Tag Archives: relationship with god

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Receive Jesus into Your Daily Life

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If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]—Galatians 5:25

We ask people all the time if they have received Jesus, without ever really thinking about what that means. If we receive Him, then what do we do with Him? We certainly don’t put Him in a little box marked “Sunday morning,” go get Him out on that day, sing a few songs to Him, talk to Him a little, then put Him back in the box until the next Sunday. If we receive Him, then we have Him with us always.

It is not pleasing to God for people to leave Him out of their daily lives, while going through religious formulas to try to get what they need. Don’t just go through the motions. Either have a real relationship with God that is alive and meaningful, or face the fact that you don’t have one at all and do whatever is needed to get one.

Ask yourself these questions, and you will discover where you are spiritually:

Are you growing daily in your knowledge of God and His ways?

Do you look forward to going to church, or is it something you do out of obligation? Are you waiting for it to end so you can finally go to lunch?

Do you feel close to God?

In your life are you manifesting the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), and self-control (see Gal. 5:22–23)?

Do you have areas of your life that you have not let God into?

If you are not satisfied with your answers to these questions, throw your life entirely open to God and ask the Holy Spirit to get involved in every aspect of it. If you will do that in honesty and sincerity, He will begin to work in you in a powerful and exciting way.

Trust in Him: Are you just going through the motions, or have you fully committed your life to Christ, trusting Him with everything so that He can do a powerful work in you?

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Making Healthy Choices

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And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired—good (suitable, pleasant) for food.—Genesis 2:9

Learn to do everything you do for God’s glory, including eating. Look at your dinner plate and ask if what you are about to eat is mostly what God created for you. Don’t view eating as a secular event that has nothing to do with your relationship with God. Don’t forget that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them what they could eat. If eating had nothing to do with their walk with Him, He probably would not have mentioned food. Make good choices! Each time you choose good healthy foods, you are choosing life, which is God’s gift to you. He wants you to look great and feel great, and you can, if you keep in mind that your body is the temple of God and the fuel you put into it determines how it will operate and for how long.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Happy are the Pure in Heart

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“Blesdr_brightsed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8, KJV).

Jesus had a flashpoint against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They professed to be something they were not. Externally they did everything right, adhering meticulously to all the details of the law, yet He referred to them as being “whitewashed tombs” internally, and being “full of dead men’s bones.” Thus, obviously, the “pure in heart” did not apply to the Pharisees, according to His view of them.

In John 14:21, Jesus says, “The one who obeys Me is the one who loves Me and because he loves Me My Father will love him and I will too and I will reveal Myself to him.” That is another way of saying what He said in the verse in Matthew above. The pure in heart shall see God because He will reveal Himself to those who obey, and only the pure in heart obey.

If God seems impersonal to you, far off and unreachable, you may want to look into the mirror of your heart to see if anything there would grieve or quench the Spirit, short- circuiting His communication with you.

You may be sure of this promise of God: The pure in heart will experience the reality of His presence within.

If for some reason this is not your experience, God has made provision whereby you can have vital fellowship with Him. Breathe spiritually. Exhale by confessing yours sins, and inhale by appropriating the fullness of God’s Spirit. Begin to delight yourself in the Lord and in His Word, asking God to give you a pure heart, and you may be assured that God will become a reality to you.

Bible Reading: Psalm 18:20-26

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Because I desire to have a close personal relationship with God and to live a supernatural life, I will keep my heart pure before Him.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Seven Attributes of a Strong Church

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Charles Stanley 

How can you evaluate your church? If you need to find a new church, how can you determine which one is the right choice? There are many factors that go into selecting a new church or deciding whether to stay where you are. Some of these are merely personal preferences, such as the style of music or the appearance of the church building. But listed below are seven words that should describe every healthy church.

1. Bible-centered: A healthy church accepts Scripture as inerrant. In other words, the pastors and the congregation believe that the Bible describes events that really happened, and that it is filled with complete truth that applies to real life. You need to study the Scripture carefully for yourself because sometimes it can be difficult to discern when a teacher doesn’t believe what the Bible teaches. This is also one of many reasons to bring your own copy of the Bible to church.

