Tag Archives: Peace

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Fearing God

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“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever” (Ps. 19:9).

Fearing God leads to reverential attitudes and actions.

In the Old Testament, to fear God was to view Him with reverential awe and bow to His sovereign authority. In Psalm 34 David wrote, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it” (vv. 11- 14). His son Solomon added, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. . . . Fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Prov. 1:7; 3:7).

The concept of fearing God isn’t limited to the Old Testament. Paul said, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12), “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1) and, “Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (Eph. 5:21).

Our fear of God compels us to worship Him and conform our lives to His will. If you fear Him, pleasing Him will be your greatest delight and displeasing Him, your greatest disappointment.

In Psalm 19:9 David uses “fear” as a synonym for God’s Word, implying that Scripture is God’s manual on how to worship Him. “Clean” (v. 9) is a comprehensive term that speaks of the absence of sin, corruption, filthiness, defilement, imperfection, and error. The message Scripture conveys is always “flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Ps. 12:6, NIV).

Because it is so perfect, Scripture endures forever (Ps. 19:9). That’s why Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31). It never needs to be updated to accommodate contemporary thinking. It stands forever as authoritative and unyielding. Those who judge it, slander it, or ignore it are in grave peril. Far better to fear God and bow to His revealed will.

Suggestions for Prayer

Read Psalm 33 as a prayer of praise to the Lord.

For Further Study

Memorize Proverbs 3:5-7 as a reminder always to seek God’s will and approval.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Pray

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Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6

Far too many times we treat prayer as a last-ditch effort. The reasons vary—we try to fix a problem on our own, we assume God is too busy with other things, or we feel God is mad at us and won’t listen to our prayers. But when we fail to pray the result is the same: We carry burdens we do not need to bear.

For many believers, life is much harder than it has to be because we do not realize how powerful prayer is. If we did, we would pray about everything, not as a last resort, but as a first response.

In James 5:13, the apostle James offers a simple, three-word solution to some of life’s challenges: “He should pray.” The message to us in this verse is that no matter what happens over the course of a day, we can go to God in prayer. There is a great benefit in this decision—the more you pray, the closer to God you will be.

Anytime you have a problem, make prayer your first response. If you have a need, don’t hesitate to tell God what it is. When you are discouraged or feel like giving up, let God be the first person you talk to about how you are feeling. He loves you, and when you go to Him in prayer, you will be amazed at what a difference it will make in your life.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, make prayer your first response not your last resort.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – No Longer Slaves

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“And you are My friends if you obey Me. I no longer call you slaves, for a master doesn’t confide in slaves; now you are My friends, proved by the fact that I have told you everything the Father told Me” (John 15:14,15).

How many really close friends do you have? Not many, I think you will agree, for a close friend is one in whom you confide regularly. who knows you just as you are and loves you just the same.

So it is with our heavenly Friend, the one who “sticks closer than a brother.” And how do we earn the right to become that kind of intimate friend? Simply by obeying His commands, “which are not grievous,” but really are necessary to keep us in the straight and narrow path and to give us a happy, blessed life.

In a sense, of course, we are still His bondslaves, His servants, but He deigns to call us His friends if we love Him enough to obey His commands. And He proves His friendship by sharing with us all that the Father has shared with Him. What greater friend could we have?

Jesus not only called His disciples friends, but He also treated them as friends. He opened His mind to them, made known His plans and acquainted them with the plan of His coming. His death, His resurrection and ascension. He followed this proof of His friendship with the actual title of friend.

Oh, that you and I might see Him today truly as our friend – one who sticks closer than a brother or sister or mother or father.

Bible Reading: John 15:11-17

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: As I take inventory of my real friends today, I will especially include the one Friend above all friends, the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of the supernatural life which God has commanded me to live.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C. – Prayer Return

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What happens in Heaven when you pray for America, or the world, or even your neighbor next door? Sometimes it doesn’t seem like very much. Do you ever wonder if those prayers are actually getting through?

The smoke of incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God.

Revelation 8:4

Here is the word picture of your prayers as described in the book of Revelation. In the future, when it’s time, God will reveal Himself to mankind in strength and holiness. Until then, your prayers and those of every saint from all of history are accumulating on an altar before the throne of God. Take a moment and imagine all of those prayers mingling together to make a brightly burning fire reminding God of His love for mankind and His promise to deliver us from sin.

