Tag Archives: faith

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Faint-Hearted Faith 

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From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.   Psalm 61:2

Sometimes it seems like you are a million miles away from Jesus. It’s as if He’s doing big business on the other side of the world in Africa, India, and China. Your small concerns seem trivial in the big scheme of our Savior’s strategy. As in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25), your Master has left you to faithfully manage His stuff while He has gone away. However, you grow impatient, bored, and even faint-hearted from fear and/or fatigue. You wonder if faithfulness to your heavenly Father is really worth the effort and you question the cause and your calling. It was exciting when you first started on this journey of faith, but now it is unfocused and uncertain. You may become melancholy or depressed.

Your heart may grow faint without the fire of fresh faith. Left unchecked, a crevice of concern can become a canyon of crisis between you and Christ. Life may have backed you onto a fearful ledge and you are paralyzed for fear of falling. However, now is the time to grab hold of the Lord’s arm for stability. Even when you are on the verge of despair, God is there. No spot is too dreary or condition too deplorable. Even in life or death situations, prayer is available.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You Can’t Drive a Parked Car

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Establish my steps and direct them by [means of] Your word.…—Psalm 119:133

People often ask, “How do I know what God wants me to do with my life?” Some spend many years being totally immobile because they are waiting to hear a voice from heaven telling them what to do. My best advice to anyone in this position is to simply do something. Do what you think God might be calling you to do and if you make a mistake, He will help you correct it. Don’t spend your life so afraid of making a mistake that you never try to obey what you believe God has spoken to you.

I like to say, you can’t drive a parked car. You need to be moving if you want God to show you which way to go. He has no need to say to you, “Turn left” if you are not going anywhere. But if you are moving, He can give you directions.

Let me insert a word of wisdom here. There are certainly times when we need to be still, wait on God, pray, and not take immediate action. But that does not apply to every situation. There are times when the only way we can discover God’s will is to get moving in a certain direction and let Him speak to us and lead us as we go. If you are going in the wrong direction, He’ll close that door and open another one.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Gift of His Spirit

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“This is what God has prepared for us and, as a guarantee, He has given us His Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:5).

A dynamic young business man sat across from me in my office. By almost every standard of human measure he was an outstanding success in both his business and his religion.

He was one of the leading men in his field of specialty in the world. A highly moral, religious person, he was very active in his church. And yet, he was not sure that he was a Christian.

He wanted desperately – more than anything else in the world – to have real assurance, but he did not know how to go about obtaining it. Step by step, I explained to him from the Bible how he could receive Christ into his life and be sure of his salvation.

Soon we were on our knees in prayer, after which he went on his way rejoicing in the assurance of his salvation to begin a supernatural walk with God.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Need For Peace

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Read: Leviticus 3

If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect. Lev 3:1

Now we come to the fellowship offering, which is better rendered the peace offering. In the peace offering we are recognizing another basic, fundamental need of the human heart. No proper life is possible without peace.

I am not referring here to the peace of forgiveness. That will come in the next two offerings: the sin and the trespass offerings. It is not peace with God; it is the peace of God we are talking about here. It is peace not in the sense of hostility ceased but in the sense of emotional stability, of an untroubled heart. That is what we need — a sense of security, of well-being, of confidence that things are under control and that it is all going to work out. That is the kind of peace this offering represents.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Unstoppable Kingdom

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Read: Mark 1:14-15

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel. (v. 14)

Jesus’ very first sermon was clearly inspired by John the Baptist. Lots of preachers begin by modeling themselves on other good preachers, and Jesus did too by echoing his cousin John. And it’s a good thing Jesus took up this sermon, because John was no longer free to preach it himself. He’d been arrested, thrown in prison, and would never get out. By the time we get to Mark 8, we will read about the sad end of this great forerunner of God’s Messiah.

It’s very upsetting that John was arrested. And so maybe it seems like an odd time for Jesus to begin whipping up enthusiasm for what he calls “good news.” Can we proclaim good news in a time of bad news? Or, when the world reacts to the proclamation of God’s kingdom by locking up the first preacher who proclaimed it, isn’t that a pretty good indication that the gospel doesn’t have much of a chance in this world?

In truth the world has always resisted God’s kingdom. It put John the Baptist to an end, and eventually would get around to doing the same thing to Jesus and then later to the apostles. But here’s the wonder of it all: the gospel’s light has never gone out. The message has never died. God really is on the move re-creating the world through Jesus. The kingdom of God is near, and there’s no stopping it!

Prayer:

When we feel beaten down by the world, lift our eyes to see your kingdom all around us

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P.- Purposes

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Concerning God’s will for the individual, some picture Him whispering a neatly packaged to-do list. You are to go to this specific college, work this job, and live here. However, learning God’s will for your life is a process. First, you need to learn God’s purposes in general.

