Tag Archives: religion

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Our Life

Leave a comment

Alistair Begg

Christ who is your life.  Colossians 3:4

Paul’s marvelously rich expression indicates that Christ is the source of our life. You has He quickened who “were dead in . . . trespasses and sins.”1 The same voice that brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live; He is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought that moves every other thought. Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Christ, the living bread? “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”2 Remember, weary pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, that you will never get a morsel to satisfy your spiritual hunger unless you find it in Him!

Christ is the solace of our life. All our true joys come from Him; and in times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for but Him; and His loving-kindness is better than life! Christ is the object of our life. As the ship speeds toward the port, so hurries the believer toward the haven of his Savior’s heart. As the arrow flies to its target, so the Christian flies toward the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain and is crowned in his captain’s victory, so the believer contends for Christ and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. “For [him] to live is Christ.”3

Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where the same life is found inside, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments outside; and if we live in close fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like Him. We will set Him before us as our divine example, and we will seek to follow in His footsteps, until He shall become the crown of our life in glory. How safe, how honored, how happy is the Christian since Christ is his life!

1Ephesians 2:1

2John 6:50

3Philippians 1:21

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The day of atonement

Leave a comment

CharlesSpurgeon

“This shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.” Leviticus 16:34

Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 9:6-14

Jesus Christ “died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.” That day of atonement happened only once a year, to teach us that only once should Jesus Christ die; and that though he would come a second time, yet it would be without a sin offering unto salvation. The lambs were perpetually slaughtered; morning and evening they offered sacrifice to God, to remind the people that they always needed a sacrifice; but the day of atonement being the type of the one great propitiation, it was but once a year that the high priest entered within the veil with blood as the atonement for the sins of the people. And this was at a certain set and appointed time; it was not left to the choice of Moses, or to the convenience of Aaron, or to any other circumstance which might affect the date; it was appointed to be on a peculiar set day, as you find at the 29th verse: “In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month;” and at no other time was the day of atonement to be, to show us that God’s great day of atonement was appointed and predestined by himself. Christ’s expiation occurred but once, and then not by any chance; God had settled it from before the foundation of the world; and at that hour when God had predestined, on that very day that God had decreed that Christ should die, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers, he was dumb. It was but once a year, because the sacrifice should be once; it was at an appointed time in the year, because in the fulness of time Jesus Christ should come into the world to die for us.

For meditation: Daily and annual sacrifices of animals could never bring salvation from sin—that required only the single sacrifice of Christ on a single day (Zechariah 3:9; 12:10; 13:1; Hebrews 9:25,26; 10:11,12).

Sermon no. 95

10 August (1856)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Benevolence Without Love

1 Comment

John MacArthur

“If I give all my possessions to feed the poor . . . but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).

If you’ve ever donated to your church or another charitable organization out of obligation, peer pressure, legalism, guilt, a desire for recognition, or simply a tax deduction, you know what it means to give without love. In our society it’s easy to fall prey to that kind of giving because the needs are so great and fund raisers appeal to every conceivable motive. In addition, many cults and false religions encourage the giving up of possessions and other sacrificial gestures as a supposed means of earning God’s favor. But God is more interested in why you give than what you give.

Paul’s hypothetical illustration in 1 Corinthians 13:3 is of someone who sacrificed everything he had to feed the poor. The Greek word translated “to feed” means “to dole out in small quantities.” Apparently this guy didn’t simply write out a check for a food distribution program; he was personally involved in a long-term, systematic program that would eventually consume every resource he had.

Paul doesn’t mention motives–only that this person lacked love. Consequently, the benefits of his benevolence were limited to the physical realm. Any spiritual benefits were forfeited.

Jesus, making a similar point, said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1). If your motive for giving is to gain the approval of men, their accolades will be your only reward. If you’re motivated by love for God, He will reward you abundantly (vv. 2-4).

When you give to the Lord, what is your motive? Do you want others to think more highly of you? Do you feel obligated? Those are subtle influences, so be sure to guard your motives carefully. Remember, the only acceptable motive is love.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you sensitive to the needs of others, enabling you always to give out of genuine love.

For Further Study:

Read Luke 18:9-14.

