Tag Archives: holy spirit

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.

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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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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Peace

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If you tapped open your news feed and read “Peace Declared upon Earth,” would you immediately think it was a joke or maybe some kind of advertising? World peace is almost unimaginable today, but someday that headline will be the truth.

He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Psalm 147:14

Jesus’ birth marked the point in history when such peace became possible. The angels even advertised it by crying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.” (Luke 2:14) God’s Son born under that proclamation will one day rule as king over the people and nations of Earth and establish global peace. The prophet Isaiah foretold of that magnificent time saying that the government will be “upon his shoulder” as He leads the people as their counselor, Lord, and “Prince of Peace.”

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How Will They Hear?

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But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?—Romans 10:14

Have you ever led someone to Christ? If not, why not? Maybe you think that God can never use you in this way, that you’re just not gifted in that regard, and it is only for a privileged few to lead others to Christ. But if this were the case, why was the Great Commission given to every Christian? Every believer is called to “go and make disciples of all the nations . . . ” (Matthew 28:19). That means we are all called to evangelism. We all have a part to play.

I must admit that it’s a mystery to me that God has chosen to use people as the primary communicators of His truth. An interviewer once commented to me that I seem to be very natural when I speak, that it must come easily to me. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” I said. “Before I was a Christian, I wasn’t a public speaker.”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Grace or Duty?

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 37:5

“Trust in him, and he will act.”

There’s no question that we’re responsible to pursue holiness with all the intensity the word pursue implies. Every moral imperative in the Bible addresses itself to our responsibility to discipline ourselves unto godliness. We aren’t just to “turn it all over to the Lord” and let him live his life through us. Rather, we’re to love one another, to put to death the misdeeds of the body, and to put off the old man and put on the new man.

If we’re to make any progress in the pursuit of holiness, we must assume our responsibility to discipline or train ourselves. But we’re to do all this in total dependence on the Holy Spirit to work in us and strengthen us with the strength that is in Christ.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Striking It Rich

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Chronicles 1-9

Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. – Ezra 7:10

A friend of mine was sorting through a box of old financial records several months after his father died and came across copies of his parents’ income tax returns for the past thirty years. One year his father had earned less than $200. His mother’s salary from teaching school had been their only income. If my friend had read that income tax return as a child, it would have meant nothing to him. But as an adult, those records were a revelation, filled with deep meaning.

A lot of people would put the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9 in the same category as old income tax returns. Some would question the value of lists of names and a discussion of who were the parents of whom. But a lot of what we see in the Bible depends on our maturity and perspective. After reading the Scriptures several times, we should begin to recognize names and recall incidents from their lives. But if we confine our Bible reading to favorite portions of Scripture, we will miss much of the blessing of the entire Word of God.

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Zika and Abortion Part II: is History Repeating Itself?

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More than fifty years ago, doctors in the U.S. and Western Europe prescribed the drug thalidomide to their female patients for, among other things, nausea and morning sickness in pregnant women.

The drug had tragic outcomes whose effects are still being felt today.

In the late 1950s, reports of abnormalities in children whose mothers had used the drug during pregnancy began to come in. The best-known and most heartbreaking of these abnormalities was missing limbs.

Not surprisingly, within a few years the drug was taken off the market, but the tragic story of thalidomide doesn’t end there. As historian Daniel K. Williams tells us in his new book, “Defenders of the Unborn,” the thalidomide tragedy opened the door to legalized abortion in the United States.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – FINAL REST

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Read Revelation 14:1-13

Many funeral homes are decorated to look like a living room in a home, probably a remnant of the days when those who died were laid out at home. The typical modern coffin resembles a bed with cushions and a pillow. The result gives onlookers the impression that the deceased is merely sleeping. Sleep is also the euphemism that the Bible frequently uses to refer to death (see 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20; 1 Thess. 4:13–14; 5:6, 10).

Sleep is an apt metaphor for death for someone who has trusted in Christ. For those who die in Christ, death is a gateway to eternal rest (v. 13). New Testament scholar John Walvoord notes that this chapter is pivotal in the book of Revelation: it is the culmination of the two preceding chapters and sets the stage for the climax in chapter 15. It provides us with a series of statements about the future and the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ. Among these statements is the promise that those who die in the Lord “rest from their labor” (v. 13).

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