2. Spiritual: The leaders should emphasize dependence on the Holy Spirit for both themselves and the congregation. The church should prioritize knowing God, seeking to trust and obey Him individually and as a body of believers. As the members grow in their ability to hear the voice of God, the body as a whole becomes stronger. Look for a church that emphasizes a personal relationship with God, which should include listening to and obeying Him.

3. Evangelistic: Every church should seek to fulfill the Great Commission. The Sunday message and the outreach efforts of the church should seek to touch the world with a clear, effective message of salvation through Jesus Christ. The church should also provide training so that new believers can grow in the faith and learn to share the gospel with others.

4. Influential: The message and ministry of the church should have an effect on the society around it. Why do I say this? Jesus told the disciples that they were salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). By that, He meant that His followers should have an influence on the world around them. Every church should have an impact on the city in which it is placed, influencing those outside its walls. The goal should be to persuade people to recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ and abide by biblical principles. It usually takes some time to determine if a church is influential, but eventually you should be able to see if impacting the culture is a priority.

5. Financially sound: The church should operate by biblical principles concerning money. Sometimes churches get into debt or misuse money. Look for a congregation that seeks to operate within its means, and one that is open about the church’s budget. When a congregation applies the principles of sound financial dealing, unnecessary monetary concerns will not hinder the work of the Lord through it.

6. Friendly: The church members should warmly welcome new people. It should be easy to find ways to grow in relationship with other members. There should be opportunities to connect in smaller settings, such as Sunday school, in-home fellowship groups, or through the church’s various ministries. Unless the congregation is willing to reach out to visitors and new members, it cannot fulfill its role in the Great Commission.

7. Growing: A healthy church will grow. In light of Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, church attendance should expand. Does that mean that if a church remains small, that it cannot be a healthy church? No, but that church should still be growing in some way. For instance, the congregants could be growing in their ability to overcome sin, to live effective lives for Christ, or to reach out. Look for a body that is actively seeking to share their faith.

Every church is to be a dynamic, life-changing force in the community where God has placed it. We gather as God’s people to worship Him. We should leave church instructed, convicted, challenged, and motivated. Does that describe your experience? If it does, you have found a strong church.

 

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – No Appointment Necessary

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And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  —Revelation 21:3

Under the old covenant, God would meet His people in the tabernacle, which is another word for tent. They set up the tabernacle, and the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This ark contained the commandments of Moses, the rod of Aaron that budded, and some manna. The priests would go into the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement and represent the people. Later the tabernacle was replaced by the temple.

God was distant and was to be approached through the High Priest. Few people had a close relationship with God under the old covenant. Abraham was called “the friend of God,” but most people didn’t know Him that way.

But that all changed because of what Jesus did through His death and resurrection. We read in Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ ”

If I could have lived at any time in history, I would have chosen the first century. I would have liked to have been here when Jesus walked this planet. Certainly I would have liked to have been one of His disciples. At the very least, I would have liked to have been one of the multitude that was clamoring to get a glimpse of Jesus. I would have liked to have heard His voice with my ears. We all would have loved to have been there for that. But we weren’t given that privilege.

One day, though, we will have it. We will be able to walk and talk with God—no appointment necessary.

 

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – You Can Trust God’s Promises

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Charles Stanley

Joshua 21:45

God always keeps His promises. This is one thing you can be sure of and the principle bulwark of your faith: If the Lord says He is going to do something, then you can stake your life on the fact that He will do it. It is crucial for you to understand this if you want to grow in an intimate relationship with God and walk in the center of His will.

Think about it: in Matthew 16, when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vv. 15–16). To this, Jesus declared, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that … upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (vv. 17–18).

Jesus did not mean that the church would be based on Peter; rather, it is founded on the truth that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and the Messiah. Jesus did, however, intend to use Peter and the others to spread the gospel.

Again, relationship was poured into the foundation of God’s work on earth—and it always will be. The Father kept His Word by sending us the Savior who would redeem us, and all the powers of hell could not prevent Him from fulfilling this all-important promise to us. Likewise, nothing can stop Him from keeping every pledge He has made to you.

