Tag Archives: Jesus

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Protected From Satan

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“But the Lord is faithful: He will make you strong and guard you from satanic attacks of every kind” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

As a lad I grew up in a rural community on a ranch five miles from the nearest town. I received the first seven years of my formal education in a one-room, country school. I was often the only student in my class and there were never more than three of us. It was not unusual for some big bully to pick on a student smaller than himself and fights would ensue.

I had been taught never to run from a fight because that was not the manly thing to do and so I sometimes found myself in such a situation. I was encouraged by a brother, several years older, who would stand by to insure that the fighting was fair and that I would not be taken advantage of. The Lord Jesus Christ is our elder brother. He stands by to help us, to make us strong and guard us from the attacks of Satan who is like the big bully.

Two thousand years ago Satan was defeated at the cross. He has no control over us except that which God allows and which we by our disobedience and unbelief enable Him to have. Why then, you ask, does the average Christian have such a tough time living the Christian life? It is because he does not understand that the battle has already been won! Victory is ours and nothing can touch us or harm us whether we are criticized, persecuted or even martyred for the sake of the kingdom, for we are not of this world. We are citizens of the heavenly kingdom. While here on this earth, Christ will envelop us and surround us with His supernatural peace and power, turning tragedy to triumph, heartache and sorrow to joy. This is our heritage if only we keep on trusting and obeying Him.

Bible Reading: II Thessalonians 3:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will remember that Jesus Christ is not only my Savior and Lord, but my older brother and that He will protect me against satanic attacks of every kind. The battle has already been won! Through His enabling supernatural resources, I will live a supernatural life for His glory today.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Praying in the True Temple

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Read: 2 Chronicles 6:12-40

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 2 Chron 6:12

1 Chronicles 6:12-40 records the great prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. This is a unique prayer from the Old Testament. It is, perhaps, the only passage in the Old Testament that is a report of a formal prayer uttered on a great state occasion. The whole nation — or at least a great portion of it — had gathered in the courts of the temple to dedicate the new building that Solomon had erected according to the plans that his father David had drawn.

The nearest thing we would have to this scene in America today would be the Inauguration of a President. Like our Inauguration, on this occasion a special platform had been built for the king in the great courtyard of the temple, in front of the brazen altar, where the sacrifices for sin were offered. On that platform King Solomon began this prayer with a recognition of God’s promise to David, his father, that there would never lack a man to sit upon the throne of Israel.

Solomon’s prayer consists of eight wide-ranging requests which concern the temple and the place of prayer in the life of the people of Israel. Though these requests had specific applications to the people of Israel, they have specific application in our own lives as well. For instance, the Jews were to face the temple when they prayed, no matter where they were in the land. This has a specific application to us. In the New Testament we are told that our bodies are the temple of God. This is a truth that is often missed today. It is very hurtful when Christians refer to buildings as the house of God. The New Testament never calls any building the house of God. Church buildings are not the houses of God — we are. Everywhere in the New Testament the answer to the temple of the old regime is the human body and our personal lives. We are the habitation of God, by the Spirit. When we gather, the whole place becomes the temple of the living God; God dwelling among his people by the Spirit.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Praying in the True Temple →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – When the Lights Go Out

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Read: Psalm 139:1-12

Even the darkness is not dark to you. (v. 12)

I drove to the hospital. A parishioner of mine was anticipating surgery. She was fearful. What will happen when the lights go out, she wondered, after she received the anesthetic? I read from Psalm 139:11-12, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you.” She was reassured. Dark for her won’t be dark to God.

Indeed as others have noted, God has a record of accomplishing great works in the darkness. When God set out to form and fill the world, “darkness was over the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). When Israel fled Egypt, God provided a pillar of fire to accompany them in the darkness. When Jacob fled his brother Esau, he wrestled with God in the dark of night. When Jesus died for our sins, darkness fell upon the earth for three hours. Jesus arose on Easter Sunday morning to give us eternal life. His redemptive work began in the darkness of the tomb.