How did the Pharisee’s prayer differ from the tax- gatherer’s?

How did God respond to each prayer?

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – True Spiritual Life

Leave a comment

dr_bright

“Only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Those born only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now I have told you how to get this true spiritual life” (John 6:63).

A businessman called to ask if he could bring one of his associates to talk to me about receiving Christ. As the three of us talked together, it became apparent that the businessman who arranged the meeting was not a Christian either. So after his friend had received Christ, I asked him if he believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

“Yes,” he said.

“Do you believe that He died for your sins?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever received Him into you life as your Savior and Lord?”

“No,” he said, “I haven’t.”

“Wouldn’t you like to do so?”

“Yes,” he said, “I would. But I have been waiting for that peculiar time when God would speak to me in a very emotional way.”

He explained that this was the way his mother had become a Christian, and he felt that this was the way he should become a Christian, too.

Once again I reviewed very simply the plan of salvation, explaining that only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life and there may or may not be an emotional experience accompanying the moment of salvation. I explained that salvation is a gift of God, which we receive by faith on the basis of His promise.

So together we prayed, and though I had explained that he should not expect any emotional experience, God graciously touched him in a very dramatic way emotionally, contrary to my own experience and that of the majority of people with whom I counsel and pray.

Bible Reading: John 6:60-65

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Realizing that no one can enter the kingdom of God apart from a spiritual birth, I will today pray for many opportunities to share the good news of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ with others.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Basket Case

Leave a comment

ppt_seal01

An investment counselor will tell you to diversify, while your grandmother will advise you not to put all your eggs in one basket. The principle is the same. How was Bernie Madoff – the New York financial advisor who swindled hundreds of investors out of billions of dollars – able to ruin so many lives? Because they entrusted him with everything. They didn’t listen to grandma’s sound advice.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand.  Ecclesiastes 11:6

Solomon adds his voice in Ecclesiastes 11:6. After sowing your seed, he says, don’t go sit on the porch and wait for results. Get busy doing something else, “for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.” Today, consider how you might diversify your finances, your service…and your prayers. Do you need greater wisdom in the way you manage money? Are there loved ones or neighbors you’ve neglected to help? Are you praying only for politicians who share your viewpoint?

Take a bold step and ask God to enlarge your horizons and expand your influence. Withhold not your hand from things you can do to make a difference!

Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 11:1-10

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Stench of Sin

Leave a comment

greglaurie

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. —Ephesians 2:1–2

Years ago I had a German Shepherd named Irlo. One night when Irlo and I were out walking, we saw a cat. Now, I believe that it’s a dog’s right to chase a cat, so I said to Irlo, “Go get it!” As I watched him take off in pursuit, I noticed the cat had suddenly stopped. I thought, That’s a pretty bold cat. But then I heard a loud pssshhh! and saw Irlo racing toward me. I looked at the cat again and realized something: It wasn’t a cat at all.

Irlo had taken a direct hit of skunk spray to the face. I started running, knowing that Irlo was headed for home. I tried to outrun him, but as we got to the door, he pushed right past me into the house. Immediately the entire place reeked of skunk.

It took a long time to get that smell out of the house.

That is what sin is like, too. It seems as though your whole world is infected with the stench of sin, with no remedy in sight. You can try to escape it, but it doesn’t work.

The Bible calls the devil “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The devil is behind all the wickedness, depravity, and violence in this world. All of the horrible things you hear about are orchestrated by or motivated by Satan himself. He wants to wreak havoc. He wants to bring as much destruction as he can.

Why does the devil want our destruction? Answer: because Jesus Christ is coming back. For the devil, that is bad. But for us, that is good. And it is an incentive for us to share our faith and live a holy life.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Ask for Help

Leave a comment

Joyce meyer

The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15

The twentieth chapter of 2 Chronicles describes a time of crisis in the life of the people of Judah. They were faced with a huge army that was out to destroy them. In verse 12, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, offered a wise prayer to God:

“O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

Often we spin our wheels trying to do something we are not capable of doing. It is much easier to just say, “I don’t know what to do, and even if I did, I couldn’t do it without Your help. Holy Spirit, help me!” If you ask for help, God will take care of the battle.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – His Mighty Power Within

Leave a comment

dr_bright

“Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you” (Ephesians 6:10).