Joshua 21:45 tells us, “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” This is the basis of your confidence that He will keep His promises for the future—that He will make a home for you in heaven (John 14:2–3), that you will see your believing loved ones there (1 Thess. 4:15–17), and that you will dwell in His presence forever (Rev. 22:3–5). All history testifies to the fact that God always keeps His Word. That’s why you are wise to trust Him.

 

Excerpt from In Step with God, by Dr. Charles Stanley.

 

Related Resources

Related Video

The Fulfillment of a Promise

God gives us many wonderful promises in His Word, but we often don’t live by them. This leads us to think that God won’t answer our prayers, and we doubt His desire to work in our lives. In this message, Dr. Stanley explains how God taught him to trust in His Word and shares the scriptural principles that will also allow us to do so. (Watch The Fulfillment of a Promise.)

 

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Christ’s Credentials

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You yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody. —2 Corinthians 3:2

Everybody wants to be loved, and God makes Himself known through His love. For this reason I believe it is important to God’s heart for us to focus on expressing His love in order to draw people to Jesus.

People are hungry and they are looking for something real. When people see the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us and see that it is good, they will want to find the source of this fruit—this tree of life. They will be ready to accept Jesus as the Way to form a personal, eternal relationship with God and to experience the abundant, exceptional life on earth that He came to provide.

It is an amazing thought to me that we are personal representatives of Jesus Christ and that He is making His appeal to people through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Everyone in the world is looking for genuine love, and when we let the love of God flow through us to them, we are representing Christ in best possible way.

We are to go out into the world and let the Holy Spirit flow through us to show people God’s love—His patience, kindness, goodness, and the other fruit. Let the way you live your everyday life be a tool that God can use to draw other people to Him.

Follow the more excellent way of love. Receive God’s love and let it flow in its many forms and power to others.

Love Others Today: Everywhere you go, remember that you represent Jesus to the people around you. Represent Him with love.

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Set Apart for God

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John MacArthur

“You are . . . a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Christians are a holy nation–a people set apart from sin and hell to an intimate relationship with God. Originally Israel was God’s holy nation, but by unbelief she forfeited that privilege. Now the church, which consists of both Jew and Gentile, is His unique people, and will remain so until the nation of Israel repents and receives her Messiah at His return (Zech. 12:10).

Biblical holiness (sanctification) is often misunderstood, but it needn’t be. When the Holy Spirit delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you into the kingdom of Christ, you became His special possession. That doesn’t mean you’re sinlessly perfect, but it does mean you’re no longer a slave to sin, the devil, and death. That’s positional sanctification. Practical sanctification is the decreasing frequency of sin and the increasing frequency of righteousness as you progress in your Christian walk.

Sanctification should not be confused with false standards of holiness, adopted by those who, like the Pharisees, attempt to be holy through external means; or, like the Stoics, have a passionless devotion to duty; or, like monks, isolate themselves from the world; or, like the quasi-Christian psychologists, replace sanctification with introspection, self-analysis, and improvement of one’s self- image.

True holiness begins with a love for Christ Himself. That’s what compels you toward greater sanctification. Peter said that you were “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:1-2). Christ Himself became to you “wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). In Him you were saved, which is the beginning of sanctification, and in Him you have every resource necessary for progressing in holiness.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Thank God for your positional holiness in Christ, for by it you are perfect in His sight.

Thank Him for the Spirit’s power in your life, which enables you to live in a manner pleasing to Him.

For Further Study:

What do these passages say about sanctification: Acts 15:7- 9, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 10:14, and 1 Peter 1:15-16?

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Sinning After Salvation

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Charles Stanley

1 John 2:1-2

How many times have you sinned since you received Jesus as your personal Savior? This is an impossible question to answer. The harsh reality is that every single person sins—yes, including Christians.

All transgression, before or after salvation, stems from the desire to have our needs met apart from God. Whenever we take matters into our own hands and operate outside of His will, we are headed down a sad, sinful road.

Faith in Christ brings many things—a new relationship with God, a new spirit, a new outlook on life—but it doesn’t eradicate all traces of our old life. We still have the same body and the same mind, which can lead to some of the same difficulties.