Those prayers will be returned to Earth as an instrument of God’s judgment. It’s astonishing, and somewhat terrifying, to think every faithful prayer to God for the redemption of the world will be answered all at once! Scripture say’s not one will be lost or go unaddressed. Don’t stop praying for God’s mercy on America.

Recommended Reading: Revelation 12:7-12

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Beware the Good Ol’ Days

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And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.—2 Peter 2:20

After you’ve been a Christian for a number of years, the Devil will say, Remember the good ol’ days? . . . Remember those parties? . . . Remember that one girl (or that one guy)? . . . Remember that one night?

But what he won’t say is, Remember that time you were throwing up everywhere? . . . Remember that time you got that DUI? . . . Remember that time you actually contemplated suicide? He will take a few good times and bring them to your memory, and then he’ll say, Wouldn’t it be fun to do that one more time?

The first step toward going back is looking back. That is what the children of Israel were doing after God delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. They said, “Oh, for some meat!” . . . “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” (Numbers 11:4–6).

That is one reason we need to study the book of Numbers. Believers who are living in the last days will face many of the same temptations and challenges as the children of Israel did. The Scriptures warn us that if we go back to those things of the past as the Israelites did, it will be worse than it ever was (see 2 Peter 2:20). It will turn bitter in our mouths.

When you go back to your old life before Christ, it is like a dog that returns to its vomit (see Proverbs 26:11). It will be worse than it was before. Don’t go there—either in person or mentally. Don’t look back. Put it behind you.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Everything Begins With Faith

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In the Lucado house the game was called “Ladies and Gentlemen.” Participants were three pre-school-age daughters and one very happy-to-ham-it-up father—who was the chief ringmaster. “Ladies and Gentleman,” I would announce to the audience of one—Denalyn, who was wondering why we needed to do acrobatics before bedtime. “The Lucado girls will now fly through the air!” They loved it. Never once did they question my judgment or strength. Their mom did. A pediatrician would have. But never in the cycle of a thousand flips and flops did my daughters say to me, “Have you thought this through, Dad?” “I’m not sure you can catch me.” They trusted me completely. After all, I was their father.

 

Oh that we would trust ours. Jesus once declared, “The work God wants you to do is this…believe the One he sent!” Everything begins with faith!

From Glory Days

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading

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The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.

From The Screwtape Letters

Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – When the Top Flies Off

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“Be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11

Because of our family ministry and Jim’s background as a psychologist, I sometimes wonder if people think that our marriage is somehow “different”—that we live in a dreamlike state of wedded bliss where conflict doesn’t exist. Believe me, that’s just not the case. We do our share of fussing and face the same struggles you do, whether it’s motivated by fatigue, worry about the kids, not communicating our expectations properly, or something else.

I recall an incident after we were engaged that seems funny now, but wasn’t so amusing at the time. Jim owned a 1949 Mercury convertible called “Old Red.” It was a disaster. The top wouldn’t go up or down; the electric windows didn’t work; the lights sometimes went out unexpectedly; and the engine had a habit of dying regularly. Every Sunday afternoon we took it out for a push. Worse, the front seat had springs sticking out at odd angles that snagged my clothes and made for a most uncomfortable ride. I hated that car, but Jim didn’t want to go into debt to buy a new one.

The coup de grace came the day Jim picked me up for an important job interview. I was wearing my best outfit, a black suit. As we sped down the road at fifty miles per hour, the convertible top suddenly blew off. Bits of string and canvas beat at our heads as dust flew everywhere. The remnants of the old top hooked onto the back of the car and flapped in the air like Superman’s cape.

Jim was so irritated at the car that he wouldn’t stop. He just kept barreling down the highway with the ribs of the top glistening above us. I screamed at him from under the dashboard, where I was crouched to escape the pieces of Old Red that were still flying about. Between his car falling apart and my screaming, Jim got even angrier.

Somehow we survived the day when both of us—and Old Red—blew our tops. Jim bought a newer car a few months later and, more importantly, we didn’t call off our engagement!

That’s how life is when you climb into the marvelous vehicle called marriage. You’re in for a long and wonderful ride. Expect the unexpected to happen. It will probably rattle your nerves and set you at odds with each other, and the top may even blow off every now and then. But if you share a committed love, you can survive those unexpected and unwanted conflicts. We have—for forty years now.

– Shirley M Dobson

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Grace: God’s Second Chance

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Romans 5:1-6

Scripture records a grim picture of mankind: dead in our sins, under God’s wrath, and subject to eternal separation from Him (Eph. 2:1-3). Through the cross, He gives us a second chance to be in a loving relationship with Him. When we place our faith in Christ, He pours out His unconditional love—His grace—upon us.

