Tag Archives: holy spirit

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Inseparable

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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Recommended Reading

Psalm 63

As Adam and Eve looked back on the Garden of Eden, their physical removal from the Garden was a visual reminder of their break in their relationship with God. Despite their dismal circumstances, God had a different ending in mind. He did not forsake His creation.

God’s affection for us is revealed through His presence. He heard Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish. He sustained David as he waited to become king while being ruthlessly pursued by King Saul. God positioned Queen Esther to save His people from annihilation.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God Speaks a Fresh Word

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Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength.…—Psalm 105:4

When King Jehoshaphat heard that a huge army was amassing to attack Judah, he knew what to do. He needed to set himself to seek not the advice of the people, but to seek God and hear directly from Him.

No doubt, Jehoshaphat had been involved in other battles before this one, so why couldn’t he use the same methods he had employed in previous situations? No matter how many times something has worked in the past, it may not work to solve a current crisis unless God anoints it afresh. He may anoint an old method and choose to work through it, but He may also give us brand-new direction, instructions we have never heard before. We must always look to God, not to methods, formulas, or ways that have worked in the past. Our focus, our source of strength and supply, must be God and God alone.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Stop Doubting Your Value, Part Two

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Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:7

Friend to Friend

In part one of this devotion, we looked at the doubts and insecurities that cause us to question our significance and value. We also examined the Biblical truth that validates both. {Click here to read Part One.}

Today we’ll look to see what Jesus had to say about this topic and reflect on why this matters in the grand scheme of God’s purpose for your life.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – We Hear His Voice

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“My sheep recognize My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from Me. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

Are you one of God’s “sheep”? Do you know for sure that you are a child of God? Do you have any question about your salvation? How do you know that Christ is in your life and that you have eternal life and that no one can take you away from our Lord? What is the basis of your assurance?

Frequently, one hears a Christian share the dramatic testimony of how Christ changed his life from years of drug addiction, gross immorality or some other distressing problem. On the other hand, there are many, like myself, who have knelt quietly in the privacy of the home, at a mountain retreat, or in a church sanctuary, and there received Christ into their lives with no dramatic emotional experience at that time of decision. Both are valid, authentic ways to come to Christ.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – In Christ

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Read: Philippians 1:1-2

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi… Phil 1:1a

The ancient practice of correspondence had one very distinct advantage over our modern method. They signed their name at the beginning of the letter. Have you ever received a letter, perhaps two or three pages long, and had to flip through the pages to see the name at the end before you knew who the letter was from? The ancients were much more efficient, putting their name at the beginning.

The address of the letter is very distinctive: to the saints in Christ at Philippi. In Christ was the source of their lives. In Philippi was the sphere in which they lived it. Both are very important in this letter. For what these people would be as citizens in Philippi would be determined by who they were as Christians — in Christ.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Best Is Yet to Be

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Read: John 2:1-11

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (v. 11)

What is a miracle? The Greek word for miracle is semaios, which means sign. Like all signs, miracles point to something beyond themselves. They point to God. A miracle is not a magic trick; it is a sign that God is at work in human affairs.

The Lord’s first sign took place at a wedding, when the mother of Jesus—John never calls her Mary—informs her son that, “They have no wine.” Initially, Jesus refuses to get involved. But what son can hold out for long against his mother’s wishes? The six stone jars are filled to the brim with water, and the water becomes wine. And not the cheap, inferior wine that was usually served later on. No, this was the good stuff.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M – Great To Be Alive!

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Vonette Zachary grew up thinking she was a Christian. She maintained high moral standards in college and attended church. She wanted to pursue a graduate degree and a teaching career. But when Vonette became engaged to Bill Bright, she realized she did not share his passionate faith in Jesus. Then Bill arranged for Vonette to meet with Dr. Henrietta Mears, the leader of the 6,000-member Sunday school at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

If God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today…how much more will he clothe you.

Luke 12:28

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – People Reaching People

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“So faith comes from hearing that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”—Romans 10:17

It is worth noting that no person in the New Testament came to faith apart from the agency of a human being. Have you ever stopped and thought about that? We can find example after example.

There was the Ethiopian (see Acts 8:26-39). There are many ways that God could have reached this man from a distant country. He could have sent an angel to meet him. Instead, the Lord sent an angel to Philip and told him to go. So Philip went and proclaimed the gospel to that man, and he believed.