When my saintly mother became a Christian at 16, she immediately determined to become a woman of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. She devoted her life to my father and to the rearing of seven children.

Through the years, as I have observed her attitudes and actions closely, I have never seen her do anything that reflected negatively on the Lord.

As a result, my life has been greatly affected in a positive way. There is no question in my mind that everything God has done and ever will do in and through me will be, in no small measure, a result of those unique, godly qualities of my mother, and especially of her prayers.

In today’s world, there often is considerable criticism of a woman who finds her fulfillment as a wife, mother and homemaker, as though such roles are demeaning to the woman. The popular thought is that there is something better, such as a professional career.

I would not minimize the fact that there are gifted women who should be involved in business and professional life, but in most cases this would be a secondary role compared to the privilege of being a mother, especially a godly Christian mother in whose life the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated.

What I can say about my mother, I believe my sons can say about theirs, for Vonette has demonstrated those same godly, Christlike qualities toward them as a mother – and , as a wife, toward me.

These two examples underscore a wonderful, basic truth of supernatural living: As we continue to live supernaturally, walking in the power and under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit, the personality and character of Christ become more and more a part of us.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:11-20

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: When I need special strength – whether physical or spiritual – I will claim by faith the Lord’s mighty power within me to meet the need.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C. – Elements

Leave a comment

ppt_seal01

Most people cannot name the three most abundant elements found in the Earth’s crust. Can you? You may logically guess the first one: oxygen (47 percent); but silicon (28 percent) and aluminum (eight percent) are less obvious and, unless you’re a geologist, wouldn’t even come to mind.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.  Matthew 7:7

In the Bible, Daniel, one of God’s faithful people, was in dire circumstances. He was living in a debauched era of history in a land where daily prayers became a punishable offense. With no regard for his own safety, Daniel prayed anyway. He stood with courage against those seeking to stop him. In boldness, he asked for God’s power and presence…and because of Daniel’s prayers, significant changes occurred in his nation and to its king.

What are the most common elements found in your prayer life? It’s easy to “pray lite” with a mild concern for what’s happening in your country, but if you long to see God move in America, you must go deeper. With boldness, seek the heart of Christ and the will of God. Pursue His presence with prayerful purpose and passion, and when you do, like Daniel, you will see a change…to His glory!

Recommended Reading: Daniel 9:17-23

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Prevailing Faith

1 Comment

Charles Stanley

Romans 4:18-25

Continuing yesterday’s study of faith that conquers, let’s look at other elements of this type of godly trust.

• Confession of Faith. David declared, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Sam. 17:45) and stated his trust in God’s deliverance. Whenever we face difficulties, we, too, must proclaim our faith, expressing thanks to the Lord for who He is, who we are in Christ, and what we have through His Spirit.

• Reliance on the Lord’s power. Not once did David claim he was going to defeat the enemy. Instead, he pointed out that the battle was the Lord’s; it was by the power of the Almighty that victory would be gained. In the hand of God’s servant, a simple stone was mightier than the weapons of the Philistine army.

• Assumption of Victory. Prevailing faith reckons the victory before the battle even begins. When the young shepherd looked at Goliath, he saw him as a dead man. In fact, because of David’s relationship with the Lord, he understood that all giants— whether bears, lions, or Goliaths—were the same.

How does this reckoning take place? First, we fight the “battle before the battle.” Through prayer and meditation on Scripture, we work through any uncertainties and fears. We reaffirm in our heart that this is the Lord’s battle, declare He has won the victory, and wait for His timing. When we act, we do it God’s way, with trust in His presence and provision.

For what area of your life do you need prevailing faith? Approach the throne of grace with faith to receive what you need (Heb. 4:16).

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Standoff

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 John 4:1-6

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. —1 John 4:4

When a local bookstore rearranged its shelves, I noticed an increase in the number of titles relating to sorcery and witchcraft. In fact, the religion section had become a virtual “standoff” between light and darkness. Christian titles flanked one side of the aisle, while roughly the same number of occult books lined the other side.

