Tag Archives: Jesus

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Time Investment

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Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Friend to Friend

Time management is a dreaded and often ignored spiritual discipline for many of us. We have forgotten that our minutes, hours, and days are precious commodities – gifts from God that can be unwrapped only once. Time is wasted unless it is invested in goals and priorities that are rooted in God’s plan.

A busy life is not necessarily a productive life. Oh, I can hear it now. “I am very busy, but I am busy doing good things.” Those words were the cry of my heart just before I crashed and burned and landed in a pit of clinical depression. The problem with my list of “good things” was that it was just that – my list – which was the wrong list for my life. The result was exhaustion, burnout, and disobedience.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Being with Jesus

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Read: Acts 4:1-13

He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him. (Mark 3:14)

The first practice for knowing Jesus is tucked innocently into the opening words about Jesus’ call of the Twelve: “He appointed twelve . . . so that they might be with him.” That was the main thing, the great secret of becoming an apostle, someone sent by Jesus to change the world. They had to be with him day in and day out, walking and talking, watching and listening, eating and sleeping for three years. They grew in their knowledge of Jesus simply by being with him.

As a result, the Twelve were able to continue Jesus’ mission even when he wasn’t with them anymore. No sooner had they begun to bear witness than they ran into the same trouble that killed Jesus. The Sanhedrin tried to silence Peter and John by throwing them in jail and subjecting them to the third degree.

Peter responded to their intimidation by boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection, going so far as to claim that salvation is found in no one else than Jesus (Acts 4:10-12). The Jewish leaders were stunned by the courage of the apostles, especially because it was obvious that Peter and John were not highly educated men like the Sanhedrin (v. 13).

How could these “unschooled, ordinary men” give such bold and eloquent testimony in a hostile setting? The Jewish leaders reveal the secret in words that still challenge us: “they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Prayer:

Jesus, help us to believe that you are with us always. Amen.

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C. – Extenders

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Are you thinking of next year’s tax bill yet? Strangely, some are – and with anticipation! They are recipients of “tax extender” provisions. It’s the federal package in which lawmakers offer tax breaks to a select few. The practice started with the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988, which wrapped several tax breaks together in an effort to make reauthorization a simple process. It was meant to be a temporary measure, but like many government benefits, it has ballooned out of control.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 19:17

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – GADARENE DEMONIAC: DELIVERANCE FROM SHAME

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Read Mark 5:1-20

Some military veterans survive the horrors of war only to come home to find captivity. Some are hounded by memories of atrocities they’ve experienced; others feel adrift without purpose in daily life apart from the battlefield. Veterans say no one understands their struggles except others who have been there.

The demoniac in our passage had been held captive for years, tortured by invisible enemies who had infiltrated his body and his mind. Instead of standing by him, his family and friends identified him with the evil spirits tormenting him.

Even after the man was free from the demons’ control, he was still bound by the stigma of what they had done to him. His community expressed more concern over their economic loss than in the gain of their friend. Rather than thank his Rescuer, they tried to drive Him out.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Minister of Reconciliation

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Read: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Bible in a Year: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 12:24-50

While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. —Romans 5:10

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached on a Sunday morning in 1957, he fought the temptation to retaliate against a society steeped in racism.

“How do you go about loving your enemies?” he asked the Dexter Avenue Baptist congregation in Montgomery, Alabama. “Begin with yourself. . . . When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it.”

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – God and Injustice

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In his famed “I have a Dream speech,” Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed: “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” At these words, Dr. King painted for a troubled nation a powerful image of hope, and forever rooted the civil rights movement in images of justice and the image of God.

The images presented in the book of Daniel are similarly rooted in images of justice and God. In fact, it is for this reason that the sixth chapter of Daniel was a favorite Scripture passage among civil rights preachers in the early 1960s. The story told in Daniel 6 presents a king who loses sight of his purpose as king and the purpose of the law, creating a system void of justice and a law that only hinders and traps its makers. But against the images of lawlessness and corruption, the story portrays a silent but active Daniel clinging to a higher law, bowing before the King of Kings in the midst of persecution, in the hands of his oppressors, and the shadows of the lions’ den. Living within the hopelessness of exile, sweltering under the heat of injustice, Daniel unflinchingly declares the sovereignty of God, and with faithfulness and perseverance refuses to believe otherwise.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Righteous Anger

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

Our anger must be under control and should occur only for the right reason.

After the previous lesson, you might think that Christians must always be quiet and passive, never getting upset or angry about anything. Actually, believers do have the right to get angry, but only under certain conditions. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” So there is a certain kind of anger that isn’t sinful. It must be under control, and it must be resolved expeditiously.

Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit.” Someone who is out of control is vulnerable. He falls into every temptation, failure, and weakness. On the other hand, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (16:32). One who rules his spirit has power and energy, but it’s under control. That same power and energy out of control creates nothing but chaos and sinfulness. Those who are easily angered are not gentle.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Tithing From the Dough

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And we made ordinances to bring…the firstfruits of our dough.

Nehemiah 10:35-37

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Nehemiah 10:34-39

The people in Nehemiah 10 agreed to honor God by giving Him the firstfruits of their produce and income, including, in verse 37, the firstfruits of their dough. We should do the same. Of course, in Nehemiah’s day the word “dough” was literal. They harvested their crops, ground their grain, and brought the first portions of their dough to the Lord. In this way, they worshiped God and also provided for the needs of those tending His temple.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – To Keep You From Sin

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“How can a young man stay pure? By reading Your Word and following its rules. I have tried my best to find You – don’t let me wander off from Your instructions. I have thought much about Your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin” (Psalm 119:9-11).

Carl, a Christian leader who had made a mess of his life, wept as he shared his defeat. “As a young Christian, “he said, “I was warned that God’s Word would keep me from sin, or sin would keep me from God’s Word.

“For many years,” he continued, “I studied and obeyed God’s Word faithfully. A few years ago I became very busy and took less and less time for God’s Word. So when temptation came, I had no strength to resist. Now my life and marriage have disintegrated and I am thinking of committing suicide.”

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Eternal Mindset

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This world is a dangerous place to live. No one will make it out alive. Yet the Christian need not be worried, fearful, hateful, or bitter. Instead, believers in Jesus are to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and temperate.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Proverbs 18:10

To maintain these qualities during difficulties, people must turn to God as their refuge and seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Today’s verse depicts the Lord as a tower that serves as both a place of shelter as well as protection. As you run to Him, you also realize God does not think like humans do. He looks at people and circumstances from an eternal perspective. He’s not overly concerned about His children being comfortable. He’s more concerned for eternal souls.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Closer Than We Think

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Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.—2 Kings 6:17

We often imagine Heaven as a faraway place. We automatically think it is beyond our solar system. But the Bible doesn’t say that Heaven is far away. Maybe Heaven is closer than we think. Heaven is another realm. Right now as we live in this physical realm, there is also a supernatural realm.

In 2 Kings 7 we find a classic example of how God can work both naturally and supernaturally at the same time. Supernaturally God cleared out Israel’s enemies, the Syrians, by allowing them to hear the noise of an approaching army, complete with chariots and galloping horses. This wasn’t an illusion or sleight of hand. This was a glimpse behind the veil into the supernatural realm.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is a Tenderhearted Father

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“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.” (Psalm 103:13)

One day Laurie and her sister Caroline came home from school, and both of their parents met them at the door. Their dad never came home from work in the middle of the day. They knew something must be wrong.

“Girls,” said their dad without his usual smile, “I have some sad news. Your grandpa died this morning.”

They sat down on the couch, their daddy in the middle with an arm around each of them. And Laurie and Caroline cried. Caroline looked up finally and noticed a tear rolling down her daddy’s cheek. She could hardly believe her eyes! She had never seen her daddy cry before. “He must really miss Grandpa too,” she thought. Later she realized that her dad was crying, not just because he missed Grandpa. He was crying for his daughters because they were sad.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Hint of Heaven

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Read: 1 Corinthians 14:6-12,26

Bible in a Year: Genesis 41-42; Matthew 12:1-23

Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. —1 Corinthians 14:12

The world-class botanical garden across the street from our church was the setting for an all-church community gathering. As I walked around the gardens greeting people I have known for years, catching up with those I hadn’t seen recently, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings cared for by people who know and love plants, I realized that the evening was rich with symbols of how the church is supposed to function—a little hint of heaven on earth.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Gentleness: Power Under Control

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

The antidote to our vengeful, violent society is biblical gentleness.

A popular bumper sticker says, “Don’t Get Mad—Get Even.” People demand what they perceive to be their rights, no matter how the demand harms others. Some go to court to squeeze every last cent out of those who hurt them. More and more violent crimes are committed each year. We need a strong dose of biblical truth to cure these attitudes. The biblical solution is gentleness.

The world might interpret gentleness or meekness as cowardice, timidity, or lack of strength. But the Bible describes it as not being vengeful, bitter, or unforgiving. It is a quiet, willing submission to God and others without the rebellious, vengeful self-assertion that characterizes human nature.