Why do we still sin after salvation? It is because old “programming” directs our thinking in certain patterns, which leads us into trouble. War has been declared in our lives, as our “flesh” struggles against the new life brought about by Christ. If we do not make a commitment to retrain our minds, we can expect a lifetime of trouble.

Scripture offers the remedy for this ongoing conflict: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). That is to say, we must intentionally fill our minds with the things of God, allowing Him to realign our thoughts.

Where are your thoughts taking you today? Are you grounding your thinking in Scripture, or does your thinking simply lead you aimlessly through life? That way leads to sin. Begin now to focus your mind on the Lord.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Loved but Lost

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Charles Stanley

John 3:15-17

Many people assume that since God is loving, He will make a place for everyone in heaven. They do not grasp the basic truths about “lost” and “saved”:

1. All people start life as “lost” beings. Since he was the first man, Adam served as representative of the human race. When he sinned against God (Gen. 3), his spirit became one of rebellion and sinfulness (Rom. 5:12). That “sin nature,” which is passed along to each generation, results in our being “lost.” Neither our deeds nor the fact of God’s love are the determining factors.

2. Mankind is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). When Adam sinned, his intimate relationship with God died. We, his descendants, are born into that state. Although we are physically alive at birth, our spirit—the only part of us that can relate to God—is dead.

3. We are eternal beings. Because we are made in God’s image, our souls are eternal. Yet Scripture tells us that those who reject Christ as Savior will perish. (John 3:16). This does not mean annihilation; rather, the “lost” will experience consciousness after physical death but will be separated eternally from God.

4. New birth is required (1 Peter 1:3). To have a relationship with our heavenly Father requires that the part of us that has been dead to God now be made alive. When we trust in Jesus, the very life of God is born in us, and we move from being spiritually dead and lost to being alive and saved.

Our heavenly Father, out of love for us, provided just what we needed—a Savior. Start spreading the truth!

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Your Place at God’s Table

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Max Lucado

Angry.  Sullen.  Accusatory.  Whiny.  Put them all together in one word and spell it b-i-t-t-e-r.  If you put them all in one person, that person’s in the pit, the dungeon of bitterness.  The dungeon calls you to enter.  You can, you know. You’ve experienced enough hurt.  You’ve been betrayed enough times. You can choose, like many, to chain yourself to your hurt.

Or you can choose, like some, to put away your hurts.  You can choose to go to the party.  You have a place there. If you’re a child of God, no one can take away your sonship. Which is precisely what the father said to his prodigal son in Luke 15. “You are always with me; all that I have is yours.”

What you have is more important than what you don’t have, and that is, your relationship with God the Father!  Your place at God’s table is permanent!

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Nagging Sense of Dissatisfaction

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Charles Stanley

Isaiah 55:1-2

Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the refrigerator, trying to find something to satisfy a vague sense of emptiness or discontent? You aren’t looking for anything specific, but you know you want to fill a longing. Whatever you choose will probably not do the trick, because the empty spot is not in your stomach but in your soul.

Whether the substance is food, career, possessions, or relationships, our souls are continually trying to find satisfaction. But nothing in this world will fill the void. Since we were created for relationship with God, He placed deep within us a yearning for Him. Though we may not recognize it as such, everyone knows the feeling of dissatisfaction that at times seeps into our souls. Any time we seek fulfillment with worldly substitutes, disappointment and disillusionment are sure to follow.

There are two possible menus from which we can choose to fill our emptiness. Satan’s menu is long and full of enticing things that seem to promise gratification

and pleasure. These could include riches, relationships, prominence, acceptance, or recognition. Whatever he offers looks like the good life that will bring content–ment, but it’s a deception. God’s menu, on the other hand, is quite small. In fact, it lists just one “item”—Jesus. He is the only one who can fill the void.

Have you found the satisfaction you seek, or is there always a vague sense of discontent in your soul? Make Jesus your highest priority, and spend focused, unhurried time with Him, He’ll satisfy you as nothing else can.

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.” Your 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.

