Tag Archives: holy spirit

BreakPoint

BreakPoint – The 2016 Wilberforce Award Weekend: Honoring Chuck, Equipping for Service

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Back in 1987, Chuck Colson established an annual award to honor men and women who make a profound difference in the face of formidable societal problems and injustices. Chuck named the award after his hero William Wilberforce, the eighteenth-century British parliamentarian who stood against the prevailing culture and powerful economic interests in his campaign to abolish the slave trade.

Having written a biography of William Wilberforce myself, I can say without hesitation that winners of the Colson Center’s William Wilberforce Award have indeed embodied the spirit, compassion, and drive of that Christian statesmen. People like Philippine martyr Benigno S. Aquino, the Rev. Canon Andrew White, the vicar of Baghdad, and Professor Robert George of Princeton, a stalwart defender of religious freedom and the sanctity of human life.

One person who always got nominated for the Wilberforce Award was Chuck Colson. But he always refused to accept it. But this year is different. I can say in all love and in a way I hope would give Chuck a laugh, that he has no choice but to accept this year’s William Wilberforce Award.

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – MARY OF BETHANY: PROTECTION FROM SHAME

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Read Luke 10:38-42; Mark 14:3-9

Every church has prominent contributors, like teachers, leaders, organizers, servers, and givers who keep everything afloat. Without them, everyone knows the church just wouldn’t be what it is. But what about those who tend to stand in the shadows, whose contributions are not the sort to get listed in the bulletin?

Martha—outgoing, energetic, and highly gifted—embodied both the Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 woman, rolled into one. Mary was quiet, sensitive, and contemplative. How did that help anyone else? Martha’s complaint to Jesus was really intended to goad Mary into some sort of productive action. This manipulative tactic was probably not her first attempt to get Mary to fit her mold of a godly woman. Despite Martha’s good intentions, Jesus noticed its shaming effect on Mary and came to her defense.

Martha wasn’t the only person who misunderstood Mary and underrated her contribution. Jesus’ disciples scolded her harshly for wasting her expensive perfume in such a rash, unproductive manner. Their shaming response implied that she and her gifts were a waste.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – IS JUDGE JUDY ON THE SUPREME COURT?

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A year from yesterday, a new American president will be sworn in. What will he or she face?

The stock market declined another 249 points yesterday. Militants attacked a university in Pakistan, killing at least nineteen. A car bomb in Kabul killed six. Teacher protests in Detroit closed most public schools there. A new study indicates that “no religion” is now the majority religion in Great Britain.

A new poll tells us that ten percent of college graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court. Atheist Michael Newdow has again filed a lawsuit seeking to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency. And North Korea claims to have invented hangover-free alcohol.

It gets even worse, apparently: Stephen Hawking, the best-known physicist in the world, is quoted in a Time headline as predicting that disaster on Earth is becoming a “near certainty.” However, it turns out the cosmologist is talking about “the next thousand or ten thousand years.” Within the next 100 years, he believes, we will have learned to colonize space, so our race will survive. We just need to avoid destroying our planet until we learn how to leave it. We all hope the next president is up to the challenge.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Developing Convictions

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Jeremiah 17:5-8

An acorn needs nutrients and time to grow into a tall oak tree. Likewise, men and women of conviction develop gradually through committed Bible study and prayer. Ready to get planted firmly in biblical truth? It can help to make a list of issues for which you need to form a conviction. Here are questions to get you started:

  • Do you consider the Bible true and trustworthy?
  • Do you think that believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved?
  • What is the Holy Spirit’s role in the lives of believers and unbelievers?
  • Are we to forgive others in every situation?
  • How should Christians approach finances?
  • What’s your purpose in life?
  • What is your role in the church and at work?
  • How should you think about social issues like abortion and racism?

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Real People, Real God

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Read: Philippians 3:17-21

Bible in a Year: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 13:31-58

Join together in following my example. —Philippians 3:17

Several years ago I received a letter from an Our Daily Bread reader after I had written about a family tragedy. “When you told about your tragedy,” this person wrote, “I realized that the writers were real people with real problems.” How true that is! I look across the list of men and women who pen these articles, and I see cancer and wayward children and unfulfilled dreams and many other kinds of loss. We are indeed just regular, real people writing about a real God who understands our real problems.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Are You Gentle?

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“Walk . . . with all . . . gentleness” (Ephesians 4:1-2).

To become more gentle, begin by looking closely at your attitudes.

We’ve determined that gentleness is essential for those who want to walk worthy. How can you tell if you’re gentle? I’ll give you some practical questions so you can evaluate yourself honestly.

First of all, are you self-controlled? Do you rule your own spirit (Prov. 16:32), or does your temper often flare up? When someone accuses you of something, do you immediately defend yourself, or are you more inclined to consider whether there’s any truth in what’s being said?