Then there was the Philippian jailer (see Acts 16:27–34). God could have reached him in many ways. Instead, He allowed Paul and Silas to be incarcerated and to ultimately proclaim the gospel, bringing that man and his family to faith.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Peril of Comparing

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:12

“When they . . . compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

We constantly see believers around us who seem more blessed by God than we are. Some are more gifted in spiritual abilities; others always succeed with little effort; others seem to have few problems or concerns. Probably none of us is exempt from the temptation to envy someone else’s blessings and secretly grumble at God, or even charge him with rank injustice, for giving another person more in some way than he has given us.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Heart to Know God

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 13-16

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. – Psalm 119:35

King Asa was a man whose primary aim in life was to please God and do the things of which the Lord approved. In 2 Chronicles 15:1, the prophet Azariah told Asa, “The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”

Asa set His heart to know God and His ways. He spent the first years of his reign purifying the worship of God throughout the land. When he was attacked by a neighboring king with a vast army, Asa turned to God in prayer. And the Lord delivered him. Now, is it possible for you and me to have that kind of relationship with God and that kind of guidance from Him? Of course it is.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Heart to Know God →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Oscars 2016: What Do Movies Tell Us about Our Culture?

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There are few movies as beloved as Gene Kelly’s classic musical, “Singing in the Rain.” It’s a story about Hollywood’s awkward transition from silent pictures to—as they called them in the 1920s—“Talkies.” During one scene in which the characters watch their first “talkie,” a mogul of the old-school silent film industry scoffs, “It’ll never catch on.”

Well, it’s clear that film as we know it has not only “caught on,” but as Sunday’s Academy Awards remind us, it’s become probably the most visible expression of culture. But the Oscars reveal another transition taking place in Hollywood.

At first glance, this year’s nominees look like very different movies. One takes place on Mars, another in the American wilderness, and another in a nightmarish, dystopian future. But on closer inspection, writer and producer Bryan Coley says the nominees all have one thing in common: They’re about survival.

Bryan, who’s the Founder and Chief Creative Director of “Art Within,” calls movies the “cultural texts” of our time. John Stonestreet spoke with him on our latest episode of “BreakPoint This Week,” and got his take on this year’s Oscar nominees.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, SON OF DAVID

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Read Luke 1:1-45

Biographers often approach their subject from a particular angle. For instance, the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume has been the subject of several recent biographies: one focused on his intellectual history, another focused on his work as a historian, and a third devoted more attention to his childhood and early life.

Historians and biographers try to be objective in their presentation of the material, even when they have chosen a particular focus. This is no less true in the four biographical accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But like other biographers, the Gospel writers do arrange their material in a purposeful way, each striving to emphasize certain elements in the story of Jesus. Luke, writing to Theophilus, determined that he would write an “orderly account” to encourage faith in the truth about Jesus (vv. 3–4). Luke would bring his own (Gentile) perspective and research to bear on the history of Jesus’ life.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE ACADEMY AWARDS: 2 THEMES AND 2 RESPONSES

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The 88th Academy Awards are still making news today. Two themes resonated last Sunday night that mirror the moral and spiritual condition of our culture today.

One: Whatever hurts others is wrong for us.

Spotlight won for Best Picture. The movie focuses on the Catholic church’s clergy abuse scandal. Leonardo DiCaprio won for Best Actor and used his speech to warn against the dangers of climate change. (For more, see Nick Pitts’s Leo Wins Oscar: Is Climate Change the Most Urgent Threat?) Lady Gaga delivered the most-discussed musical element of the night, focusing on the horror of sexual abuse. And host Chris Rock commented all night long about the lack of diversity among the nominees.

Two: Whatever you do personally is right for you.

Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl, portraying the wife of a man who undergoes surgery to become a woman. Eddie Redmayne was nominated for Best Actor in the same film. Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress, portraying a housewife who is threatened with losing custody of her daughter because she has a sexual relationship with another woman.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – What Do You Desire?

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Read | John 16:23-24

If I were to ask you to name the desire of your heart, would you have an answer? How long would it take you to express your deepest, most genuine yearning?