The Greek word translated “gentleness” was used to speak of a soothing medicine. It was used of a light, cool breeze and of a colt that had been broken and tamed, whose energy could be channeled for useful purposes. It also descrbes one who is tenderhearted, pleasant, and mild.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Doubt God 

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Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

Satan’s first goal is to get you. If he is unable to get you, his next step is to get you to doubt God. After all, what good is faith that is watered down by doubt? This isn’t to say we may not go through seasons of doubt as disciples of Christ. But doubt is not the ongoing pattern of a serious and faithful follower of Jesus. Thomas was a doubter for a time, but when he came face-to-face with his resurrected Savior and Lord, his doubts fled like an exposed bandit. Do not underestimate the enemy’s endeavors to get you to doubt God. If he is successful in planting and growing seeds of doubt, your faith will be stunted. Your faith will be choked to death by the weeds of worry, by the crabgrass cares in this world.

In some ways, it was easier to trust God when you first believed. Now that you have aged in years as a Christian, you may have formalized your faith to the point where the miraculous has been replaced by the mundane. Questions and doubt have replaced God’s promises of assurance.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Practice Makes Perfect

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You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him . . . and obey His voice. . . . —Deuteronomy 13:4

Once we begin listening to and hearing from God, it is important to obey whatever we hear Him say. Obedience increases our quality of fellowship with Him and strengthens our faith. We might say, “Practice makes perfect” when it comes to hearing and obeying Him. In other words, we become more and more confident as we gain experience.

It takes a lot of practice to reach the point of complete submission to God’s leading. Even knowing that God’s ways are perfect and that His plans always work, we still feign ignorance sometimes when He asks us to do something that requires personal sacrifice, or we might even be afraid that we are not hearing clearly and therefore become too cautious to take action.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – How to Skip Judgment

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“Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does” (Psalm 32:6).

Mary had rebelled against the preaching of her Nazarene father, a godly pastor. She lived with her boy friend in open defiance of her biblical teaching. Now, God was disciplining her because of disobedience. She was miserable, filled with hate and resentment, when a mutual friend brought her to my office for counsel.

I shared with Mary that just as a loving father disciplines a disobedient child, so God in His love for us disciplines us when we are disobedient. Actually, “child training” would be a more accurate way of describing what God does for us when we are disobedient.

Like Mary, many Christians unnecessarily go through all kinds of adversity: financial, emotional, marital and family problems, and even physical illness. More often than not, God is trying to get their attention. But because they refuse to listen and obey Him, they are disciplined and their misery continues.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman -What are You Working For?

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Read: John 6:22-40

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. (John 6:27)

It is very clear from this passage that these people greatly misunderstood who our Lord was, what he was doing, and what he said to them. No other passage of Scripture more clearly reveals the confusion in the average person’s mind about Jesus.

Notice what Jesus must correct about their confusion: First, he says to them, Do not work for the food that perishes. He is not, of course, saying, Do not work for a living. Jesus is not advocating that. What he means is, Do not work merely to get food. Food is important. It is necessary for life, and you have to earn it. But do not let that be the sole reason for your working. Rather, Work for the food which endures to eternal life.

These people, like many today, clearly felt that the most important thing in life is to keep alive, to be healthy, strong and economically sufficient. That was what life was all about, they thought. Clearly the majority of people all over the world today have this view that this is why people work.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Like Little Children

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Read: Matthew 18:1-4

Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (v. 3 NIV)

When Jesus spoke these famous words, he did not mean that children are innocent. Only someone who has never raised a toddler believes that children are innocent. Jesus explained his meaning with the word “humble.” He didn’t mean that children are selfless. Indeed, they can be incredibly self-centered; just ask the weary mother of a screaming child. Jesus was pointing to the dependency of children. Little children depend on others for guidance and help: “Mommy, will you help me? I’m hungry. I’m hurt.” They simply assume that they will get the help they need, because they rely on Mom and Dad.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – A Suffering Life

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 5:8

“He learned obedience through what he suffered.”

The suffering of Christ was not limited to the hours he hung on the cross. It actually began at his incarnation when he laid aside his divine glory and assumed a human nature subject to the same physical weaknesses and infirmities we are exposed to.

He was born into a poor family in a nation under the heel of a foreign empire. His first crib was an animal’s feed trough. During his three years of public ministry, his brothers did not believe in him and on at least one occasion mocked him (John 7:1-5). He was misunderstood, criticized, and harassed by the Jewish religious leaders. In the words of Isaiah, “he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3, NIV).

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