I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well.

Luke 4:43

As you study God’s Word, you discover who He is, what He’s like, His priorities, His desires and what He expects of His children: things such as praying, loving Him, and caring for others. As you get to know Him and begin putting the teachings of the Bible into practice, you will respond to needs, decisions, and circumstances the way God wants you to. You’ll also learn to recognize His Holy Spirit as He guides you through the seasons of your life: attending school, raising children, or working a particular job or ministry.

Today’s verse shows Jesus was clear on why He was sent to the Earth. Are you sure of your purposes? Pursue the Lord and His will, respond to His leading…and don’t forget to pray for the leaders and people of this nation to seek God on the issues at hand in the country. Trust Him to accomplish His purposes through your prayers.

Recommended Reading: I Peter 4:1-11

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Sees Us at all Times

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God Wants Us To Be Content in Him Alone

“Jealousy is the rage of a man.” (Proverbs 6:34a)
“I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 5:9b)

When the Bible talks about jealousy, it means envy, discontentment, being mad about someone else’s “good luck,” and, even a hatred against that other person. Have you ever discovered that you were jealous of someone? Maybe there was something you wanted and did not get get, but your friend did get that thing. How did you feel? Maybe you know people who are very popular, or very good looking, or very talented in sports, or very rich. And maybe sometimes you wish you could be like them. We live in a world where it is easy for us to be jealous. Commercials on television make us want to have whatever they are advertising. When people show off what they have, it makes us feel left out.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Contentment

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Today’s Scripture: Philippians 4:11

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

There’s a place for legitimate discontentment. All of us should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth. If we aren’t, we will stop growing. There’s also what we might call a prophetic discontentment with injustice and other evils in society, coupled with a desire to see positive change. But there’s also a sinful discontentment that negatively affects our relationship with God. It can easily lead to resentment or bitterness toward God or other people.

Whatever situation tempts us to be discontent, and however severe it may be, we need to recognize that discontentment is sin. We’re so used to responding to difficult circumstances with anxiety, frustration, or discontentment that we consider them normal reactions to the varying vicissitudes of life. But that just points out the subtleness and acceptability of these sins. When we fail to recognize these responses to our circumstances as sin, we’re responding no differently from unbelievers who never factor God into their situations. We’re back to our ungodliness as the root cause of our sins.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Beyond Good Intentions

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Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 11-13

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” – John 13:13

Back in Nehemiah 9:38, we find a group of people who made a binding agreement and put in writing their intention to keep the Law of the Lord. They had searched God’s Law to find out what it taught, then searched their own hearts to discover where they were falling short. After listing a number of things that were examples of their failures, they put in writing exactly what they were going to do about it.

Written applications should be part of every Bible study. As we see where we fall short or receive a new challenge in following the Lord, we should write down what we plan to do about it. But that’s not enough. In Nehemiah 13, we see that the people got off to a great start by putting their intentions in writing, but stumbled in putting them into practice.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Beyond Good Intentions →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JUSTIFIED IN CHRIST

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Read Galatians 2

What does justification mean? In academic research, justification explains a theory or thesis in order to support the conclusion. In ethics, justification is the category of theories that tries to answer questions like “Why should I be moral?” In popular usage, if we say a decision or action is justified we mean it was an acceptable choice. But what does it mean to say we are justified in Christ?

Our passage today provides us with a clear answer. Being justified is a central part of our identity in Christ, and it is part of our understanding salvation in Jesus.

First, justification means we are declared righteous before God (v. 21). As we saw yesterday, we can never justify ourselves. We can never be right with God on our own terms. “We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ” (v. 16).

Second, justification means we now live by faith in Christ (v. 20). Being justified in Christ not only changes the status

of our relationship with God but also transforms the way we live. We have the Spirit of God living within us to guide our lives. We can embrace grace rather than legalistic ideas of how to please God.

Justification also matters for our relationships with others. If we grasp that our identity of being justified in Christ is entirely based on what He has done for us—not our own goodness— then we can extend that grace to others. We don’t have to impose additional restrictions or expectations on others when we know that Jesus does the work of justification for all who believe in Him (vv. 4, 21).

APPLY THE WORD

Peter and Paul clashed over associating with Gentiles. Disagreement between Christians is not new and need not mean breaking fellowship. In disagreements, the gospel takes priority over our preferences. Paul confronted Peter for choosing Law over grace; Peter later became a persuasive advocate for Gentile believers (vv. 11–14; Acts 15).

http://www.todayintheword.org

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Wisdom’s Benefit Package

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Proverbs 2:1-22

When someone is interviewing for a new job, it’s common to ask, “What does the benefits package include?” We’d do well to consider a similar question about the value of living according to God’s wisdom—since the world’s advice about having a good life contrasts sharply with scriptural teachings, we might ask, “What are the benefits?” In other words, Why should we seek to live in obedience to the instructions given in the Bible?