Of course, most of us have a seemingly endless list of things that we want, whether it be a big screen TV, a new car, a promotion at work, or the respect we think we deserve. Things are added to and removed from our want list every day; our wants are frequently dictated by what those around us have. Sometimes simply seeing a friend’s new vehicle will give us “car fever,” even if we have a perfectly fine automobile sitting in the driveway.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Lifeblood

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Read: Hebrews 9:19-28

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. —Hebrews 9:22

Mary Ann believed in God and His Son Jesus, but she struggled with why Jesus had to shed His blood to bring salvation. Who would think of cleansing something with blood? Yet the Bible says, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood” (Heb. 9:22). That, in Mary Ann’s opinion, was disgusting!

Then one day she had to go to a hospital. A genetic condition had altered her immune system, and doctors became alarmed when the illness started attacking her blood. As she was in the emergency room she thought, If I lose my blood, I will die. But Jesus shed His blood so I can live!

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Resonate Gifts

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There are a few great lines I know by memory simply because my boss is fond of repeating them. Ravi Zacharias often quotes a song titled The Lost Chord, which was penned by Adelaide Proctor and later set to music by Arthur Sullivan. It is a hymn that describes a moment of transcendence, a hint of wonder that appeared momentarily and left the narrator yearning for more. The song tells her story:

Seated one day at the organ

I was weary and ill at ease,

and my fingers wandered idly

over the noisy keys.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God’s Glory in Christ

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“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Christ displayed God’s glory on earth and will again when He comes back. After seeing His glory in Scripture, we should respond in worship and righteousness.

From eternity past Christ had the glory of God. He “is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3), and He prayed, “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5).

Christ also displayed God’s glory on earth. Most often He looked like an ordinary man, but one night He appeared in great glory to Peter, James, and John (Luke 9:28-36). “While He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming” (v. 29). Moses and Elijah came and spoke to Him, and the disciples “saw His glory” (v. 32).

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Keep Faith in Jesus 

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I [Jesus] am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith]. Revelation 3:11, AMP

I’m a former 10K runner and a one time half marathoner (13.1 miles). I trained for the longer race with a friend. We of course, enjoyed the camaraderie and provided for each other needed accountability and encouragement. The preparation for the half marathon was hard, but fulfilling. On race day we were in our best shape. The weather, though a chilly 35 degrees, was sunny with a brilliant blue sky—there was only one problem: I was very sick with the flu. The first ten miles went fast. The last three miles were as slow as molasses. My friend waited on me and helped me finish well.

Jesus reminds the church and individual believers to keep their faith in Him. Christ instructed His bride to hold onto the hope of His return, not allowing individual naysayers or the cynical culture to cause the Christians to renounce their reliance on God. The race of faith requires preparation, perseverance and other faithful friends to help us finish well. The victor’s crown is not royalty, but a wreath of righteousness given by the Righteous One—Jesus. Yes, when we faithfully hang onto Jesus—we experience joy—in anticipation of His eternal joy unspeakable!

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Waiting Room

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We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us develop endurance.

Romans 5:3

Friend to Friend

My daughter and I are exactly alike, which means that we can really push each other’s buttons. Danna is now a grown woman and an amazing wife and mom, so the button-pushing phase is pretty much something we laugh about. We were recently on a shopping trip when we saw a mom and her teenage daughter arguing about an outfit. Danna and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Ah, sweet memories.

I remembered a particularly rough day when Danna was in high school. Everything was a battle, none of which I seemed to win. My patience was wearing thin. Everything I asked her to do was met with opposition and multiple reasons why she did not want to comply with my wishes. I finally threw up my hands in total frustration and announced, “Fine, Danna! Just do whatever you want. Now let me see you disobey that!” As I realized the absurdity of my words, I burst out laughing. The look of surprise on Danna’s face was priceless as was the lesson I learned that day. Pick your battles and save your energy for the big ones.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Why Doesn’t God Do Something?

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Read: Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God… (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Luke’s gospel records that Jesus went into the synagogue at Nazareth on one occasion, as was his custom, and asked for the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled it until he found the place where these words are written. Turning to this very spot, he read this passage about the Spirit coming upon him, anointing him, and that he was called to preach the gospel, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, etc. He stopped reading in the middle of a sentence, after the comma following the words, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Then he closed the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, sat down, and said, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing.

Note carefully where he stopped reading. He did not go on to read, and the day of vengeance of our God, because when he first came he introduced the day of God’s favor, the day when God withholds his judgment.

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