Reflect on your spiritual journey. When did God speak to you in unforgettable terms? Wasn’t it often at night? Perhaps it was when you had your own “wrestling match” with God, when he was calling you to a certain path you had long resisted. Does your present path seem dark? Are you confused about which way to go or what to do? Call upon the Lord who to this day still does great things in the darkness.

Prayer:

In light or dark I am yours, O Lord.

Author: Chic Broersma

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Importance of Purpose

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Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”—Hebrews 13:5

What do you live for? What gets your heart beating? What fires you up? Everyone lives for something.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is” (2 Timothy 3:10). He also said, “For to me, living means living for Christ” (Philippians 1:21). To the church in Corinth he wrote, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Paul had a determined purpose in life. What is yours? Is your purpose to have fun? It is for some people. Life is all about having fun. “I don’t care,” they say, “let’s just have fun.” Or maybe they are chasing after pleasure. Or maybe life is all about success. Maybe it is all about making money. Others live for sports. Some live for emotional experiences. Still others live for a relationship. But everyone lives for something.

As Christians, we should not be seeking happiness but holiness. The most unhappy people are people who live to be happy. If we seek after happiness, we will end up being miserable people. But if we seek to be holy—and by that I mean seek to be godly men or godly women—then we will discover that happiness comes into our lives as a byproduct. Don’t seek pleasure; seek purpose. Don’t seek success; seek significance.

That thing you live for, that god you bow before, will it be with you in your hour of need? If it is any god, any idol, anything or anyone else apart from God, it won’t be there for you. But the Lord will. Wherever you go, God goes with you. You have His Word on it.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Has A Plan For Each of Us

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Psalm 25:4-5 “Shew me thy ways, 0 Lord: teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

God promises to be with us every step of the way.

Have you ever thought, “I’m really just a “nobody” and what can I do for God?” Moses felt that way. Moses tells God in Exodus 3:11 “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” And in Exodus 4:10, And Moses said unto the LORD, “0 my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Moses begged God to send another, but the Lord became angry and told Moses that his brother Aaron could help and speak the words that should be said. Then God said this to Moses, “And thou shalt speak unto him (Aaron) and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.”

God had a very special plan that needed to be accomplished. God chose someone to complete the task who was not famous or popular. I don’t believe Moses went around thinking, “I want everyone to notice me. I must do something great!” He had a humble heart and a desire to serve yet felt he wasn’t worthy. God said something very important to Moses, “I will teach you what ye shall do.” God is still looking today for someone who is not proud, but someone who desires to serve with humility. God has a specific plan for those who are willing to step forward and say they will do what God wants them to – even though they feel the task is too hard. God promises to be with us every step of the way.

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Blind Slaves

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:17

“You . . . were once slaves of sin.”

Before we became believers, Paul said we were “following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). This “prince” is Satan, the devil. We don’t like to think we were followers of the devil, but that’s what the Bible says.

This doesn’t mean we were as wicked as we could be; after all, as Paul said elsewhere, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). What it does mean is that Satan blinded us to the Gospel: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). But God “rescued us from the dominion of darkness [Satan’s kingdom] and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

Before God delivered us, we were Satan’s captives. We could not see the light of the Gospel. This inability was spiritual, not mental. We were spiritually blind, unable to recognize our need of the savior or to see God’s gracious provision of him.

Paul also said that “we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). And more specifically: “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). Note the absolute negatives Paul used.

We were under the dominion of Satan, and slaves of our own sinful natures. And apart from a supernatural work of God in our lives, we were helpless to do anything about our condition.

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A True Disciple

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:4

When my hair began to turn gray, and it was evident I’d been around a long time, people began asking me, “How are Christians today different from Christians when you came to Christ?” My answer is always the same: Today’s Christians are far better trained to serve the Lord. There are conferences, seminars, and workshops available today that were unheard of in my early years. There’s also one thing lacking: the intense hunger for holiness that was in the lives of Christians a few decades ago.