First of all, in seeking God’s wisdom, we will acquire a deeper understanding and knowledge of the Lord. (See Prov. 2:4-6.) Our perspective on life is greatly enhanced when we have a close relationship with the Father. He’ll give us the ability to see ourselves, others, and circumstances the way He would view them. As biblical principles permeate our minds, they begin to shape our thinking and responses to all of life’s situations and challenges.

Second, God promises to guide and protect us if we walk wisely (Prov. 2:7-10). Nothing outside His will can penetrate the shield of protection around those who love and seek to obey Him. When we let His wisdom enter our hearts, discretion watches over our desires and emotions, preventing us from entering into foolish or sinful relationships that would draw us away from Him (Prov. 2:11-20).

Godly understanding and protection don’t become ours simply because we want them. Such benefits come to people who diligently seek divine wisdom. If you receive the words of Scripture and let them fill your heart and mind, the Lord will reveal Himself to you and give you His discernment.

Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 27-29

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Too Close

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Read: Proverbs 3:1-18

Bible in a Year: Judges 16-18; Luke 7:1-30

In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. —Proverbs 3:6

I grew up in Oklahoma where severe weather is common from early spring through the end of summer. I recall one evening when the sky boiled with dark clouds, the TV weather forecaster warned of an approaching tornado, and the electricity went out. Very quickly, my parents, my sister, and I climbed down the wooden ladder into the storm cellar behind our house where we stayed until the storm passed by.

Today “storm chasing” has become a hobby for many people and a profitable business for others. The goal is to get as close as possible to a tornado without being harmed. Many storm chasers are skilled forecasters with accurate information, but I won’t sign up for a tornado tour anytime soon.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Peter’s Impulsive Self-Confidence

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“Peter answered and said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away’” (Matthew 26:33).

Prior to Jesus’ death, Peter’s trust in himself rather than God distorted his judgment concerning loyalty to Jesus.

Like a self-willed child, Peter often heard and believed only what he wanted to. He failed to grasp the Lord’s warning that his faith would be severely tested. At the Last Supper Jesus told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). But Peter was unfazed by these words. Instead, he boasted, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” (v. 33).

Christ in His divine wisdom knew that Peter’s claim would not hold true. Therefore, He went further and soberly predicted during the Supper that Peter would soon not only desert His Lord but also deny Him three times. Now in Matthew 26, following Peter’s latest outburst of overconfidence, Jesus is constrained to repeat His prediction. Amazingly, Peter did not believe the thrust of Jesus’ words. He would rather fool himself and believe that Jesus was mistaken about his faithfulness and loyalty.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Faith Follows Jesus 

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And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.   Luke 14:27

You follow Jesus because of His invitation and His worthiness. You follow Jesus because His way is the best way and because you are His disciples. You follow Jesus because there is none other who offers an abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven. You follow the Lord because He leads you toward His will. He is worth following because He can be trusted; He will never lead you astray. The Lord’s leadership is perfect, potent, and practical. Therefore, pursue Him as a faithful follower. Do not hold back one ounce of obedience and loyalty to your leader, Jesus Christ. Where He leads you, follow. Where He sends you, go. His path will be painful at times, but it is in your pain that He purifies. Follow Him and you will be forever grateful, for He does not disappoint.

Follow Him through your difficult days. Do not give in to the temptation to quit. Where else is there to go? This is the insightful question Peter posed out of frustration (John 6:68). It is in your adversity that you desire the Almighty. He is not occupied with a celestial distraction somewhere far away. He is still leading you through this valley of despair. Do not give up on Him, for He has not given up on you. He still lovingly leads even though your soul feels resistance. He will pull you through this present predicament. Use this time of challenge to strengthen your faith in Him.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Spring Cleaning: Shake the Dust Off—Read Your Bible

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I am afflicted very much; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.

Psalm 119:107

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Proverbs 3:1-2

A distinguished professor at an evangelical seminary was invited to speak to an adult Sunday school class at a large, mainstream church. When he began his lesson, he noticed none of the class members had a Bible. He asked if there were any Bibles available that could be used during the class. An extensive search was made and finally, in a storage closet, a box of unused Bibles was discovered. Once this key tool for spiritual growth was distributed to the class, the professor proceeded to teach.

