Tag Archives: Prayer

Moody Global Ministries, Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – Shame Uncovered

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Read Genesis 3:1-13

You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17

A child playing hide-and-seek will often cover her eyes with her hands, thinking that the rest of her body is then also hidden. An adult learns to hide his secrets more effectively, avoiding eye contact in order to disguise his thoughts and feelings.

As we saw yesterday, Adam and Eve were created by God, and they were innocent and guileless in the way they related to God and to others. When Eve encountered the serpent, she was not guarded or discreet in her interaction with him. Like a child, she took his questions at face value. She did not have knowledge of good and evil—though she did know God’s command (see Gen. 2:17).

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley -The Greater Purpose of Blessings

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Psalms 67

It is God’s nature to bless. However, we need to understand that His purpose is greater than we may realize. His ultimate goal encompasses far more than simply making us happy, peaceful, protected, and prosperous. In fact, it’s never the Lord’s intention for His blessings to end with us. Rather, He wants them to flow out to others as part of His plan for the whole earth.

As we see in today’s psalm, the Lord blesses us so that His salvation, His ways, and His justice may be known by every nation and people group around the globe (Ps. 67:3-4, Ps. 67:7). He’s always acting with this larger picture in mind—even while working personally in each believer’s life.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — This Could Be the Year

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Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Bible in a Year: Genesis 1-3; Matthew 1

We who are still alive and are left will . . . meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. —1 Thessalonians 4:17

My dad was a pastor, and on the first Sunday of each new year he preached about the return of Christ, often quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4. His point was always the same: “This could be the year that Jesus will return. Are you ready to meet Him?” I’ll never forget hearing that sermon at age 6, thinking, If that’s true, I’m not sure I will be among those He’s coming for.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Hope for another Year

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The opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities have given the literary world one of the greatest precursory statements of all time. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” These famous words of Charles Dickens mark some of the best-known lines of literature, skillfully reflecting the novel’s central tension between opposing pairs and the ebbs and flows of an era.

In this occasion of the New Year we, too, are inclined to reflect, to look back and look forward with thoughts and words that help us sift through the stories unfolding before us. Significant dates and holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, naturally lend themselves to times of reflection, the first of the year being perhaps the most confronting date (and certainly the best marketed) that calls us to reflect. That we have before us the month that marks another beginning of another year is unavoidable, even if merely seen as time to buy a new calendar or join another health club.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Commitment to God’s Standards

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“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Just as organizations have rules their members must follow, God has standards Christians must live by.

When someone is part of a group, he or she is obligated to follow its laws or standards. American citizens are required to obey the laws of the United States. Employees must conform to the rules of their company. Athletic teams are expected to listen to their coach.

Most of us want to be part of a group because with belonging comes acceptance. This desire to conform can be quite strong, sometimes dangerously so. During Jesus’ time, “many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:42-43). Those rulers were so committed to their religious system that they damned their souls by rigidly adhering to its code.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Essentials Not Non-Essentials 

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See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17, NKJV

It’s good to have options and opportunities because it helps us get to God’s best. It’s bad to have options and opportunities because it can hinder getting to God’s best. Conflicting questions either confuse my mind or clarify my thinking. Questions like: Is it necessary for me to say yes to a particular meeting invitation? Or, can I risk saying no and trust the other meeting attendees will respect my decision? Do I increase my work travel? Or, do I limit my trips for the sake of being more accessible to my family in this season of life? Essentials are a wise, best use of my time.

What does it mean to walk circumspectly? In the south we say, “Measure twice and cut once.” Wise life decisions are measured by prayerful planning that discerns the essentials for success. A successful hiker prepares for uncharted terrain. She learns from those who have experienced the best and worst trails to follow. Her backpack is supplied for the unexpected, maps are up to date and she is dressed in seasonal apparel. Similarly the wise redeem the time with a sense of measured focus to follow Jesus. Wisdom budgets time as God’s gift—we either use it or lose it.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Survival and Revival

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Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

Deuteronomy 4:40, NIV

Recommended Reading

Deuteronomy 32:44-47

When George Washington was inaugurated as America’s first president, his inaugural address included these words: “. . . the [favorable] smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Start Your Day Right

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When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up.—Psalm 94:18

Some people seem to start their day on the “wrong foot.” They feel all right when they wake up, but as soon as something goes wrong, they lose their footing and walk with a “loser’s limp” the rest of the day. Once they are off to a bad start, it seems they never catch up.