Paul told the Romans, “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19, KJV). The word translated simple also is translated guileless and innocent! The word doesn’t come from the field of religion but from the study of metal. There are pure metals–gold, iron–and there are mixed metals–steel, bronze. And that’s the word Paul uses to mean unmixed regarding evil.

To the Greeks in Corinth, he spelled it out by asking them five questions recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and [Satan]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

It’s clear, isn’t it? You can’t mix light with darkness, or Christ with Satan. And to make this point, Paul never hesitated to go head-on against the culture in which these new converts were living. He warned them that God had called them to holiness in a culture where chastity was an absolutely unknown virtue. Christian, take your stand. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.

Prayer

Lord, create in me a hunger for holiness in my life. Amen.

To Ponder

Is the light of Christ in you so bright that it’s like a beacon in this dark world?

 

https://www.navigators.org/Home

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Blaming Christians for Orlando? The Media Hits Rock Bottom

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Two Sundays ago, an ISIS-inspired terrorist killed forty-nine people at a gay night club in Orlando. Yet just three days after the attack, the New York Times editorial board laid the blame for Omar Mateen’s self-professed act of Islamic terrorism squarely at the feet of…believers in traditional marriage. I’m not kidding.

For those confused about how Christians and social conservatives are responsible for a radical jihadist’s actions, the Times helpfully explains: Our “corrosive politics,” they write, paved the way for this monstrosity. And by “corrosive politics,” they make it clear they mean defense of the natural family and created differences between the sexes. The Daily Beast followed up, accusing conservatives who are mourning the tragedy of “exploiting the LGBT community.” Evidently if your politics don’t line up with the goals of the sexual left, you’re not allowed to shed tears for the victims of terrorism.

But by far the most disturbing response, at least to me, came from CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who decided to publicly shame Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi during a live interview. While Bondi tried to explain what Florida is doing to help the victims and their families, Cooper raked her over the coals about her opposition to same-sex “marriage.”

In fact, he all but called her a hypocrite for defending the Florida constitution which—at the time—defined marriage as the union of man and woman. An attorney general’s job, of course, is to uphold and defend her state’s constitution. But Anderson Cooper did not seem to care.

As Mollie Hemingway remarked at The Federalist, apparently Cooper and CNN cannot fathom how anyone could oppose gay “marriage” and also grieve the murder of fifty fellow human beings. The implication by the media is clear: If you haven’t been on board with the LGBT political program, you’re partially responsible for what happened in Orlando.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Blaming Christians for Orlando? The Media Hits Rock Bottom →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – A FATHER’S FALL

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Read 2 Samuel 12:1–25

Marital infidelity is often glamorized in popular culture, but in real life it devastates families. In her book, Parents Who Cheat: How Children and Adults Are Affected When Their Parents Are Unfaithful, Dr. Ana Nogales explains that children feel shame and lose trust when a parent is unfaithful. “When one parent betrays the other, a child’s inner world and sense of the world at large are shattered. The personal environment in which he lives and from which he draws his sense of safety and security—namely, his family—is fundamentally changed because the most important people in that environment have become unrecognizable.”

David’s affair with Bathsheba shattered his family. David used the power of his position to seduce Bathsheba and murder her husband, Uriah. David hid the affair until confronted by Nathan the prophet. Instead of rebuking David directly, Nathan told him a parable.

Old Testament commentator Robert Alter notes that the poetic form of Nathan’s speech would normally have alerted most listeners to the fact that the story was constructed and intended to have a moral point. But David was absorbed by the tale and thought Nathan was recounting an actual instance of injustice. In his outrage, the king pronounced sentence upon himself. But instead of the death penalty that David said his crime deserved, the Lord warned that the king’s family would be destroyed. His sons would follow his immoral example, and both his household and his kingdom would be plagued by the sword.