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Our Daily Bread — No Risk

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Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. —Ephesians 2:8

A colleague recently shared an experience I don’t intend to try personally—bungee jumping. I found his description of the event both fascinating and terrifying. To think of jumping headfirst from a bridge hundreds of feet in the air suspended only by a giant rubber band is not my idea of a good time. But his leap was not without support. He described not one, but two heavy-duty harnesses that secured him to his lifeline—and to safety. The careful design and proven testing of those harnesses gave him great confidence as he jumped into the air.

As I listened, it occurred to me that for the follower of Christ, living in a sinful world is not a blind “leap of faith.” We too have a pair of protections that can secure us in even the darkest times of life. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul wrote these words, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

It’s in these twin harnesses—God’s grace and faith in the finished work of Jesus—that our relationship with God safely rests. In the strength of these provisions, salvation is not a risky leap into the void. It’s an exercise of confidence in God’s Word and His unfailing love and protection. —Bill Crowder

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed! —Newton

We can expect God’s peace when we accept God’s grace.

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Joyce Meyer – Our Responsibility—God’s Responsibility

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So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. —Matthew 6:34

Every believer has the responsibility to live right—to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life. I believe we should have a careful attitude about how we live—not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.

I’m not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. Some would say we must not wear makeup or that we must wear colorless clothing from our necks to our ankles. That is nothing more than legalistic bondage to a bunch of rules and regulations. I had a very ­legalistic relationship with God for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism. What I am saying is that we shouldn’t compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to God by our behavior.

James 4:17 says, “…any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it—even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.

We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a godly Christian. Yet still, many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don’t want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a sin against God.

As long as I’ve been in the church, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling God a liar. It is saying that God is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs.

Faith says, “God can do it.” Worry says, “God isn’t able to help me.”

When you worry, you not only call God a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.

Think of the words of the great apostle: “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13). Or think of the words from the psalmist: “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).

Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: “And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). That wasn’t a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father’s provision for Him even when He didn’t know where He would sleep or what He would eat.

Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn’t speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you ten things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you’re hindering God from working in your life.

I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn’t covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, “It was really quite simple. I am God’s servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”

The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, “God is responsible, isn’t He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in God who remains faithful and responsible at all times and in all things. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.

Lord God, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have. Amen.

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Joyce Meyer – Use Your Gifts Wisely

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Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them… —Romans 12:6

My husband, Dave, once did one of the wisest things I’ve seen. Before we entered full-time ministry he worked as an engineer. He was offered a promotion that included a pay raise and a lot of prestige. But he turned it down. At first I was angry with him. I thought he was making a big mistake. Didn’t he want to climb the corporate ladder? He explained that he had watched the other men in that position. They had to travel extensively, and they were constantly saddled with unreasonable deadlines that put them under tremendous stress. “That is not the way I want to live,” Dave said. He chose the position that allowed him to stay within his abilities and stick to his core values—commitment to God and family, and comfort with self—rather than chasing corporate power so others would look up to him. Besides, why choose a higher paycheck if you just spend it on doctor bills to relieve your stress-induced illnesses?

The most important foundations to long-term happiness are being in right relationship with God, good health, a loving home life, work that is satisfying and not overly stressful, and enough money that you don’t worry about finances.

I believe there could be much more happiness and less stress in the world if people would take the time to seek God about decisions. When you are offered a new position, ask yourself why you want it. If it’s just for prestige, don’t take it. Money is an important consideration and can make some things in life easier, but don’t take any job purely for the money if it’s going to make you less happy on a daily basis.

It is always wise to think about the long-term effect of every commitment. Don’t merely think of the benefits, but also think of the way it will change your overall life. Every privilege comes with responsibility, so make sure you are ready for both before saying “yes.”

Trust in Him: Always follow peace and make decisions based on godly wisdom. Trust God to open doors for you that are right and close ones that are wrong.

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Charles Stanley – How to Advance through Adversity

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Romans 8:16-18

When difficulties arise, how can you be sure you’re responding in a way that would please the Lord? Here is an acrostic, based on the word adversity, that suggests the steps you should take:

Accept the events of your life as part of how God equips you.

Decide to follow Jesus’ ways of responding to trials.

