Tag Archives: holy spirit

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Fog

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Read: Mark 4:1-12

For those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand.” (vv. 11-12)

Those of us who teach preaching to seminary students cannot emphasize enough how vital it is to be clear. Preachers must be clear communicators. So why is it that in his parables Jesus seems intent on (to use a phrase from professor of preaching Tom Long) pumping fog into the sanctuary? When the disciples hear a parable that neither they nor anyone else really understood, Jesus tells them not to worry because confusing people was his goal. He quotes Isaiah to say that he speaks in parables so that folks won’t understand. Huh? You want people to be befuddled, Jesus? What can account for this?

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Refreshing Energy

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Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was among the first Anglo women to cross the Rocky Mountains. She and her husband braved a rugged road as missionaries sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Oregon Country of what would later become the state of Washington. As they trekked, Prentiss penciled down their progress and her feelings, affirming her confidence in God’s calling yet many days confessing a difficult homesickness saying, “O how comforting is this to the missionary, we love to think and talk of home.”

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…and God of all comfort.

II Corinthians 1:3

God indeed left a written word, the Bible, to comfort and guide His followers, and although you may feel sure of His call like Mrs. Whitman, it’s likely there will be days when your service is complicated and life is tough. In those moments, thoughts of God’s mercy through Jesus will bring a new energy to your heart and soul fueled by His holy presence.

Do you know someone struggling in their good work on Earth? Take time and pray for them and all believers in service to America. Pray they will be refreshed in their minds and reflect upon God’s purposes and His promises to accomplish all He intends through them.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 46:1-7

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Altered Plans

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Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

—1 Kings 17:2–4

After a significant moment of delivering his message to King Ahab of an impending drought in the land, Elijah could have said, “Lord, let’s get this thing going. Let’s have the face-off with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Let’s go for it.”

But there was an interesting twist to the story. Loosely paraphrased, God said, “I have a different plan in mind for you, Elijah. I want you to disappear from the scene for a while. In fact, I want you to go over to this little brook called Cherith and just hang out there.”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Growing in Faithfulness

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Today’s Scripture: Revelation 2:10

“Be faithful unto death.”

For growing in faithfulness, the first step is to acknowledge the biblical standard. Faithfulness entails absolute honesty, utter dependability, and unswerving loyalty. It’s to be like Daniel: neither corrupt nor negligent. Develop convictions consistent with this standard based on the Word of God, and plan to memorize one or more verses on the topic of faithfulness.

Second, evaluate your life with the aid of the Holy Spirit and perhaps a spouse or close friend. Do you seek to be scrupulously honest? Can others depend on you even when it’s costly? Will you stick by your friend when he’s in difficulty, and confront him in love when he’s wrong?

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Jesus, Our Example

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Today’s Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. – Proverbs 13:20

The Bible may seem to contain some contradictions, but God has taken precautions to keep His Word free from error. As we study it, we understand the paradoxes.

Take, for instance, the matter of the biblical teaching about separation from sin. We are told in Hebrews 7:26 that Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners. Yet in Hebrews 4:15, we read that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.”

He was without sin, separated from sinners–sinless. Yet one of the major accusations by His enemies was that He associated with sinners. Listen to the words found in Luke 15:1-2: “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – DEAD TO SIN, ALIVE TO CHRIST

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Read Romans 6:1-14

If you want to stop a bad habit, experts agree that you should replace it with a good one. Simply deciding to stop eating unhealthy foods or to stop procrastinating online is rarely enough; you need a plan to start eating healthier food or a process to motivate you to be more productive at work.

A similar spiritual principle is at work in our identity in Christ. For the next week we’re going to examine an essential element of who we are as followers of Jesus: alive! We’ll study what it means to be alive in Christ and the implications of this life. Our passage today describes how we have moved from death to life.

The apostle Paul includes some of his most emphatic declarations in this chapter. It seems some in the church in Rome had argued that since God responded to sin by offering grace, Christians should persist in sin in order to receive more grace. This argument completely misses the point of our identity in Christ, however. Just as Jesus died and was resurrected to a glorious life, so too we have died to sin and been baptized into a new life that is able to please God (vv. 2–7).

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE SUCCESS OF ‘AMERICAN IDOL’

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Trent Harmon is the fifteenth and last winner of American Idol. However, my favorite moment came before the winner was announced last night.

Carrie Underwood, arguably the most successful winner in the history of the show, was given the honor of performing the last song before the final results were announced. She chose to sing Something in the Water, a song about the way faith and baptism change those who know Christ. (For more, see Janet Denison’s article on her faith.) Her amazing performance illustrated the importance of using our influence for the glory of God.

But back to American Idol. Time magazine calls it the show that “won contemporary culture.” Why was it so successful? Why are the answers relevant to you this morning?

Time notes that Idol was the first show of its kind in the U.S. When it launched in 2002 as an adaptation of the British Pop Idol franchise, few expected it to do so well. Survivor, the first reality show, was only two years old. The genre was in its infancy, at least in our culture.