God did not abandon David, but in many ways his life and ministry would never be the same. Forgiveness is available for the most heinous of our sins. Our relationship with God can be restored. But that does not mean we or our families will escape the consequences of our sin.

APPLY THE WORD

David’s story is both a cautionary tale and a cause for hope. We dare not take sin lightly. The first step in recovery is to confess your sin to God. Consider using Psalm 51, David’s own prayer of confession, as a model for your repentance. If you confess your sin, God will forgive (1 John 1:9–10). He will help you to rebuild your life.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHY BREXIT AFFECTS YOU

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People in Britain are voting today on whether their nation should stay in the European Union (EU). For the rest of us, this seems like an issue with little relevance outside of Europe.

Actually, what British voters decide today will affect all of us tomorrow.

Dubbed the “Brexit,” the question of Britain’s leaving the EU has been debated for months. Economists fear that a vote to leave would undermine London’s position in the world financial order. The chief of the NATO alliance says trans-Atlantic security would be stronger if Britain remained in the European Union.

If it left, however, Britain could establish its own trade agreements. It would no longer contribute to the EU budget, saving a net of 8.5 billion pounds per year. Brexit supporters say leaving would give the nation greater control over immigration as well.

Here’s why their vote affects us all. According to The Washington Post, a Brexit threatens more than a trillion dollars in investment and trade with the U.S. The International Monetary Fund predicts that a Brexit could reduce economic growth by up to 5.6 percent over the next three years. However, Brexit supporters say that leaving would strengthen the EU’s unity around the Euro and make Europe a better trading partner for the world.

Our planet is still 24,874 miles around (at the equator), but it feels smaller than ever. A radical Muslim leader in Iraq inspired terrorism in San Bernardino and Orlando. The Zika virus began in Uganda, but the World Health Organization says it is now a global public health emergency. Authorities warn that Mexican drug cartels currently pose a greater threat to Americans than ISIS.

We are connected morally to the world as well. A worldview shift called “postmodernism” began in Europe but is now just as powerful in America. Its central thesis: since our minds interpret our senses, “truth” is personal and subjective. As a result, there can be no objective moral standard on issues ranging from abortion to euthanasia. It seems that everything is now in play: support for polygamy is rising quickly, genetic engineering is on the horizon, and virtual reality pornography is here.

Continue reading Denison Forum – WHY BREXIT AFFECTS YOU →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Waiting for Answers to Prayer

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Psalms 33:20-22

Scripture makes it clear that our heavenly Father hears and answers prayer. Yet, though we pray for the Lord to act right away, we’ve all known times when we’ve had to wait. What are some reasons for the delay?

The Father sees when our attention is misdirected. Our relationship with Him should have priority over any earthly matter (Mark 12:30), yet minds and prayers can become so fixed upon a need that our gaze shifts away from God. Then He may delay answering until we refocus on Him. In other situations, He waits because the timing isn’t right for granting our request. Perhaps certain events must happen first, or people’s thinking needs to be changed.

There are also seasons when the Lord wants to stretch and grow our faith. One of the ways He accomplishes that is by having us watch for His response. In these times of waiting, the Holy Spirit will work to mature us and bring forth righteous fruit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Other reasons are a wrong motive for our request (James 4:3) and the practice of habitual sin. We all fall short when it comes to God’s standard of holiness, but some of us persist in a lifestyle of disobedience. The Lord may delay His answer so He can prompt us to confess our sin and turn back to Him.

Waiting on the Lord isn’t easy—faith and trust are needed (Heb. 11:1). If His answer is delayed, check that your focus is on Him, your motive for asking is God-honoring, and you aren’t practicing habitual sin. Then believe that His response will be for your good and His glory.

Bible in a Year: Psalms 60-66

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Remote Location

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Read: Mark 8:1–13 | Bible in a Year: Esther 6–8; Acts 6

My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Tristan da Cunha Island is famous for its isolation. It is the most remote inhabited island in the world, thanks to the 288 people who call it home. The island is located in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,750 miles from South Africa—the nearest mainland. Anyone who might want to drop by for a visit has to travel by boat for seven days because the island has no airstrip.