Sometimes we may think of God and Satan in the same way I thought of the books in that bookstore. We see them as opposing but equal forces with the same unlimited power. However, God is God and Satan is not. God is stronger than any force of darkness. He does what He pleases (Ps. 135:6), while Satan’s power is limited to what God allows. When Satan supposed that misfortune would make Job curse God, God told Satan, “Behold, all that [Job] has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 1:12). Satan had to play by God’s rules.

Because God is in charge over everything, as Christ’s followers we don’t need to be paralyzed by fear of Satan’s power over our lives or the lives of the believers around us. He tempts us and tries to influence us, but the Bible assures us, “He who is in [us] is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all! —Perronet

The powers of evil around you are no match for the power of Jesus within you.

Bible in a year: Psalms 70-71; Romans 8:22-39

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Answer to Prayer

Leave a comment

Ravi Z

Just type the word “prayer” into an internet search engine as I did the other day and you’ll find almost 100 million different articles, sites, books, and periodicals on prayer! Discussions about prayer are as ubiquitous as the praying football player in the end zone after a touchdown. Every major world religion has some form of prayer, and Christians are exhorted to pray “without ceasing” in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

And yet if we’re honest, prayer is often a source of confusion and deep mystery. Confusion comes not only with questions concerning what to pray and how to pray unceasingly, but also with wondering whether or not prayers make a difference or are being heard at all. Phillip Yancey’s book Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? attempts to address many of these questions about prayer. Why does God seem silent so much of the time to our prayers? Why does God seem to answer prayers for some and not for others? And when we receive one after another ‘no’ responses to our prayers, how are we to understand both its efficacy, and the God who loves us?(1)

If these questions aren’t difficult enough, Jesus’s own bold statements about prayer make us all the more confused.  After all, wasn’t it Jesus who proclaimed, “I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, it shall be opened.” Likewise, Jesus promises that like our earthly fathers, God longs to give us what is good in response to the asking, seeking, and knocking of prayer.(2)

Luke’s gospel narrative makes explicit what Matthew’s gospel keeps implicit about God’s gift given in response to prayer. Jesus tells his disciples, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:11-13). According to Jesus, the goal of all prayer is the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and in the world. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate “good gift” that God gives in response to our asking, seeking, and knocking.

So, too, prayer is about relationship with God. The more a relationship grows and develops, the more one wants of it.   Hence, God promises to give us more of the Holy Spirit-in and through all the circumstances of life-as the deep answer and the good gift in response to prayer.

The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as the “comforter,” and the one who comes alongside. This is the same Spirit the apostle Paul suggests “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words,” and “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”(3) Therefore, when difficulties come, when our prayers seemingly go unanswered, there is the assurance that we are not alone. God longs to come near to us and to come alongside us with the comforting presence of God’s Spirit.

M. Craig Barnes former pastor of the National Presbyterian Church adds:

“Sometimes life gets overwhelming, and we realize we could use a little help. So we pray for our health to get better, for our marriage to work out, for success in our work that has taken a turn for the worse. There is nothing wrong in praying for these things, but they are not what our salvation is about. Don’t expect Jesus to save us by teaching us to depend on the things we are afraid of losing! He loves us too much to let our health, marriage, or work become the savior of our lives. He will abandon every crusade that searches for salvation from anything or anyone other than God. So he delays, he watches as we race down dead-end streets, he lets our mission du jour crash and burn. To receive Jesus as Savior means recognizing him as our only help. Not our only help for getting what we want. But our only true help.”(2)

 

In God’s promise to be present with us through the power of the Holy Spirit, God suggests that God’s presence with us is the deepest answer to prayer. It is God’s “yes” even if God answers our specific requests with “no.” Ultimately, God desires to bring comfort, not from dependence on the things of this world, but in God’s presence with us and alongside us through the Spirit.

Through the power and presence of the Spirit, God longs to be the very answer to our prayers. Ask, and the Holy Spirit will be given to you. Seek, and you will find the Holy Spirit with you. Knock, and the door of God’s kingdom will be opened to you. For how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington.

(1) Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

(2) Matthew 7:7-11.

