwood instinctively.

Because conduct determines character, and character determines conduct, it’s vitally important —extremely necessary —that we practice godliness every day. That’s why Peter said, “Make every effort to supplement your faith with . . . godliness” (2 Peter 1:5-6). There can be no letup in our pursuit of godly character. Every day that we’re not practicing godliness we’re being conformed to the world of ungodliness around us. Granted, our practice of godliness is imperfect and falls far short of the biblical standard. Nevertheless, let us press on to know Christ and to be like him. (Excerpt taken from The Fruitful Life)

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Every Day with God

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Exodus 25-27

My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. – Psalm 108:1

Today’s passage in Exodus, describing the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies, is a reminder of all that God has done to make it possible for us to have fellowship with Him. In the tabernacle, the veil separated the holy place from the most holy place. And into that Holy of Holies went the high priest once a year. This veil was the very one that was torn from top to bottom when Jesus Christ died on the cross, indicating that the way now was open for the likes of you and me to enter into that close, intimate communion with God that for centuries was reserved for the high priest alone. It took the death of the Son of God to make that intimate fellowship possible.

Another special feature in the temple was a courtyard enclosed with hangings of the finest linens. The court was fifty yards long and twenty-five yards wide. This was the court David longed for and into which the people of God entered with praise and thanksgiving. The court could only hold a few worshipers. But thanks be to God, in the New Testament times the enclosure was taken down, and today there is room for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus.

Tomorrow, when your alarm goes off, remember that Jesus Christ died to make it possible for you to come directly into the presence of the Lord, a privilege that once was reserved for a special few. Thank God that today there is room for every heart that longs to enter the place of prayer.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for that most precious of privileges–the priesthood of the believer, that gives me perpetual access to Your holy presence. Amen.

To Ponder

Many Christians are missing out on one of their greatest privileges as children of God–a daily quiet time with their heavenly Father.

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – The Election is Coming: And So is the Day After

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Well, perhaps you’ve heard: there’s an election next week.

And I’ve never seen the nation or the Church more divided over politics. For the most part, evangelicals are angrily—and I do mean angrily—split over whether to vote for one of the two most disliked candidates in history, to vote third party, or whether to even vote at all.

The anxiety, the anger, and the vitriol are over the top. So with the election just a few days away, let’s take a breath and do a reality check.

First and foremost, the ultimate reality is this: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. As I said recently on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, this is not just a spiritual truth, it is the singular truth of the universe. The entire story of human history centers on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Yes, we have two horrible candidates for the presidency.

Yes, Supreme Court seats are at stake. Yes, the Church is coming under enormous and fiendish pressure from all sides. But none of that, not an iota, changes the fact that Christ is risen. To be a Christian in this world means to place our ultimate hope in that incontrovertible fact, not in the electoral process, in our nation, or in anything else.

And second, even so, you need to vote. And here’s why. God has placed you and me in this country, in our particular state, in our particular community at this particular time. And as my fellow Focus guest Carrie Gordon Earle said on that same broadcast, we—unlike many of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world—have the opportunity to vote, and to use that vote to do good.

I can’t and won’t tell you how to vote for President. But not showing up at the ballot box is not an option for a believer. Besides the presidential race, there are Senate and House seats up for grabs. Don’t forget state representatives. And of course ballot initiatives in your area.

Continue reading BreakPoint – The Election is Coming: And So is the Day After →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE SURPRISING WAY TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF DYING

November 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

There’s very good news in today’s Cultural Commentary. But you’ll have to look beyond the news to find it.

Today’s headlines are not helpful to our quest for encouragement: Life expectancy for Americans is declining. Seventy-four percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, up nearly 50 percent from 2012. As the political season grinds to a conclusion, one woman quoted by The Washington Post spoke for many: “All of my friends and family are so ready for the country to move beyond this election. Me, too. I’d rather feel hopeful than hopeless.”

To feel hopeful on this All Saints Day, don’t look to your culture. Instead, look to your church. Here’s why: a Harvard professor has shown that religious attendance will increase your health, happiness, and sense of purpose in life.

Tyler VanderWeele is professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. His research with Harvard colleagues indicates that attending religious services brings about better physical and mental health. Significantly better, in fact.

Adults who attend a religious service at least once a week have a much lower risk of dying over the next decade and a half. They are more optimistic and have lower rates of depression. Churchgoing protects against suicide and provides greater purpose in life. Attending religious services also increases the likelihood of a stable marriage and leads to greater charitable giving and civic engagement.

It’s especially noteworthy in our “spiritual but not religious” culture that general spirituality does not provide such benefits. As the author notes, “Research has shown that service attendance, rather than private spirituality or solitary practice, strongly predicts health. Something about communal religious participation appears to be essential” (his emphasis).