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – What God Doesn’t Need

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So [Gideon] said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:15

Recommended Reading

1 Samuel 16:1-7

John and Charles Wesley, the fathers of Methodism, were raised in poverty. The mother of the great evangelist, D. L. Moody, gave her son to others to raise because of her poverty. The British missionary-scholar to India, William Carey, was apprenticed as a cobbler as a young boy. David, Israel’s great king, was the least of all the brothers in his family when he was anointed. And Gideon, the judge who delivered Israel from the Midianites, was a weak member of the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Acknowledge God

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In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. —Proverbs 3:6

It is so easy to start making a plan instead of waiting on God to give us His plan. Sometimes we are so entrenched in our own plans that we don’t even sense the leading of the Holy Spirit. But the proverb says to acknowledge God in all our ways, and that means to care about what He thinks and submit our plans to Him for approval.

Having a plan is not a bad thing, but we can simply say to God each day, “Lord, I have a plan for today, but I acknowledge You in it. And if You don’t approve of any part of it, then I am willing to change and do what You want.” If you truly care about what God desires, He will direct you in the way you should go if any changes need to be made to your plans.

Power Thought: I acknowledge God in all my plans, and He always guides me.

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

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright –He Will Tell You

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“I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to” (Galatians 5:16).

Major conflicts in life are resolved when, by an act of the will, one surrenders to the control of the Holy Spirit and faces temptation in His power.

It should be explained that there is a difference between temptation and sin.

Temptation is the initial impression to do something contrary to God’s will. Such impressions come to all people, even as they did to the Lord, and they are not sin in themselves.

Temptation becomes sin when we meditate on the impression and develop a strong desire, which is often followed by the actual act of disobedience.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Is Jesus For Real?

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Read: John 7:1-24

Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17)

Do you ever wonder if Jesus actually was what he claimed to be? Do you have trouble at times understanding what he is saying in these tremendous passages, especially in the Gospel of John? Well, if that is the case, he tells you what to do: Practice what he says. Obey his words. Repent of your sins. Come to him. Cast yourself upon his mercy. Believe in his forgiveness, and go out in obedience and treat people the way he says to. Then you will know from an inside knowledge that no one can take away that what he says is true, because his teaching is in line with the reality you are seeing of God at work through you.

This is a principle that runs all through life: You learn by doing. A doctor may learn all that the medical books can teach him, but until he gets his hands into surgery or dispenses medicines to people who are sick he never really learns. The same is true in any field: You learn by doing. When you do what Jesus says, you begin to understand with a deep conviction that he knows what life is all about.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Practicing the Presence of Jesus

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Read: Matthew 28:16-20

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (v. 20 NIV)

How can we be with Jesus when Jesus isn’t with us? He left. He’s gone. Oh yes, he said he would be with us always, but do we believe that? Really? If we truly believe his promise, then here’s what we have to do to grow in our knowledge of him: practice the presence of Jesus.

I’ve borrowed that expression from Brother Lawrence, a humble medieval monk who wrote a series of letters that became a profound little book titled The Practice of the Presence of God. He made a practice of focusing on Christ no matter what he was doing—cooking in the kitchen, slopping the hogs, or mending sandals. He knew Jesus was with him, and he practiced paying attention to him.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Good News in a Bad World

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Then the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the Aramean camp. So it was true that six quarts of choice flour were sold that day for one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain were sold for one piece of silver, just as the Lord had promised.—2 Kings 7:16

It was one of the darkest times in Israel’s history. Everything had gone wrong. The people had sunk to their lowest depths. Not only were they being oppressed by the Arameans, but a massive famine had swept the land. They were starving to death.

Why had this calamity come upon Israel? It was because of their continued disobedience to the Lord and their nonstop worship of false gods.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants To Change You

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“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:29)

One October day, Brandon was on an airplane flying to Vermont. As the plane dipped its wings over Lake Champlain, Brandon looked out his window. What a sight! All around the misty water below were acres and acres of maple trees that had changed color. Brandon had never seen trees wearing any brighter shades of red, orange, and gold.

If you have become a Christian by trusting Jesus Christ to save you from your sin, God wants to make a glorious change inside of you – an even more beautiful change than the colored leaves of fall. He wants to make you just like His Son, Jesus Christ! Can you imagine what that would be like? You would love God with all of your heart. You would be full of joy. You would be confident in God even when bad things happened. You would be kind and gentle – even toward your brothers and sisters. You would never be selfish. You would never disobey. You would always hate sin.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace to Others

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Today’s Scripture: Matthew 18:33

“Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?”

We’re brought into God’s kingdom by grace; we’re sanctified by grace; we receive both temporal and spiritual blessings by grace; we’re motivated to obedience by grace; we’re called to serve and enabled to serve by grace; we receive strength to endure trials by grace; and we’re glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God’s grace.