(3) See John 14:16, 26; Romans 8:26b-27.

(4) M. Craig Barnes, When God Interrupts (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 124-125.

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Know Your Enemies

Leave a comment

Alistair Begg

Watchman, what time of the night? Isaiah 21:11

What enemies are around? Errors abound, and new ones appear every hour: Against what heresy am I to be on my guard? Sins creep from their lurking places when the darkness reigns; I need to climb the watchtower and give myself to prayer. Our heavenly Protector anticipated all the attacks that are about to be made upon us, and when the evil designed for us is still in the desire of Satan, He prays for us that our faith will not fail when we are sifted as wheat. Continue then, gracious Watchman, to warn us of our foes, and for Zion’s sake do not remain silent.

“Watchman, what time of the night?” What weather is coming for the Church? Are the clouds rolling in, or is it all clear and fair overhead? We must care for the Church of God with sincere and thoughtful love; and now that empty religion and irreligion both threaten, let us observe the signs of the times and prepare for conflict.

“Watchman, what time of the night?” What stars are visible? What precious promises are relevant to our circumstances? You sound the alarm and also give us the consolation. Christ, like the North Star, is always fixed in His place, and all the stars are secure in the right hand of their Lord.

But, watchman, when comes the morning? The Bridegroom delays. Are there no signs of His appearing as the Sun of Righteousness? Hasn’t the morning star arisen as the pledge of day? When will the day dawn and the shadows flee away? O Jesus, if You don’t come in person to Your waiting Church today, still come in Spirit to my sighing heart, and make it sing for joy.

Now all the earth is bright and glad

With the fresh morn;

But all my heart is cold, and dark and sad:

Sun of the soul, let me behold Thy dawn!

Come, Jesus, Lord,

O quickly come, according to Thy word.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Vessels of mercy—a sermon of self-examination

Leave a comment

CharlesSpurgeon

“And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” Romans 9:23,24

Suggested Further Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-6

Like every potter he first of all makes the outlines in the clay. You may have seen a man at work executing designs in glass. Perhaps at the very first moment you may form a rough guess of what the whole thing is to be, though the ornament and elaboration which constitute the main part of the beauty you cannot yet discover. Certain it is, that the moment a man begins to be prepared for heaven by the grace of God in his soul, you may see the outlines of what he is to be, although it is but the bare outlines. Shall I tell you what those outlines are? There is first of all in him—faith in Christ; a simple, child-like trust in him that did hang upon the tree. There is next in him another mark of the potter’s hand—that is love to Christ—a love that is strong as death, though sometimes it seems to be feeble as a worm. There is in him also a hope that makes not ashamed, and a joy which makes glad his countenance. It is but the bare outline, as I have said, for the glory which excels is not there. The vase is only in its embryo, but yet sufficiently developed to give prophecy of its finished form; as for the pictures that shall be inlaid, as for all the many colours that shall be used on it, you cannot guess as yet, nor could you, unless you could climb to the potter’s seat and see the plan upon which he looks as the clay revolves upon the wheel. Dear brothers and sisters, have you anything in you as yet of the great outlines? Can you say in truth, “I believe on the Lord Jesus?” Fear not then, my hearer, you are a vessel of mercy.

For meditation: We have no right to talk rebelliously against our Maker (Isaiah 45:9), but the Christian has the right to pray to “Our Father and Potter in Heaven” (Isaiah 64:8).

Sermon no. 327

6 August (Preached 5 August 1860)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Prophecy Without Love

2 Comments

John MacArthur

“If I have the gift of prophecy . . . but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).

The word prophecy as used in 1 Corinthians 13:2 is the ability to publicly proclaim God’s truth accurately and authoritatively. It’s a greater gift than tongues because tongues were given as a sign to unbelieving Israel in the first century (1 Cor. 14:21-22), whereas prophecy instructs and edifies believers throughout the centuries. Paul said, “one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation [and] edifies the church (1 Cor. 14:3-4).

Prophecy has two aspects: revelation and reiteration. When an Old or New Testament prophet received new information directly from God, that was revelation. Whenever that information was repeated through preaching or teaching, it was reiteration. For example, the sermons of Peter and Paul combine new revelation with a reiteration of Old Testament truth. That’s a common element in New Testament preaching.