If someone offends us early in the morning, our anger can keep us defensive all day. If we start the day rushing, it seems we never slow down. But to¬day our feet can be firmly planted in God’s Word.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Truth and Lies

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Today’s Truth

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie.

Psalm 40:4-5

We hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends. From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry. We call them our “Friday Friends.” So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our “Friday Friend,” Logan Wolfram.

Friend to Friend

Have you ever noticed how much longer it sometimes takes us to believe the truth of what God says about us than it takes for us to be deceived by a lie from the enemy? Our sin comes charging after us cloaked in a blanket of false identity, and the more we allow ourselves to believe the lies that Satan spews, the more we actually begin to live our lives out of that place.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Bible’s No. 1 Promise

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“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).

As I travel from country to country, I find that millions of people in many countries and cultures are receiving Christ into their lives after hearing about Him for the first time. Millions of others would respond joyfully if they fully understood the truth of John 3:16, the most wonderful promise ever given to man.

Only through His indwelling presence can they live supernaturally. The first prerequisite to supernatural living, of course, is life – eternal life, supernatural life from God. I encourage you to meditate often on the content of this God-inspired promise:

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Power of His Presence;

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Who is Jesus?

Read: John 1:1-4

He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:2-3)

John says without any doubt that Jesus is God. He declares that Jesus is the Creator of all things. This accounts for Jesus’ strange and remarkable personality. He is the originator of all things. Eight times in the opening chapter of Genesis it says. And God said. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God said, Let there be a firmament between the heavens and the earth and there was. God said, Let the earth bring forth trees and vegetation, and these sprang into being. The Son of God, was speaking into being what the Father had designed in that amazing mind of his.

Any scientist who studies in the natural realm is always astonished when he comes to see the complexity of life, the marvelous symmetry of things, what lies behind all visible matter, the molecules, the atom, the make-up of a flower or of a star. The obvious order, design and symmetry of everything is astonishing.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope Daily Devotional – Passion

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Read: Philippians 3:7-11

I want to know Christ. (v. 10 NRSV)

Our meditations for this month will focus on knowing Christ, and they will be grouped under five words: passion (1-5), possibilities (6-12), preliminaries (13-17), practices (18-24), and proof (25-31). What do you think of when I say the word “passion”? I think of a line from W. B. Yeats famous poem “The Second Coming”: “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.”

That line of the poem should trouble us a great deal. Is it true that the best lack all conviction? Can it be that Christians are not full of passionate intensity? Is that why things are falling apart in this world? Let’s focus first on the passion that moved Paul and the other early Christians to turn their “world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; A.W. – New Year Fear Antidote

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Studies show terrorist acts have increased almost fivefold since the 9/11 attacks on the United States. An increase in attacks escalates fear. The Washington Post recently reported that 83 percent of Americans were fearful that a terrorist attack resulting in large casualties was likely in the near future. This fear can be paralyzing and keep people from living life to the fullest.

Whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Proverbs 1:33

King Solomon wrote about the power of wisdom in Proverbs, a book that will be the focus of this month’s Vantage Point devotionals. Today’s verse starts the New Year by declaring one of the greatest hopes of knowing Jesus as your Savior. Scripture says Jesus became God’s wisdom for you (I Corinthians 1:30). Knowing Him won’t stop terrorism or keep bad things from happening in life. It will, however, give you peace, security, and remove your fear.

As you pray today, ask for protection for you and the country against evil in 2016. Ask also for insight for yourself and the nation’s leaders in dealing with events like terrorism. Then thank God for the wisdom and peace He provides even in the midst of life’s disasters.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 112:1-10

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Respect His Name

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“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”—Exodus 20:7

Do you care about your name? Do you like it when people slander you or say things that aren’t true about you? Have you ever had that happen? I have. No one enjoys that. We want to protect our name. The Bible says that “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1).

God cares about His name, too. And He tells us, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). The words in vain literally could be translated “in an empty, idle, insincere, frivolous way.”

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Cannot Lie

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“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

Has anyone ever lied to you? When someone lies, it becomes harder for us to trust him. If he lied to us once, he might lie again. How can we ever be sure he is telling the truth?

God never lies. In fact, the Bible says in Titus 1:2 that He cannot lie. It goes against His perfect, holy nature to lie. He is absolutely truthful.

What are some things God tells us in His Word?

He says…

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Saint or Sinner?

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Today’s Scripture: Philippians 1:1

“To all the saints in Christ Jesus .”