Jesus and His followers were in a somewhat remote area when He produced a miraculous meal for thousands of hungry people. Before His miracle, Jesus said to His disciples, “[These people] have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way” (Mark 8:2-3). Because they were in the countryside where food was not readily available, they had to depend fully on Jesus. They had nowhere else to turn.

God can certainly meet our needs, whatever our circumstances.

Sometimes God allows us to end up in desolate places where He is our only source of help. His ability to provide for us is not necessarily linked with our circumstances. If He created the entire world out of nothing, God can certainly meet our needs—whatever our circumstances—out of the riches of His glory, in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

Dear God, thank You for all that You have provided through Your Son, Jesus Christ. You know what my needs are. Please reassure me of Your care and power.

We can trust God to do what we cannot do.

INSIGHT:

The exact location where Jesus fed 4,000 people with only seven loaves of bread is unknown, but the fact that it was a remote site is an important detail because it indicates a lack of access to food. In this passage, as in so many others (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 20:34), Jesus acts compassionately toward those in need. The setting of this event allowed Jesus to show His great love and affection to hungry and weary people.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – After Failing

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In the Garden of Gethsemane on the night Jesus was arrested, the disciples fell asleep when Jesus had asked them to stay awake; they turned their heads away in weariness when he had asked them to pray and keep watch. They felt the heaviness of their eyes instead of the heaviness of the moment, though Jesus repeatedly tried to stir them to be alert. It was a day of failings. After Jesus’s arrest, everyone deserted him and fled. Peter, who had emphatically declared he would never deny Christ, heard the rooster crow and knew exactly what he had done. In the aftermath of three denials, Peter wept bitterly. One wonders how the other scattered disciples received the morning.

What do you do with despair? What do you do when you know that you have messed up, when you know that you have missed an opportunity, when it seems that all of your shortcomings are written in large print across your life and there is no going back with an eraser?

Most of us walk away from a ruined moment thoroughly defeated. But where do you go? And how long do you remain in your defeat? Do you throw up your hands and stop trying? Do you mentally beat yourself up? Do you carry your guilt as if paying penitence? Do you, in the words of George MacDonald, house a conscience that does its duty so well it makes the whole house uncomfortable?

Christian author Joni Eareckson Tada knows intimately what the face of despair looks like. Injured in a diving accident that left her paralyzed, she was once convinced she had missed the best version of her life. Her misstep loomed before her, and because of it, she believed that God was somehow forcing her to go with God’s divine Plan B.

Do we, in our assailings and failings, hold a similar perspective? In the regret of a missed opportunity, the guilt of a failed moment, the despair of an irreversible situation, it is understandable that we sometimes sink into the hopeless thought that it is all over. It is easy to beat ourselves up, to despairingly ponder what it means to have missed out, and to believe that somehow, with disappointment, God must now come in and adjust the plan for our lives.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – After Failing →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Is Consistent

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“It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they should be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom” (Daniel 6:1-3).

Nations come and go, but God’s plans continue through people of biblical integrity.

As we come to Daniel 6, King Nebuchadnezzar is gone; Belshazzar, his son and successor to the throne, has been slain; the great Babylonian Empire has fallen to the Medo-Persians; and a king identified only as “Darius” (probably another name for Cyrus) is ruling the Medo-Persian Empire. But amidst all those changes, two things remain constant: Daniel distinguishes himself among his peers, and God exalts him.

Daniel served in Babylon for seventy years under three kings, each of whom recognized him as a man of unique wisdom and integrity. King Nebuchadnezzar “made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:48). King Belshazzar “clothed [him] with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:29).