Because of grace, we have been justified by faith. Justification is a declaration by God that we are not guilty in His sight. At salvation, Jesus’ death on the cross is counted as payment for our sins. All our disobedience—past, present, and future—is fully forgiven.

The means of obtaining this pardon is through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. What does that look like? It’s a faith that accepts the Lord’s judgment that we are sinners who are unable to rescue ourselves and in need of a Savior. It believes that Jesus paid for our sins through His death, that God accepted His payment on our behalf, and that we are forgiven and made part of His family. If we have true faith, we’ll give Him our allegiance and wholeheartedly seek to serve Him.

Grace also gives us peace with the Lord. Before salvation, we were His enemies, under a sentence of eternal death. But after trusting in Christ, we were adopted into God’s family and have His favor forever.

Through grace, we have been given a second chance. Instead of receiving the eternal punishment we deserved, we’re given acceptance through faith in Christ (Rom. 15:7) and have become members of God’s family (8:15). Make full use of this second opportunity by passionately pursuing Him.

Bible in One Year: Luke 2-3

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Pride at the Core

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Read: Ezra 9:1-9

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 62-64; 1 Timothy 1

Ezra . . . was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses. —Ezra 7:6

“He thinks he’s really something!” That was my friend’s assessment of a fellow Christian we knew. We thought we saw in him a spirit of pride. We were saddened when we learned that he soon was caught in some serious misdeeds. By elevating himself, he had found nothing but trouble. We realized that could happen to us as well.

It can be easy to minimize the terrible sin of pride in our own hearts. The more we learn and the more success we enjoy, the more likely we are to think we’re “really something.” Pride is at the core of our nature.

In Scripture, Ezra is described as “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). King Artaxerxes appointed him to lead an expedition of Hebrew exiles back to Jerusalem. Ezra could have been a prime candidate to succumb to the sin of pride. Yet he didn’t. Ezra didn’t only know God’s law; he lived it.

After his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra learned that Jewish men had married women who served other gods, defying God’s express directions (9:1-2). He tore his clothes in grief and prayed in heartfelt repentance (vv. 5-15). A higher purpose guided Ezra’s knowledge and position: his love for God and for His people. He prayed, “Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence” (v. 15).

Ezra understood the scope of their sins. But in humility he repented and trusted in the goodness of our forgiving God. —Tim Gustafson

Lord, fill us with such a love for You that we think first of what will please You, not ourselves. Free us from the subtle captivity of our own pride.

Pride leads to every other vice: It is the complete anti-God state of mind. C. S. Lewis

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Beginning of Words

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It is a question I ask when I find myself in a defeated place of miscommunication, when I see two parties completely misunderstanding one another, or when I am studying Greek: Is language really worth the trouble? Of course, even in a defeated place, most of us recognize the irony of the question itself. To voice the trouble of communication is still to utilize the form of communication. But if it is difficult to imagine a world without the presence of language, it is altogether sobering to imagine a world without its benefits and joys—a conversation with a friend, the power of the written word, the importance of banter, reasoning, and debate.

Though many religions recognize the power of words, I believe it is inherently Christian to recognize the weight of language. The first chapter of the Gospel of John echoes the first pages in all of Scripture—namely, that out of silence the universe was brought to order, for in the beginning was the Word. The Greek word logos means not only “word” but “reason,” hastening the notion that there is not only meaning at the heart of all things but there is one who speaks and bestows this meaning. The Christian worldview interprets all of life and time through this medium. We live within a story of words, reason, and meaning in which there is an author telling us what it means to be human, what it means to be here.

The presence of language among us, therefore, is itself a subtle apologetic. That is to say, we speak because there is one who first spoke. There is meaning and order among us because in the beginning was the Word. Author Steve Talbott fluently articulates the significance of a speaking world:

“The intimate relation between the meaning of our words and the meaning we find in the world may be so obvious as to seem almost trivial, yet its implications are so profound as to have mostly escaped the notice of working scientists. If we took the fact of the world’s speech seriously—the world speaks!—there would be none of the usual talk about a mechanistic and deterministic science, about a cold, soulless universe, or about an unavoidable conflict between science and the spirit.”(2)

The evidence of a speaking world is a wonder the scientist cannot explain away with mechanistic words. But what if language is the gift of a speaking, personal God to a creation holding God’s image? The world speaks and God listens. Will we, in turn, stop and take notice of the one who spoke first?