That was then; this is now.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Weathering the Storms of Life

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Matthew 9:18-33

The disciples experienced many “mountaintop moments” in their time with Jesus: The synagogue ruler’s daughter was brought back to life; two men had their sight restored; the mute were enabled to speak; and the demon-possessed man was set free. But when the storm came that day on the sea, fear invaded their hearts. Their minds could not recollect the lessons they had learned about the power and purposes of the One they followed. Even the appearance of Jesus walking on the water did not bring them immediate relief (Matt. 14:26).

When adversity strikes, we sometimes forget our knowledge of God, too. We struggle to recall past answers to prayer, specific guidance provided by the Holy Spirit, and lessons learned in prior crises. Only the present situation seems real. As our minds spin with future implications, troubled emotions can inhibit clear thinking.

Reading Scripture regularly is a key to remembering biblical truths. Another important resource is a spiritual journal. As a written record of your pilgrimage with the Lord, it will contain the specifics of how He has previously worked in your life. It serves as a map to trace where you’ve been and how He has helped you along the way. While your current trial may be a new one, you can look back to see the Lord’s unchangeable nature over the years.

As Christians, we have an enemy who wants our focus diverted from the Lord Jesus. Let’s thwart the adversary’s strategy by spending time in the Word and by keeping a journal. Doing so will help us remember how Jesus has provided for us personally and protected us with His divine power.

Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 10-12

http://www.intouch.org/

 

Our Daily Bread, Uncategorized

Our Daily Bread — His Plans or Ours?

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Read: 1 Chronicles 17:1-20

Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 7-9; Luke 9:18-36

“Who am I, Lord God . . . that you have brought me this far?” —1 Chronicles 17:16

When my husband was 18 years old, he started a car-cleaning business. He rented a garage, hired helpers, and created advertising brochures. The business prospered. His intention was to sell it and use the proceeds to pay for college, so he was thrilled when a buyer expressed interest. After some negotiations, it seemed that the transaction would happen. But at the last minute, the deal collapsed. It wouldn’t be until several months later that his plan to sell the business would succeed.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Sinful Captors

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“. . . A great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people” (Matthew 26:47).

The crowd that captured Jesus at Gethsemane illustrates the world’s sinful, hateful rejection of Jesus Christ.

A crowd can have a positive, uplifting influence, as when a large group of neighbors bands together to help someone in need. But crowds can also have a negative impact, such as when they incite riots or heckle someone who is trying to give a speech.

The multitude that came to the Garden of Gethsemane to capture Jesus is a prime example of a crowd that formed for an evil purpose. That throng was not at all like the spontaneous groups of admirers that often sought the Lord. Instead, it was a carefully selected group whose only purpose was to arrest Jesus and ensure that He was executed.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Jesus Serves Breakfast 

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Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. John 21:12-14

In this Easter season, we as Christians spend a lot of time talking about resurrection, and for a very good reason. However, I sometimes hear the topic discussed in remarkably disembodied ways! We may speak, for example, of resurrection as a generic spiritual value, such as “discovering your own personal resurrection.” Likewise, Jesus’ own resurrection is sometimes seen as nothing more than a powerful spiritual analogy of conquering your demons or overcoming trials and adversities. May this never be so!

When we look to the resurrection of Jesus, we must wholeheartedly embrace the mystery and wonder of the physical, bodily resurrection of the Son of God. Just as he humbled and emptied himself, becoming fully incarnate as a human being, so too did Jesus physically die, yet all the more gloriously defeated death by rising again in triumphant glory.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Orange You Glad!

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…the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit.

Colossians 1:5-6

Recommended Reading

Colossians 1:1-8

As a young man, Anthony Rossi emigrated from Italy. He sailed into New York harbor, but his plans were to move to the South and become a farmer. One day he visited the library at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue and found a book on agriculture. He sat down to read it at one of the long tables. Another book was sitting there, entitled The Life of Christ. Rossi, who knew little about Christ, began reading it and was transfixed. The next day he purchased a Bible and became engrossed in its message.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Don’t Let Stress Get the Best of You

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I know what it’s like to live under the burden and pressure of stress, and I know what it’s like to have God’s peace. I can honestly say that I will do whatever I have to do to have God’s peace in my life, because it is not God’s will for us to live with stress all the time.

It’s easy for us to feel like we can’t avoid being stressed-out because it’s just the way the world is today. But the truth is just because stress is a disease of our culture doesn’t mean we have to adopt the ways of our culture and live the same way.

We have two options: We can continue to be stressed-out until we fall apart, or we can learn how to receive the peace Christ gives in every circumstance, rather than letting stress get into us.

The Cure for Stress

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Let Go of The Old You, Take Hold of the New

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Friend to Friend

Do you remember the day you came to saving faith? Perhaps you’re still considering a relationship with Jesus. Perhaps you can’t even remember a time when you didn’t know Him. For me, it was on a summer night when I was fourteen years old.

When I think about how God brought me out of a home filled with alcohol, rage, and hostility into this wonderful relationship with Jesus, I’m amazed. The sheer wonder of it stokes my passion for Jesus and gratitude to God every time I tell it.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – One More Reason to Praise 

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“His presence within us is God’s guarantee that He really will give us all that He promised; and the Spirit’s seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that He guarantees to bring us to Himself. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God” (Ephesians 1:14).