With the close of the New Testament canon, direct revelation from God ceased. All preaching and teaching today is reiteration. New Testament prophets policed one another to ensure that every prophecy was truly from God (1 Cor. 14:32). Today, Scripture itself is the standard by which we test someone’s message. As the prophet Isaiah said, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no [light]” (Isa. 8:20).

Paul is saying 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I have the ability to speak direct revelation from God, or to reiterate divine truth forcefully and dramatically, but lack love, my ministry is meaningless.” In its broadest sense, that principle applies to every believer because we all are proclaimers of God’s Word. You might not teach a class or preach a sermon, but whenever you tell someone about Christ or share a biblical principle, you’re reiterating divine truth. That’s why you must always speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Then the Holy Spirit can empower your words to minister to others.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask God to help you guard your words so that everything you say will be clothed in His love.

For Further Study:

Read Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20-22.

What tests did Moses give for determining false prophets?

What punishment did false prophets receive?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Live with Purpose

Leave a comment

Joyce meyer

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose]. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Life without purpose is vanity. Webster’s definition of purpose is “something set up as an object or end to be attained.” Christians ought to be people with purpose. We are all purposed to seek the kingdom of God, which is His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (See Romans 14:17).

Today is an opportunity to willfully and deliberately seek God with the intent to know Him better than we knew Him yesterday. Today we can deliberately move forward with the intent to accomplish good things for the kingdom.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Break Time

Leave a comment

ppt_seal01

Fitness gurus know you don’t build muscles by lifting weights alone. Heavy workouts actually tear down muscle. The strength comes through rest. A period of inactivity is necessary to allow muscles to rebuild – and become stronger than before.

In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.  Exodus 34:21

God, the Creator of the all things including the human body, was well aware of the benefits of taking a break. Rest isn’t just beneficial; it’s vital. When God gave the commandment to rest, He knew what was best. A respite is not only good for muscles, it helps you lose weight, stay focused, improve memory, increase creativity and even live longer. Your Heavenly Father knew busyness would abound and, therefore, the tendency to skip a day off would surface. So He specifically pointed out, even during the busiest times (plowing and harvest during biblical times), you need to rest.

At least once each week, make time for break time. Stop and observe God’s beautiful creation. List His attributes. But most of all, be still and know that He is God and will be “exalted among the nations.” (Psalm 46:10) Pray today for Christians across the nation – as well as your nation’s leaders – to regularly rest and reflect on the one true God and exalt Him only.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 46

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Power in United Prayer

Leave a comment

greglaurie

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” —Matthew 18:19–20

Did you know there is power in united prayer? It is good to pray with other people. Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). This doesn’t mean that if people get together and pray for something ridiculous, they are going to get it. Rather, it is two people being led by the Spirit, with the same God-given burden, praying for something. There is power as we pray together.

That is why, when a Harvest Crusade is approaching, we encourage people to begin thinking of someone they could be praying for by name. At HarvestAmerica.com we have a Prayer Cloud where people can enter the names of those whom they want to see come to Christ. When they enter the names of people they are praying for, others will pray for those people as well. We do this because we recognize there is power in united prayer. So we pray together for things.

One of the things we should be praying for is that God would send revival to our nation. Will a revival come to the United States? No one can say with certainty. I hope it will. God gives the prescription for the healing of a nation in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where He says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” That is what we want: for God to heal our land and turn our nation back toward Him.

Prevailing prayer, prayer that matters, and prayer that gets results is prayer that is lifted up together

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Such a Friend

Leave a comment

Max Lucado

In Proverbs 18:24 we read, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” David found such a friend in the son of Saul.

Oh to have a friend like Jonathan. A soul mate who protects you, who seeks nothing but your interests, wants nothing but your happiness. An ally who lets you be you. No need to weigh thoughts or measure words. God gave David such a friend.

And God gave you one as well. David found a companion in a prince of Israel; you can find a friend in the King of Israel, Jesus Christ. He has made a covenant with you. Among His final words were these, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus also said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from Me!”

Do you long for one true friend? You have One!

from Facing Your Giants