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE SURPRISING WAY TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF DYING →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – How God Works

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Genesis 45:3-8

God has been at work since verse one of the Bible, and He is still orchestrating events involving nations, families, and individuals. While He uniquely tailors His plan for individual lives, our Father wants all people to come to saving faith. And He works to conform every Christian to His Son’s image.

Transforming believers into reflections of Jesus is a long process of small changes, which means God’s work may at times seem slow to us. The Lord assured Abraham he’d be the father of nations, but he had to wait decades for the promised son (Gen. 15:1-5). Even though God was at work the entire time, Abraham must have wondered if the pledge had been forgotten. God’s patient timing lets Him coordinate every detail perfectly.

Believers like to share stories about the Lord’s dramatic intervention in their lives. Knowing that He provides, rescues, or heals is exciting and reassuring. But He also works in ways that may seem inconsequential. For example, upon arriving in Egypt, Joseph was just a menial servant in Potiphar’s household—yet this was his first step toward becoming the country’s second-in-command (Gen. 39:1-4; Gen. 41:41). God has a purpose for everything that comes into our life—including friendships, jobs, situations, and conversations. Nothing is trivial.

If you want to experience God in action, you don’t have to wait for Him to do something big in your life. Be attentive, because every day is an opportunity to see Him at work. Get into His Word so you can understand how He has acted in the lives of others. Then watch for His involvement in your own.

Bible in One Year: Luke 23-24

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — It Never Runs Out

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 22-23; Titus 1

He has given us new birth into . . . an inheritance that can never perish.—1 Peter 1:3–4

When I asked a friend who is about to retire what she feared about her next stage of life, she said, “I want to make sure I don’t run out of money.” The next day as I was talking to my financial counselor he gave me advice on how I might avoid running out of money. Indeed, we all want the security of knowing we’ll have the resources we need for the rest of our lives.

No financial plan can provide an absolute guarantee of earthly security. But there is a plan that extends far beyond this life and indefinitely into the future. The apostle Peter describes it like this: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

When we place our faith in Jesus to forgive our sins we receive an eternal inheritance through God’s power. Because of this inheritance, we’ll live forever and never run short of what we need.

Planning for retirement is a good idea if we’re able to do so. But more important is having an eternal inheritance that never runs out—and that is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. —Dave Branon

Dear God, I want that assurance of an eternal inheritance—the certainty of everlasting life with You. I put my faith in Jesus to forgive my sins and make me His child. Thank You for saving me and reserving a place for me in Your eternal kingdom.

The promise of heaven is our eternal hope.

INSIGHT: Revelation 21:15-21 describes heaven by referring to twelve sparkling, colorful gems and “gold as pure as transparent glass” (v. 21). Those who belong to Christ are heirs of heaven—it is called our “inheritance” (1 Peter 1:4). And we “are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (v. 5). Peter says that this reality fills the believer with “inexpressible and glorious joy” (v. 8). The Bible assures us that even though we “may have . . . to suffer grief in all kinds of trials,” we can be assured that even the worst imaginable pain or problem is only “for a little while” (v. 6). Jim Townsend

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Comprehending Darkness

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Within the dark and heavy world of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, the coinciding stories of each character shift around themes of grace and legalism. The stories are immensely honest, such that we find ourselves somewhere in the novel, or perhaps all through it. The darkness is overwhelming because it is all too close to home, maybe as close as our own hearts. But the light is also real, and it stings our eyes and seeps into our hearts.

In this dark and honest world, life is not fair, it is not easy and the stories don’t always go where you want them to go. Yet, the words of Victor Hugo himself push further: “Will the future ever arrive?” he asks, “Should we continue to look upwards? Is the light we can see in the sky one of those which will presently be extinguished? The ideal is terrifying to behold, lost as it is in the depths, small, isolated, a pin-point, brilliant but threatened on all sides by the dark forces that surround it; nevertheless, no more in danger than a star in the jaws of the clouds.” The lives of Jean Valjean, Javert, and Cosette force us to perceive things we have maybe only half perceived, such that whatever we knew of shame and mercy and forgiveness are never the same. Their lives seemingly ask us to be aware of the brilliance of even the smallest of lights in the midst of a devastating darkness.

It is said of Christ in the Gospel of John, “In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”(1) Literally, John says that the light shines and the darkness could not “lay hold of it”; the darkness could not master it. Undoubtedly, as John penned the words that testified to the events which had unfolded before his eyes, his mind hastened back to the Cross, the darkness of that day—the unfairness, the ugliness, the confusion and regret of that overwhelming scene. And then he says boldly: Even in the jaws of darkness on the cross, the light of the world did not go out. The Light was not mastered by even the darkest moment in time.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Comprehending Darkness →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Overcoming Temptation

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus Christ provides us with the perfect example of how to defeat temptation.