Veer to neither the right nor left from the path of obedience.

Expect the Holy Spirit to help you grow through your difficulties.

Remember how the Lord has helped you in the past.

Set your face like flint (Isa. 50:7) to endure the trial without wavering.

Invest additional time in your relationship with God.

Trust the Lord, especially when you do not understand.

Yearn to be made ready for the return of our Savior.

Adversity will either harden or soften us. Some people become hardhearted and resist God in times of adversity, but those who know how to respond are softened by troubles and broken. But when it is of the Lord, brokenness is a positive thing that prepares, equips, energizes, and empowers us as children of the King. We will come to know the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings and proclaim with Paul, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17 NIV).

Let us take as our position the words of James 1:2-4, which says to “consider it all joy” when we encounter trials, because such testing of our faith produces endurance and perfects us.

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Charles Stanley – Born Again

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John 3:1-8

Nicodemus was a Pharisee—a learned man of the law and member of the rabbinical council known as the Sanhedrin. People of his day would have assumed that such credentials guaranteed his spiritual well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus told him that the only way to enter the kingdom of God was to be born again.

Many people today are like Nicodemus. They’re religious. They’re moral. They compare themselves to others and, as a result, feel pretty good. They reason, Somehow, ourloving, gracious, wonderful God will make it possible for all of us to end up in heaven. Yet this is absolutely false. The Lord Jesus said, “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again”’ (John 3:7).

Our sins separate us from God. Being good cannot close the gap, because no matter how well we try to behave, all of us sin. It is our nature to be sinful, and our nature is something we cannot change.

The great self-deception has to do with thinking, I can perform well enough to be acceptable to the Lord. The only way to be acceptable to God is to be born from above, by an act of God. Then the soul and spirit are radically changed forever. When a person places trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she experiences a regeneration—a giving of divine life to the spirit. In other words, at the moment of salvation, we become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV).

You may be “performing” well by serving God, reading the Bible, giving, and praying. But has there ever been a radical change in your soul—a time when you came into a personal relationship with God? Do you have a new nature through the work of the Holy Spirit? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, you need to be born again.

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Joyce Meyer – Praise Your Way into God’s Presence

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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! —Psalm 100:4

There are ways to make ourselves available to hear God’s voice and one of them is to enter into respectful, heartfelt praise and worship. God delights to manifest His presence and power to people who are truly praising and worshipping Him. And when His presence and power come, we hear His voice, we see miracles, people are healed, lives are changed, and transformation takes place from the inside out.

Isn’t that part of what you desire in your relationship with God? When you talk to Him and listen for His voice, aren’t you praying primarily because you want some kind of change or transformation in some area of your life?

If you are asking Him to provide a new job, that’s change. If you are praying for a loved one to come to know the Lord, that’s change. If you are asking God to reveal Himself more to you and to help you grow in spiritual maturity, that’s change. If you are praying for the teenager who lives down the street to stop using drugs, that’s change. If you are asking God to help you not lose your temper so easily, that’s change.

Whatever you are praying for, one of the best ways to start is with praise and worship. They will keep your heart right before God and make a way for you to hear His voice and for change to take place.

God’s word for you today: When you need to hear God’s voice, praise and worship Him.

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Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Only Forward

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Criminals – particularly arsonists – are often caught because of single, stupid, predictable mistake: they tend to return to the scene of the crime. Investigators often comb video of spectators gathering around the police tape following a fire because there’s a good chance the person who started it will be in the crowd, having returned to view his handiwork.

Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.  Acts 3:19

A similar quirk of human nature can trip you up as you try to avoid those same old familiar sins. You return, time and again, to the same old places, same old routines, same old habits that got you in trouble to begin with. But Scripture urges you to “repent,” which doesn’t just mean saying you’re sorry. It means turning around and running the other way – as far and as quickly as you can.

What are the things in your life today that are hindering your spiritual growth, harming your relationship with God, and hurting your ability to be a voice for His truth in America? Repent and resolve to make a complete about-face today. Don’t return to the scene of the crime…it’s forgiven and forgotten by God. Move only forward with the work He has for you!

Recommended Reading: Ezekiel 18:27-32