To me, this wonderful verse means that, as children of God, we have the ability to obey God’s laws if we are filled continually with the Holy Spirit and refuse to obey the old evil nature within us.

In order to live the supernatural life which is available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we must know our rights as children of God. We need to know our spiritual heritage. We must know how to draw upon the inexhaustible, supernatural resources of God’s love, power, forgiveness and abundant grace.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Secret of Peace

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Read: Leviticus 7

The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning. Lev 7:15

Isn’t that strange? You could eat the flesh on the day you offered it if it was an offering of thanksgiving for some particular thing. Or if it was just a general expression of your gratitude toward God you could save some of it for the second day. But under no circumstances were you ever to eat of the flesh of that peace offering on the third day. It had to be burned with fire. If you tried to eat any of it, that was an abomination unto God.

Now, what is God saying here? Well, it is a very practical truth. He is saying that there must be no separation between the peace that you feel and the source of that peace, the sacrifice which provided it. You must not separate the two. In other words, you must not depend upon the feelings of peace that are given to you. Don’t try to live on those. Once peace is given as a result of trusting the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf don’t just say, Ah, now I feel much better! I think I can go on now, and tomorrow I’ll just expect this peace still to be here and I’ll reckon on that. Don’t shift your dependence from the One who gives peace, to the feeling that is produced.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Upside Down

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Read: Mark 3:20-22

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” (v. 21)

Mark 3 is disturbing. How hurtful it must have been for Jesus. Sometimes we forget that Jesus’ feelings could be hurt same as anyone else, and if so, then having his own family call him crazy had to sting. To add insult to injury, the religious leaders then turn around and accuse Jesus of being Satan’s little helper. Most of us probably have never had the experience of being called insane by our family and then being labeled evil by others all in one day. But if it ever did happen, it would count as one of our worst days ever.

What brought about these accusations? Well, Jesus was talking about the kingdom of God, about how living for God would look upside-down in a world that was itself already turned upside-down by sin. When all around you are crooked, it is the person who stands up straight who seems to be the odd one out. Here, then, is yet another reminder of how the world resists God’s message.

But thanks be to God, none of this stopped Jesus. He would keep talking and living in ways that seemed backwards right up until that moment when he turned a bloody cross into the gateway to new life. The gospel will always look funny to people. But believers know it is the path to life abundant!May we not try to make the gospel fit our world, O God, but bring the world into the gospel.

Prayer:

May we not try to make the gospel fit our world, O God, but bring the world into the gospel.

Author: Scott Hoezee

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; A.W.- Course Change

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Elisabeth Elliot, wife of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, continued her late husband’s work with the Auca tribe in Ecuador. She said that the will of God “is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.” Elisabeth could have easily listened to others and condemned the tribe whose members murdered her husband and left her widowed – but she sought God’s will, returned to their village, and eventually led many of them to Christ.

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

I Corinthians 1:1

Paul was once known as Saul…the murderer of Christians…until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Then he changed course and came into line with God’s will for his life. He could have listened to his Pharisee friends; instead, he listened to Jesus’ voice and reached out to Gentiles, leading them to Christ then – and even today with his recorded words in the Bible.

What areas of your life need to be lined up with Jesus and His Word? Pray for yourself, and the citizens and leaders of the nation, to see the light of Christ and change course.

Recommended Reading: Acts 9:1-8, 20-22

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

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Faithful Messenger

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And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” —1 Kings 17:1

Elijah had a message that wasn’t an easy one to deliver: Go tell Ahab it isn’t going to rain for a long time. Go tell Ahab there’s going to be a drought. Yet Elijah faithfully delivered the message that God had given to him.

In the same way, God has given us a message that isn’t the easiest one to deliver. The fact that we Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is the only way to God isn’t a popular thing to say in our culture today. But we’re only the messengers. And it’s our job to declare the whole counsel of God.

Now, we should deliver the message with as much compassion and grace as we can. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” But the truth is that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). People will take it out on the messenger.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Tells Us To Wait on Him

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“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Adele’s pet dog Molly is so smart. Molly seems to be aware of everything that goes on. She hears everything! Adele has to spell words out when she talks about F-O-O-D or a S-Q-U-I-R-R-E-L, so Molly will not understand her. But it is very hard to trick Molly, even when you spell words out! She is so smart, it is easy to think of her as a human being rather than a dog. And Adele loves Molly dearly, but Molly does have one fault. There is one thing that Molly has never learned. For the past eight years she doesn’t quite understand what is meant by the word “wait”!

Adele knows that she has probably not helped Molly learn the meaning of “wait!” because Adele is always quick to get Molly whatever she acts like she wants. Molly stares at Adele for a long time if she wants some food. If Adele sits on the couch, Molly will sit right in front of her and stare and stare. Not just for a short time. It is an actual staring contest, as far as Molly is concerned! And Adele gets “out-stared” every single time. Exasperated, Adele finally gets up and goes to get Molly’s food. Molly has no concept of “wait,” and she has found a way to get what she wants when she wants it!

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