It has been said that a valid measure of a Christian’s spiritual growth is the amount of dust that has settled on his Bible. The Bible is considered food for the follower of Christ—the daily source of nourishment, counsel, inspiration, correction, and hope (2 Timothy 3:16). The Word of God can do what no other book can: penetrate deeply into our heart and soul and reveal our “thoughts and intents” (Hebrews 4:12). It can do that because it is “living and powerful,” empowered by the Spirit who inspired it (2 Peter 1:21).

Don’t let your Bible be hidden or dusty. Begin today to let God revive you according to His Word.

The Bible speaks to you in the very tone of God’s voice.

Charles Spurgeon

Read-Thru-the-Bible

2 Samuel 4 – 11

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Clothed in Christ

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“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ” (Galatians 3:27, NAS).

You may be surprised, as I was, at the result of our personal surveys having to do with church members and salvation.

Such surveys indicate that somewhere between 50 and 90% of all church members are not sure of their salvation. Like Martin Luther, John Wesley and many others who became mighty ambassadors for Christ, some spend many years “serving God” before they experience the assurance and reality of their salvation.

The pastor of a large fashionable church of 1,500 members once reacted negatively when I shared these statistics, doubting that such large percentages of church members lacked assurance of their salvation.

He decided personally to survey his own congregation at the church where he had served as senior pastor for 15 years. To his amazement and shock, more than 75% of the membership indicated they were not sure of their salvation.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – In the Wilderness

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Read: Mark 1:2-4

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” (v. 3)

If Jesus’ arrival on earth is a new beginning, a new Genesis, then it makes sense that we begin in the wilderness. After humanity’s fall into sin, the wilderness became a symbol of brokenness. When God created the heavens and the earth, he began by having his Spirit hover over the primordial chaos when all was “formless and void” (Gen. 1:2). God imposed cosmos (order) on that chaos, but once sin came, chaos made a comeback. And nowhere in the Bible is this seen more clearly than in the desert wastes that often get described as being “formless and void.”

The wilderness is a reminder of all that is wrong with our world. So if God’s Christ is going to reestablish an ordered cosmos where life can flourish, then there is no better place to begin than the wilderness.

At one time or another we all find ourselves in situations where we feel trapped in some hot, dusty desert where the sun scorches and the demons howl. Death, unemployment, depression, loneliness: these are the deserts in which we find ourselves lost and wandering around. The good news, though, is that our God in Christ is still very good at entering the wilderness places to make a way for us that is straight and smooth once more. In fact, the wilderness may well be one of the more likely places where you will bump into Jesus even today.

Prayer:

When we are hot and lonely, O God, show us your face in the wilderness.

Author: Scott Hoezee

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Character vs. Charisma

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“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”—Proverbs 11:3

The stand you make today will determine what kind of stand you will make tomorrow. Character is not some mystical thing that you have no say in. You decide what principles you will live by, what road you will take.

The Bible is filled with examples of those who had character. But it is also filled with examples of those who did not. This is one of the reasons we can believe the Bible: it tells the truth without “airbrushing” the flaws and inconsistencies of the people found in its pages.

When Oliver Cromwell had his portrait painted, he said to the artist, “Paint me, warts and all!” The Bible gives us our heroes, “warts and all.”

Character isn’t just about starting the race well, but finishing it well. But sadly, many run strong at first but then slow down, quit, or are disqualified. King Saul comes to mind as an example.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Under God’s Gracious Hand

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Today’s Scripture: Ezra 7-8

In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. – 2 Chronicles 31:21

Have you ever looked at someone who was being used by God in a special way and wondered why the Lord seems to have His hand on that man or woman? Why is God using that person and not someone else? What is the secret of their spiritual success?

Ezra 7:9 says of Ezra, “The gracious hand of his God was upon him.” And the reason is found in the next verse: “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Under God’s Gracious Hand →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

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Read Romans 4:13-25

Like many people in the 1990s, Chris Robinson loved Beanie Babies. He thought the small plush toys would increase in value, and he began devoting all his spare time—and money—to amassing a collection. He figured eventually he could sell them to pay college tuition. But after spending over $100,000 on some 15,000 Beanie Babies, the market for the toys plummeted, leaving Robinson with a whole lot of stuffed animals and debt.

Trying to invest money can be a wise decision, but the investment must be trustworthy. The object of our trust is important: faith in a worthless cure or risky business or unreliable person will do us no good. This is even more true in our spiritual lives. Merely having faith will not save us. Our faith must be placed in Jesus Christ.

As our text today makes clear, the object of faith was always supposed o be God, the Giver of the Law, not the Law itself. Only God can keep His promises. Only God could fulfill His word to Abraham to make him a father of many nations (v. 18).

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