Now King Darius is about to appoint Daniel as prime minister over the entire kingdom, and within a year the king will issue a decree for the Jews to return to Judah, thereby ending the seventy-year Babylonian captivity (Ezra 1:1-3). I believe Cyrus made that decree because of Daniel’s wisdom and influence.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Is Consistent →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Exercised Faith Produces Spiritual Health

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The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 1 Timothy 1:5

Just as God created the body with the need for exercise and rest to stay healthy— He created the soul with the need for a faith that exercises and rests to grow healthier. There is a striking difference between the body and soul: the physical grows weaker as the body ages, but the spiritual grows stronger as the soul grows older in grace and love. Outwardly there is decay, but inwardly there is daily renewal. Genuine faith does not get saved and stop growing—it trusts Christ’s work on the cross to work out our faith as we bear our cross through trials and tests.

Paul describes the end goal of every disciple of Jesus: the fullness of love for God and people. The Holy Spirit’s fruit of love grows out of a clear conscience—forgiven of sin and a pure heart—cleansed of impure affections. Both forgiveness and cleansing are rooted in genuine faith. Authentic faith is the blending of belief and trust—belief that Jesus is God’s son, who died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead to validate His deity. Trust in Christ alone for eternal life in heaven and for abundant life on earth. Faith facilitates the Spirit’s life giving work.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).

Do you feel a headwind of resistance in your life? Is your faith being tested, perhaps stretched beyond what’s comfortable? Seasons of uncertainty and times of spiritual fatigue are windows to watch the Spirit at work in ways that stimulate your faith by God’s faithfulness in your life. There is a deeper place the Holy Spirit wants to take you—a place where your soul is at peace, your spirit is comforted, your mind is renewed and your body is rested. Like an athlete who discovers another depth of desire to compete, so the Spirit draws your faith into deeper intimacy.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Exercised Faith Produces Spiritual Health →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Many Infallible Proofs

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He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs…. Acts 1:3

Recommended Reading

Acts 1:1-3

  1. Campbell Morgan grew up in a Christian home, never questioning that the Bible was the Word of God. But in college he encountered skeptics who shook his faith. “The whole intellectual world was under the mastery of the physical scientists,” he recalled. “There came a moment when I was sure of nothing.” Morgan read every book he could find for and against biblical Christianity. Finally he closed the competing books and marched down to the bookstore and bought a new Bible. Opening it at his desk, he said, “I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be—the Word of God. But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself.”

As he studied God’s Word honestly, he grew convinced of its truthfulness, of the existence of God and the resurrection of Christ, and of the transforming power of the Gospel.

If you have questions, the Bible has answers. Doubt can bring us back to Christ as we discover for ourselves His infallible proofs.

That Bible found me. I began to read and study it then, in 1883. I have been a student ever since.

  1. Campbell Morgan

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 95 – 103

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – No Excuses

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And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage. —Judges 6:12

In the book of Judges, God decided to work through a man named Gideon to deliver the Israelites from captivity. But when the angel came to call Gideon, Gideon began rehearsing a list of his inabilities, including reasons why he thought he could not do what God was calling him to do.

In Judges 6:14 God says, Have I not sent you? In other words, “Would I ask you to do something I haven’t equipped you to do?” And again, in the next verse, Gideon responds with excuses—I’m too poor, too small, too weak. Because words have power, Gideon believed what he said about himself more than the encouraging words of the Lord.

Stop thinking of excuses or things to complain about—It’s too hard; I’ve never done this before; this isn’t what I had planned; I don’t know how; I’m too old/young; I don’t feel like it; I’m afraid—and start doing what God is telling you to do.

Power Thought: I can do whatever God asks me to do— no excuses—because He is with me.

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

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Whose Voice Will You Listen To Today?

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“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:26

Friend to Friend

My son played on his high school’s basketball team. At one of the games, I noticed a man on the home side of the court video recording of the game. I also noticed a man on the opposing side doing the same.

“Steve, who are those men with the video cameras and why are they recording the game?” I asked my husband.