This grace is not only to be received by us; it is, in a sense, to be extended to others. I say “in a sense” because our relationship to other people is different from God’s relationship to us. He is the infinitely superior Judge and moral Governor of the universe. We are all sinners and are on an equal plane with one another. So we cannot exercise grace as God does, but we can relate to one another as those who have received grace and who wish to operate on the principles of grace.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Spiritual Health

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Today’s Scripture: Leviticus 11-15

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written; “Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

Today, through the research of medical scientists, we are well aware of the fact that some foods are good for us and some are not. For the health and welfare of the Israelites out there in the burning desert, with no refrigeration or other means of keeping food from spoiling, God gave certain laws that were designed to help them remain healthy and free of disease.

I suppose that among those ancient people were some who questioned God’s wisdom. Why can’t I eat a vulture or a mouse or a lizard? Well, it seems to me the best answer is simply that God said not to. But it was much more than just what was on the menu. God told them, “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Autism and Totally Pro-Life: Helping to Bear the Burden

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A few years ago, a Newsweek article told us about Hillary Toucey, a single mother of three living in Louisiana. Toucey’s life was, as you might imagine, difficult.

Well actually, most of us probably couldn’t imagine her life. Besides struggling to support her children by herself, Toucey’s two sons, Jonah and Eli, had been with diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Eli’s autism was severe on the spectrum, and he’d also been diagnosed with “cerebral palsy, celiac disease, epilepsy, and asthma.”

At the time of the article, Toucey wasn’t just Eli’s primary caregiver, she was his only one.

While Toucey’s case was, perhaps, exceptional, the stress she was under wasn’t. “One 2009 study found that the mothers of older autistic children had levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol similar to those found in combat soldiers and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – HEMORRHAGING WOMAN: HEALING FROM SHAME

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Read Mak 5:21-34

The life of a Dalit, also known as “Untouchable,” in India is defined by ritual impurity. Inherited from their parents at birth, this unclean status excludes them from mixing with so-called pure people, from doing clean work, or from entering any holy place. Their touch is considered defiling.

In today’s reading, the shame of the hemorrhaging woman’s unclean status was something she could not escape. The chronic nature of her condition was miserable. The doctors had bled dry her economic resources, too. But the worst effect of her ongoing illness was how it redefined all her relationships. Like a leper, the woman’s bleeding condition excluded her from approaching God in His temple or from interacting freely in her community. Anything she touched would be instantly unclean.

In contrast to the synagogue leader who could directly ask Jesus to touch his daughter, the woman had to try to figure out a way to get His needed touch without either making Him ritually unclean or receiving His rebuff. If she were caught, the whole crowd would deride her for daring to defile a holy man. Fear held her back, but faith compelled her to risk reaching out.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – 6 FACTORS THAT DETERMINE HOW LONG YOU’LL LIVE

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How long will you live? A new medical report has the answer. Researchers examined 231,048 adults age 45 and up, following them for six years. They discovered six factors that determine how long people live: smoking, alcohol use, dietary behavior, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, and sleep. The lower your score for at-risk behavior, the longer you’ll live.

As the saying goes, this is not rocket science. Here’s a more surprising fact: Character is related to longevity as well.

Psychologists note that moral character reduces personal anxiety and stress. When we live in alignment with our values, we are happier people. And stress is one of the most significant contributors to disease, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and early death. To live longer, live better. Choose character.

And to live a life that matters long after you’re gone, choose character as well.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Our Convictions—Our Defense

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Romans 14:20-23

A person of conviction has become convinced, by either evidence or argument, that his or her beliefs are true. Today, most people would rather live by preferences than by convictions. They choose to believe something based on conditions and circumstances. When situations change, so does their loyalty. Many people vacillate on issues that require a firm resolve.

Contrast this wishy-washy approach with the mindset of the great men and women depicted in Scripture. Despite years of unfair treatment, Joseph never wavered in his commitment to godly principles. As a result, he was in the right place at the right time to ensure the survival of Israel (Gen. 50:20). Daniel, another righteous man living in an idolatrous land, earned the trust of foreign kings by standing firm in his beliefs (Dan. 1:19-20). When his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego also refused to compromise their beliefs, they influenced a king to recognize Jehovah as the one true God (Dan. 3:29).

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — You First!

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Read: Philippians 2:1-11

Bible in a Year: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 13:1-30

[Jesus] humbled himself. —Philippians 2:8

Tibetan-born Sherpa Nawang Gombu and American Jim Whittaker reached the top of Mount Everest on May 1, 1963. As they approached the peak, each considered the honor of being the first of the two to step to the summit. Whittaker motioned for Gombu to move ahead, but Gombu declined with a smile, saying, “You first, Big Jim!” Finally, they decided to step to the summit at the same time.

Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to demonstrate this kind of humility. He said, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4 nkjv). Selfishness and superiority can divide people, but humility unites us, since it is the quality of “being one in spirit and of one mind” (v. 2).

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