Perhaps you’ve heard the joke, “I can resist anything but temptation!” Unfortunately, that is all too often true in our lives. Learning how to successfully resist temptation is vitally important, for we sin only when we yield to temptation.

Christians throughout history have recognized the importance of resisting temptation. One early believer wrote, “Fly from all occasions of temptation, and if still tempted, fly further still. If there is no escape possible, then have done with running and show a bold face and take the two-edged sword of the Spirit.” The desire to escape temptation has led many in the history of the church to attempt heroic but ultimately futile feats of ascetic self-denial. So desperate did one monk become that he threw himself into a thicket of thorn bushes! Unfortunately, that did not bring him the relief from temptation that he so desperately sought.

The way to successfully resist temptation was modeled by our Lord Jesus Christ when He was tempted. We must first understand our enemy’s plan of attack and, secondly, make use of our spiritual resources.

Satan made a three-pronged assault on Jesus—the same three ways he tempts us. First, he tempted Jesus to doubt God’s goodness by commanding the stones to become bread (Matt. 4:3). That implies that God didn’t care enough about Jesus to provide for His physical needs. Second, he tempted Jesus to doubt God’s love, suggesting that He test that love by leaping from the pinnacle of the temple (Matt. 4:5-6). Finally, he tempted Jesus to compromise God’s truth, promising Him the kingdom without the cross if Jesus would worship him (Matt. 4:8-9).

To each of Satan’s temptations, Jesus replied, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). He thereby showed us the resource for defeating temptation: the Word of God (cf. Eph. 6:17). Do you find yourself overcome by temptation? Then follow our Lord’s example and take up the sword of the Spirit today!

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray that God would make you alert to Satan’s attacks.

For Further Study

Make a list of specific verses you can use to combat the specific temptations you face.

http://www.gty.org

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Prince of this World

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I will not speak to you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. John 14:30-31

The prince of this world is alive and well. His methods are fear, intimidation, and deception. He flaunts his pretentious power over a decaying world. He maneuvers around in a spiritual disguise. He wants you to have just enough of Jesus to disappoint you but not too much that you depend on Him. His desire is for partial obedience to the commands of Christ, so that your love for Him is sentimental and shallow. Then when pain and suffering grow in intensity, you will lose confidence in the Lord. He wants your love for the Lord to be conditional on everything being okay, not unconditional regardless of the outcomes.

Adversity is the adversary’s most intense weapon of distrust. Satan desires to sift your faith through the sands of suffering. He tries to extract your joy in Jesus with jealously over the good fortune of others and a jaded belief that God is distant and disinterested. He demands you to believe that death is the end and that no good can come out of your grief and loss. But, followers of Jesus do not have to believe his half-truths. You are free to instantly, willingly, and completely obey God’s commands. This is the evidence of your love for the Lord. Love is where joy gestates. Hate is where anger incubates. Obedience to God makes you an overcomer.

There is nothing the devil can demand of you without first going through God. He tries to make you think you are eternally exposed, but you are safely strapped in by eternal security. Christ is in His Father, you are in Christ, and Christ is in you (John 14:20). The prince of this world is powerless to pry you from the Prince of Peace.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Prince of this World →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Knockout

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Joyce Meyer – The Prayer of Consecration

October 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.- Isaiah 6:8

In the prayer of consecration, we dedicate our lives and all that we are to Him. In order for God to use us, we must consecrate ourselves to Him.

When we truly consecrate ourselves to the Lord, we lose the burden of trying to run our own lives. I would rather voluntarily follow God than struggle to get Him to follow me. He knows where He is going, and I know I will reach my destination safely if I allow Him to lead.

I consecrate myself to God in prayer on a regular basis. I say, “Here I am, Lord. I am Yours; do with me as You please.” Then sometimes I add, “I hope I like what You choose, Lord, but if I don’t, Your will be done and not mine.”

Consecration and/or dedication to God is the most important aspect of succeeding at being ourselves. We don’t even know what we are supposed to be, let alone know how to become whatever it is. But as we regularly keep our lives on the altar in consecration to God, He will do the work that needs to be done in us, so He may do the work He desires to do through us.

Lord, I gladly consecrate myself—body, soul, and spirit—to You today. Take my life, shape my life, and use my life for Your glory. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION

Tag Archives: christianity

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Joyce Meyer – The Prayer of Consecration

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