In July of 2004, the people of Ranonga, a small, remote island in the Solomon Islands, read the words of Christ for the first time in their own language. The arrival of the New Testament in Lungga, the local language, followed more than twenty years of fundraising efforts by the local people. When the finished copies were finally made available and the people held before them the written words of Christ, a local pastor declared: “Today God has arrived in Ranonga. God has arrived in our own culture and is speaking to us in our own language.”(3)

Into a world of souls, some listening, many preoccupied, Jesus embodies a word for all: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”(4) To recognize a voice and a face speaking in a language we understand is so much more than acknowledging a string of inanimate, recognizable words or cold information. We recognize a person beyond the sounds, image and meaning within the language, an invitation in the face that speaks. How much more so this is true of the voice that first spoke into the silence and called creation forth by name.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) This piece by Stephen Watson, entitled <i>Creation</i>, was installed at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, in June 2014. It was inspired by imagery of the DNA molecule and a rose window, and is comprised of cayenne, curry, mint, onion, paprika, and rosemary. For further information: http://stephenwatson.squarespace.com/

(2) Steve Talbott, “The Language of Nature” The New Atlantis, Number 15, Winter 2007, 41-76.

(3) “God Arrived,” Bible Society, 2004.

(4) Revelation 3:20.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – How Much Do You Owe?

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For the love of Christ controls us.

2 Corinthians 5:14

How much do you owe to my Lord? Has He ever done anything for you? Has He forgiven your sins? Has He covered you with a robe of righteousness? Has He set your feet upon a rock? Has He established your goings? Has He prepared heaven for you? Has He prepared you for heaven? Has He written your name in His Book of Life? Has He given you countless blessings? Has He laid up for you a store of mercies, which eye has not seen nor ear heard?

Then do something for Jesus that is worthy of His love. Do not give a mere wordy offering to a dying Redeemer. How will you feel when your Master comes if you have to confess that you did nothing for Him but kept your love shut up, like a stagnant pool, neither flowing out to the poor nor to His work? Be done with that kind of love! What do men think of a love that never shows itself in action? Why, they say, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”1 Who will accept a love so weak that it does not stir you to a single act of self-denial, generosity, heroism, or zeal?

Consider how He has loved you and given Himself for you! Do you know the power of that love? Then let it be like a rushing, mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness and clear away the mists of sin. For Christ’s sake let this be the tongue of fire that sits upon you: For Christ’s sake let this be the divine excitement, the heavenly empowerment to bear you up from earth, the divine spirit that will make you bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord’s service. Love should give wings to the feet of service and strength to the arms of industry. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, determined to honor Him with a zeal that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with a passion that doesn’t waver, let us display the constraints of love for Jesus. May the divine magnet draw us toward heaven itself.

1) Isaiah 40:27

The Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 2 Kings 2
  • 2 Thessalonians 2

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Pray for Jesus

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‘Prayer also shall be made for him continually.’ Psalm 72:15

Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 6:9–13

‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,’ is the blessed assurance that Jesus is our Captain in the great fight of faith, and is still present in the battle field. His great cause is here, his enterprise and business are here below. The work which he undertook to accomplish is not yet accomplished in the person of every one of his elect. His blood has been fully shed and his atonement has been perfected, but those for whom the atonement was made are not yet all ingathered. Many sheep he has which are not yet of his fold. We are therefore to pray for him, that the good work which he has undertaken may be prospered, and that one by one those whom his Father gave him may be brought to reconciliation and to eternal life. Brethren, the Lord Jesus Christ describes himself as being still persecuted and still suffering. He said to Saul, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?’ He calls his people himself; they are his mystical body; and in praying for the church we pray for Christ. He is the head of the body, and you cannot pray for the body except you pray for the head. We must put them all into one prayer. He is still struggling with the hosts of darkness in his church, still striving for the victory over sin in his people, and his people are waiting and longing for his second advent, which shall fulfil their brightest hopes. We must still pray for him, not personally, but relatively; for his cause, for his kingdom, for his gospel, for his people, for his blood-bought ones who as yet are in the ruins of the fall, for his second coming, and glorious reign. In this sense, I take it, the text is meant that ‘prayer also shall be made for him continually.’

For meditation: In the first half of the Lord’s Prayer, the Lord teaches us to pray for the Lord (thy name, thy kingdom, thy will—Matthew 6:9–10); after that we pray for ourselves. Do you pray for him? If you are one of his people, don’t forget that he is continually interceding for you (Hebrews 7:25).