“The guy in the opposing stand is from the team that we’ll be playing next week,” he explained. “He is recording the game to study our weaknesses, so our opponents will know where to attack and defeat us. The man on our side is recording the game also looking for weakness, but for a different reason. He will show our team their weaknesses so they can learn from them and improve . . . to make them better. Same video. Different purposes.”

Ah, a sudden glory moment. I don’t know much about sports, but I do know a bit about how the enemy works. He records the video of our lives and looks for our weakness to bring us down—to plan his attack, to defeat us.

The Bible has many names for that enemy: Satan, the great serpent, the deceiver, and the devil. But the most telling name is found in Revelation 12:10: the accuser who accuses believers before God day and night.

Some say that the devil’s main role is tempting mankind to sin. But I believe what trumps even temptation is his role as the accuser who shackles us with shame and condemnation once we succumb to the temptation. He paces before God saying, “She did this and she did that.” He plays and replays the video in the theater of your mind, pointing out all your faults and weaknesses to bring you down. He is AGAINST you.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Whose Voice Will You Listen To Today? →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Cleansing From Sin

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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV).

Henry was experiencing difficulty in communicating with God. “It seems as though He is far away from me,” he said, “and no matter what I do I am not able to make contact with Him.”

Henry was weighted down with problems and concerns that robbed him of his joy, his radiance and even his physical strength. He was a Christian and wanted to be a man of God but had become careless in his walk with Christ, and in the process had lost his first love.

If that condition describes you as well, it is quite likely that you have allowed sin to short-circuit your relationship with God. The mighty overflow of His power has been cut off, and you are no longer walking in the light as God is in the light. This is expressed in this great epistle of 1 John.

King David knew that experience because he had disobeyed God and, as recorded in Psalm 32, would not admit that he had sinned. As a result, his dishonesty made him miserable and filled his days with frustration.

If the light has gone out in your life and you are conscious of the same kind of experience to which King David refers, may I encourage you to take a sheet of paper, make a list of everything you know is wrong in your life, as the Holy Spirit directs you, and confess your sins to God.

As you make your list, claim the promise of 1 John 1:9. The word confess means “to agree with,” “to say along with.” You are saying to God, “I acknowledge that what I am doing is wrong. I know Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty for these sins. I repent.” To repent means genuinely to change your mind, which results in a change of action.

As a result of this change, you no longer do those things that grieve or quench the Spirit, and you desire to honor Him every moment of every day of your life through faith and obedience. Then, whenever sin enters your life, you engage in spiritual breathing.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 28:10-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will make a list of everything the Holy Spirit calls to my mind that is short-circuiting His power in my life, and I will genuinely confess them before God.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Prayer and Peace

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Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head. 1 Sam. 1:10-11

At first glance it would appear that this is a kind of bargaining prayer of Hannah’s — that she is offering to give the boy back to the Lord only if the Lord will give him to her first so she can enjoy him. It is possible to read this account that way, but, if we look closely at it, we can see what is really happening here, for I am sure this is not the first time that Hannah has prayed at Shiloh for a son. All along she dreamed of having a son of her own, a little boy to love and cuddle, to teach him to walk, to read stories to, to watch him grow to manhood to become a strong, clean, fine young man, the pride of her life. She wanted him for herself, and she prayed often for that, but her prayer was not answered.

On this occasion, however, her prayer was different. Having worked through years of barrenness and having thought deeply about the problems, she realized for the first time something she had never known before. She realized that children are not just for parents — they are for the Lord. They are given to parents, loaned for a while, but the reason they are given is for the Lord to use. Certainly this account indicates that this little boy who was ultimately born (Samuel) was God’s man to meet the need of a nation. Undoubtedly God had taught Hannah deeply through these hours of struggle over her barrenness, so in great distress and with intense earnestness she prays that God would have what he wanted, a man for his glory and his purposes, and that he would let her be the instrument of that blessing.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Prayer and Peace →