As Christians, should we view ourselves as saints or sinners? My answer is both. Paul often referred to believers as saints (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1), and we really are—not only in our standing before God but in our essential persons as well. We really are new creations in Christ. A fundamental change has occurred in the depths of our being. The Holy Spirit has come to dwell within us, and we’ve been freed from sin’s dominion. But despite this we still sin every day, many times a day. And in that sense we’re sinners.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Creation of Man

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Today’s Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. – Colossians 1:16

Why does the theory of evolution get such a grip on people? I believe it’s because all people realize that if there is a God, and He made us and gave us life, we are accountable to Him for our actions.

If He has revealed His will to us; if He has given us the Ten Commandments; if He has given us the prophets and apostles, and even His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to teach us what is right and wrong; and if we don’t want to live the way He teaches and believe what He teaches, the simplest thing to do is deny that any of it is true. There is no God, the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales, and we owe our existence to a theory that tells us somehow, somewhere, at some time there came into existence a living cell, and from this cell man evolved by a process of natural selection.

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Soul Mates: Bad Theology, False Expectations, and Deep Disappointment

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Ronald Reagan once quipped that the trouble with his political opponents, “is not that they are ignorant. It’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”

Well, I’ve had a bee in my bonnet for years over something that far too many of my fellow Christians believe in that just isn’t so. I speak, gentle listener, of the whole “soul mate” nonsense, especially when it comes to finding a husband or wife.

Let me be perfectly clear: No matter how many ads for Christian dating services you hear or trendy books you read, we simply don’t have “soul mates,” at least as our confused culture understands that term. Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t. Look for that concept, by the way, in the Bible, and the only thing you can find remotely close to it is the fierce friendship of David and Jonathan. “Jonathan made a covenant with David,” Scripture says, “because he loved him as his own soul.”

Now those are soul mates, friends. But the Bible knows nothing of romantic “soul mates.” This concept is more New Age than Christian. The Huffington Post gives nine signs that you’ve found your soul mate, the first one being: “You communicate without speaking.” Okay. One New Age website, however, gives three signs you’ve “definitely” found your soul mate: “You just connect without trying,” “Your level of communication is unmatched,” and “You create your own world together.”

That’s cute, it’s nice, maybe it’s even romantic . . . but it’s certainly not biblical.

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – Life without Shame

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Read Genesis 2:4-25  The LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7

Marketing specialists know that an image of naked babies—cooing or playing or smiling—will capture most people’s hearts. Wide eyes and chubby tummies catch our attention, appealing to happy thoughts of a world full of innocence and wonder.

Today’s passage paints a similar picture, one of freshness, beauty, and discovery. God had just created the earth, bathing it with freshwater streams and preparing it to produce life. Finally, God shaped some dirt into a being who would bear His own likeness (Gen. 1:26; 5:1–2). He exhaled His own breath into this sculpture, filling it with life, personality, and spirit (v. 7).

God placed the newly created man in a garden and surrounded him with beautiful things to explore, create, and enjoy (v. 8–9). This human would be God’s image-bearer on the earth, imitating His creative work and tender care (v. 15).

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Small Matter of Obedience

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Luke 5:1-11

Yesterday we learned that obeying God in small matters is essential to receiving His thrilling rewards. What He asks us to do is never insignificant—though we may not always recognize the importance of saying yes to His requests. Peter couldn’t have imagined the impact a simple boat trip would have in his life. He could have said to Jesus, “I’m too tired, Teacher. Take the other boat.” Instead, his obedience opened the door for God to bless Peter with a revolutionary ministry.

As God’s children, we should ask Him what He wants us to do in daily situations—“What would You have me say?” or “What is the best decision, Lord?” We must learn to listen to our heavenly Father and be sensitive to the quiet voice prompting us throughout the day. When we keep our minds attuned to Him, we begin to understand the significance of some decisions we might otherwise barely notice. Ultimately this awareness leads to a life-style of walking with the Lord and receiving His best for us.

One thing I know for certain is this: Every time I’ve obeyed God, He’s blessed me. When I disobey, it costs me. We’re talking about a God who loves us unconditionally and who has a perfect plan. Obeying Him will never prove disappointing. Looking at 2015, can you see His wisdom in leading you to make right decisions? Hindsight is fantastic for recognizing God’s blessings.

Make 2016 a year of obedience. When we obey God, our hearts open wide to let His power pour in. Won’t you say yes to His next request?

Bible in One Year: Revelation 18-22