Sermon no. 717

21 October (1866)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Obeying God’s Commands

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“The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 19:8).

Obedience to the Word is the hallmark of a true believer.

It isn’t popular these days to speak of God’s Word as a book of commandments. Commands imply law and we’re accustomed to grace. But the fact is, both the Old and New Testaments contain many commandments that all God’s people are to obey.

The apostle John said, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected” (1 John 2:3-5). John equated the commandments of God with the Word of God.

Jesus Himself said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15) and “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father” (v. 21). If you truly love Christ, your life will be characterized by a pattern of obedience to His Word.

Every commandment of God is “pure”, the psalmist said (Ps. 19:8). Its effect is “enlightening the eyes.” God’s Word brings spiritual truth into clear focus. Not every passage of Scripture is easy to understand, but taken as a whole, the message of the Bible is clear to the regenerate mind.

But as clear as the Bible is to believers, unredeemed people can’t understand it. To them it’s foolishness because their minds are unenlightened (1 Cor. 2:14). In their spiritual blindness they choose humanistic philosophical speculations over God’s Word. But as a believer, you are continually being enlightened by the truths of God’s Word as the Holy Spirit enables you to understand and apply them to your life.

Your ability to understand the Word is a priceless gift. Take advantage of it daily by expanding your Bible knowledge and increasing your obedience.

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Thank the Lord for opening your mind to the truths of His Word.
  • Commit yourself to discovering at least one additional truth from Scripture each day.

For Further Study

Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-16. What comparison did Paul make between the natural (unregenerate) man and the spiritual (regenerate) man?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Praise Has Power

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But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. – Psalm 22:3 NKJV

Many people are familiar with the statement: “There’s power in praise.” It’s true, and when we praise God from our hearts, we exert power in the spiritual realm. God Himself inhabits the praises of His people, according to our scripture for today.

When our ministry holds conferences, I make sure to be in the service as soon as the praise and worship begins because I love to be in God’s presence. In fact, before I speak to an audience, I make sure I have entered into praise and worship—not because God needs it, but because I need it. I need to express my joy over everything He has done for me and everything He is going to do; I need to engage my heart to focus on Him and my mouth to speak about Him; I need to tap into the power that is released through praise and make sure I have a clear connection with heaven. I do all this because I love God, but also because praise creates an opening in the spiritual atmosphere, which enables people to hear the Word clearly, receive it and hold on to it through faith.

Think about how this applies to your life. How many times have you walked into a church service or a conference and felt “blah” when you first arrived, but then felt better after a few minutes of praising God? You see, praise brings a release of our burdens; it takes our focus off of ourselves and our problems and puts it on God—and that always makes us feel better.

You don’t have to wait for a church service or a conference to praise God and experience the power of praise in your life. I encourage you to praise at home, in the car—and everywhere you possibly can. Live every day with praise on your lips and you’ll find that your power for living everyday life just keeps increasing.

Love God Today: “Thank You, Lord, that there is power in my praise.”

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – A Greater Harvest

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“He has already tended to you by pruning you back for greater strength and usefulness by means of the commands I gave you” (John 15:3).

My friend was in the process of pruning his vineyard, and it appeared to me – in my limited knowledge of vineyards – that the pruning was too severe. Only the main stump remained. I inquired, “Why have you pruned the vine back to just the main stump?”

“Because,” he said, “that is the way to ensure that it will produce a greater harvest. Otherwise the nourishment flowing up through the roots would be dissipate in keeping the vines alive. It could not produce the maximum number of grapes.”

It is my regular prayer that God will keep both me as an individual and the movement of which I am a part well pruned that we may not waste time, energy, talent and money producing beautiful foliage with no fruit. Our subjection to that pruning can be either voluntary or reluctant. How much better is it for us to invite the Lord to do the pruning than to have the pruning forced upon us over our protests.

The best possible way to cooperate in God’s pruning is to study His Word. Memorize and meditate upon His truths, obey His commandments and claim His promises. Jesus taught the disciples personally, by word and model, over a period of more than three years. Yet, Judas betrayed the Lord and committed suicide and the others denied Him and deserted Him at the cross. It was not until the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost that their lives were really transformed and the things He had taught them became a reality to them.

The same Holy Spirit who transformed their lives and gave them the courage to die as martyrs proclaiming God’s truth dwells within you and me. He wants to bear much fruit through us and He did through them. I encourage you to make that time, when you study the commands that Jesus gave us and apply His truths to your heart, the most important part of your day.

Bible Reading: John 15:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the pruning process of my life by spending much time studying, memorizing and meditating on the Word of God, applying its truths to my life as I claim the supernatural resources of the living Christ for supernatural living.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – Be Influential

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When she was four, Kimberly Dawn dreamed of becoming a famous country singer. But there were several challenges along the way: shyness, loss of her family home to a fire, and caring for an ailing family member. Yet with God’s help, Kimberly overcame the barriers that held her from her dreams. In 2013, she began releasing music and playing at bigger venues. In fact, last year Kimberly was named “one of the most influential voices of this generation of country/gospel music.” Now she wants to minister to others who are struggling.

And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight.

Esther 5:2

“As a society we sometimes find ourselves trapped in certain ideas or beliefs; God is a merciful God and He wants our love and trust,” Kimberly says. “Whatever circumstance you are going through, know that you can overcome any obstacle. God has already given His children favor and grace.”

God extends His blessings to those who choose to believe Him even when evidence says otherwise – and often positions them to influence others through their faith in Him. Choose to live by His Word and listen to His Holy Spirit. Pray also that your leaders will seek to know Him in a deeper way so they can have more impact for Him.

Recommended Reading: Genesis 39:1-6

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Be Careful What You Ask For

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And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.—Psalm 106:15

Sometimes we pray for something with such passion and fervency. But I’m so glad that God overrules our requests at times. Have you ever prayed for something and God said no, only to later say, “Lord, thank You for not answering my prayer in the affirmative”?

At times God will overrule our requests. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10).

Really, what Jesus was saying is that when we bring our requests before God, we can effectively say, “Lord, if this thing I’ve just prayed for is outside of Your will, please overrule it, because You know better than me.”

You can ask God for something and plead with Him about something, and He just might give it to you—sometimes to teach you a lesson.

We don’t always know what’s best for us, just like my grandchildren don’t know what’s best for them at times. If they had their way, they would eat candy all day long. But they don’t realize what it would do to them. Adults have to provide some oversight and tell them what they can and can’t do for their own good. In the same way, God will put roadblocks in our paths to stop us from exercising our free will and going in the wrong direction.

Don’t take for granted what God has given you: your husband . . . your wife . . . your children . . . your career . . . your health . . . your church. Don’t say, “I’m tired of this. I want something else.” God just may give you what you want—and you may not like it one bit.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Keep Praising and Walking

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Yell a loud NO to the Devil and watch him scamper! He must retreat. He is not allowed in the place where God is praised. Just keep praising and walking.

“But, Max, I’ve been walking a long time,” you say. Yes, it seems like it. It must have seemed that way to the Hebrews too. Joshua didn’t tell them how many trips they’d have to make around the city of Jericho. God told Joshua the walls would fall on the seventh day but Joshua didn’t tell the people. They just kept walking.

Our Joshua [Jesus] didn’t tell us either. Through the pen of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58, Jesus urges us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Keep walking! For all you know, this may be the day the walls come down.

From Glory Days

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – Holy Motives

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“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 15:10

During Jesus’ time on earth, He was the epitome of love and compassion—yet He was also surrounded by conflict. He didn’t hesitate to set the Pharisees straight when they spoke or acted against God’s will. Jesus even rebuked Peter when His disciple rejected the prophecy that Christ would suffer and die (Mark 8:31–33). But Jesus’ motives were pure and perfect. He never intended His words to harm His listeners; rather, He spoke from a heart of love for His children.

We urge you to consider your motives when the temptation arises to do battle with your mate. Is your aim to lovingly enlighten, or to prove you are “right”? Are you reacting to another problem that has nothing to do with your partner? Is this really an important issue, or are you just blowing off steam at the expense of your spouse?

As long as we remember Christ’s motives for conflict and follow His example, we will “remain in his love,” and our marriages will move down the right path.

Just between us…

  • During our last dispute, did you feel that my goal was to “lovingly enlighten,” or to win the battle?
  • During conflicts in our marriage, how can we be more like Jesus?
  • Have I wounded your spirit during times of disagreement? If so, will you forgive me?

Lord Jesus, You were no stranger to the challenges of conflict, and we thank You for Your inspiring example. How much we want to be like You and to do Your will. Show us Your wisdom in new ways as we seek to mature in this area. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson