Tag Archives: religion

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Why Does It Matter?

Leave a comment

I recently ran across three stories—and three individuals—in Mark 5 that surprised me.  Mark first introduces us to a demon-possessed man, who upon seeing Jesus on the shore at a distance, immediately runs to him and falls upon his knees before him.  Jesus heals him, sends him home to his family, and then gets back into a boat with his disciples.

Next Mark tells us, “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake…one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there.  Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying.  Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’”  And how does Jesus respond to this man?  Mark says simply, “So Jesus went with him.”

However, before Jesus can get to Jairus’s house, a large crowd presses upon him, including another desperate person seeking his help—this time a woman bleeding for twelve years.  Writes Mark, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’  Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.  At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him.  He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’”

Jesus’s question prompts his disciples to ask with urgency and impatience, “You see the people crowding against you…and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”  Do you hear what they communicate?  “Jesus, we are trying to get to the home of this powerful synagogue ruler before its too late and his child dies, and you stop to ask who touched you in this throng of people?  What does it matter?  Why do you care?”  But Jesus kept looking around, Mark observes, to see who had done it.  “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.”

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Why Does It Matter? →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Freedom to Be Ourselves

Leave a comment

 

Adapted from the resource The Confident Woman Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. —Psalm 42:5

Ask 21st—century women, “How do you feel about yourself?” and many will confess, “I hate myself.” Or perhaps their opinion of themselves is not that severe, but they will admit they really don’t like themselves.

Our world has created a false, unrealistic image of what women are supposed to look like and act like. But the truth is that every woman was not created by God to be skinny, with a flawless complexion and long flowing hair. Not every woman was intended to juggle a career as well as all of the other duties of being a wife, mother, citizen, and daughter.

Single women should not be made to feel they are missing something because they are not married. Married women should not be made to feel they must have a career to be complete. We must have the freedom to be our individual selves.

Many women hate themselves and have no self-confidence because they have been abused, rejected, abandoned, or in some way damaged emotionally. Women need to experience a revival of knowing their infinite worth and value.

Prayer Starter: Lord, You know exactly how I feel about myself. You know how deeply I’ve been influenced by the messages of our culture and how confusing it is. Help me to discover the truth of my worth and value in Your eyes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – See God’s Glory

Leave a comment

 

“Jesus saith unto her, ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?'” (John 11:40, KJV).

How wonderful to behold the glory of God! And in varying degrees you and I have the capability and opportunity of doing that very thing!

Jesus here, of course, is talking to Martha about her brother Lazarus, whom He was just about to raise form the dead. The message is plain: “Because you believed, Martha, you will see the glory of God in the raising of Lazarus.”

Because you and I dare to believe God today, against all evidence and appearances to the contrary, He will let us see something of His glory. Just what is meant by that?

Most scholars agree that the glory of God in this context at least, refers to the power and goodness displayed in the resurrection. That holds endless possibilities of fulfillment.

Amazing, isn’t it, that the simple matter of believing often is so difficult for the believer, as we are called? “Ye receive not, because ye ask not.” “According to your faith be it unto you.” “Ye receive not because ye ask amiss.”

May our Lord increase our faith by driving us into His Word, since “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by His Word.”

Bible Reading:John 11:35-44

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I truly desire to experience the glory of God in my life. To this end I will, through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, live a life of faith and obedience.

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – What is the Role of the Holy Spirit?

Leave a comment

 

Listen to Today’s Devotion

If I were to ask you to describe your heavenly Father, you’d give me a response.  If I were to ask you to tell me what Jesus did for you, you’d likely give a cogent answer.  But if I were to ask about the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. . .?  Eyes would duck.  Throats would be cleared.

John 14:17 says, “The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him.  But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you.”

What does the Spirit do?  Scripture says He comforts the saved.  He convicts the lost.  He conveys the truth.  Have you ever been convicted?  Ever sensed a stab of sorrow for your actions?  Ever understood a new truth?  Then you’ve been touched by the Holy Spirit. What do you know?  He’s been working in your life already.

Read more A Gentle Thunder

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Uncategorized

Denison Forum – My response to Hurricane Michael’s devastation

Leave a comment

I had planned to lead today’s Daily Article with good news in the news. There has been so much unrest and chaos in recent headlines that it seemed appropriate to find something uplifting to report.

Then Hurricane Michael strengthened into the strongest hurricane ever to strike the Florida Panhandle. It was nearly a Category 5 storm when it slammed into the coastline, with hurricane impacts as it continued into Georgia. As measured by barometric pressure, it is the third-strongest storm ever to strike the United States. The National Weather Service has called it “a catastrophic and unprecedented event.”

And so, once again we find ourselves struggling to find God at work in our fallen world. We know the facts: This world is broken because of sin (Romans 8:22), not because of any failure on God’s part. There were no hurricanes in the Garden of Eden. One day our Lord will make a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

But why does he allow such devastation in our present world? It would be different if Jesus had not calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee or performed other physical miracles. Then we would be forced to live with the fact that our planet is simply broken and will not be fixed until its Creator returns.

However, our Lord retains sovereign control over his creation, so that not even a sparrow “will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29). All he could ever do, he can still do.

Why, then, are the people in Florida and the Southeast facing this disaster? Why are you facing your storms and suffering today?

Why did Jesus raise so few?

Max Lucado makes this surprising observation: “Jesus healed hundreds, fed thousands, but so far as we know He only raised three: the daughter of Jairus, the boy near Nain, and Lazarus. Why so few?”

Continue reading Denison Forum – My response to Hurricane Michael’s devastation →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Path of Compromise

Leave a comment

 

1 Kings 11:1-13

Bible stories aren’t just interesting accounts of ancient people and events; they contain critical principles that apply to us all. For example, King Solomon’s life helps us see the progression of compromise and its disastrous results. Solomon began his kingship with devotion to God and righteous priorities (1 Kings 3:5-9). So what happened to change his desires and direction?

“King Solomon loved many foreign women” (1 Kings 11:1). Although this was an accepted practice for kings of that era, God had instructed His people not to intermarry with other nations (1 Kings 11:2) and had specifically prohibited Israel’s kings from taking multiple wives (Deut. 17:17).

“His wives turned his heart away after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4). Instead of holding fast to the Lord in love and devotion, Solomon let his wives lead him toward foreign deities.

“Solomon went after [their gods]” (1 Kings 11:5). At first he merely allowed his wives to worship their gods, but soon he was joining them in idolatry.

“The Lord said to Solomon, … ‘I will surely tear the kingdom from you’” (1 Kings 11:11). Because the king ignored reproof and continued to disobey, Israel experienced a civil war that divided the nation.

Compromise begins when we ignore God’s instructions and follow the world’s practices. Then we start loving people, activities, or things more than we love God and soon find ourselves pursuing what He has forbidden. If we don’t heed His discipline, we’re in danger of losing what He intended for our lives. But if we refuse to compromise, we’ll remain devoted to Him.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 22-24

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Singing to the Firing Squad

Leave a comment

 

Read: Mark 14:16–26 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34–36; Colossians 2

I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116:10

Two men convicted of drug trafficking had been on death row for a decade. While in prison, they learned of God’s love for them in Jesus, and their lives were transformed. When it came time for them to face the firing squad, they faced their executioners reciting the Lord’s Prayer and singing “Amazing Grace.” Because of their faith in God, through the power of the Spirit they were able to face death with incredible courage.

They followed the example of faith set by their Savior, Jesus. When Jesus knew that His death was imminent, He spent part of the evening singing with friends. It’s remarkable that He could sing under such circumstances, but what’s even more remarkable is what He sang. On that night, Jesus and His friends had a Passover meal, which always ends with a series of Psalms known as the Hallel, Psalms 113–118. Facing death, that night Jesus sang about the “cords of death” entangling Him (Psalm 116:3). Yet He praised God’s faithful love (117:2) and thanked Him for salvation (118:14). Surely these Psalms comforted Jesus on the night before His crucifixion.

Jesus’s trust in God was so great that even as He approached His own death—a death He had done nothing to deserve!—He chose to sing of God’s love. Because of Jesus, we too can have confidence that whatever we face, God is with us.

God, strengthen our faith in You so that when we face trials, or even approach death, we can sing with confidence about Your love.

How sweet is the sound of God’s amazing grace!

By Amy Peterson

INSIGHT

It has been said that our songs are essentially our sung prayers. After having been severely beaten and unjustly arrested, Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God” in prison! (Acts 16:25). In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church he exhorts them to “[sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and [make] music to the Lord in your hearts” (Ephesians 5:19 nlt).

Are you going through a difficult time? Ask God to encourage you as you sing your favorite hymn or song.

  1. T. Sim

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Father Who Runs

Leave a comment

The massive Rembrandt measures over eight and a half feet tall and six and a half feet wide, compelling viewers with a larger than life scene. “The Return of the Prodigal Son” hangs on the walls of the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum depicting Christian mercy, according to one curator, as if it were Rembrandt’s last “spiritual testament to the world.” Fittingly, it is one of the last paintings the artist ever completed and remains one of his most loved works.

The painting portrays the reunion of the wayward son and the waiting father as told in the Gospel of Luke. The elderly father is shown leaning in an embrace of his kneeling son in ragged shoes and torn clothes. With his back toward us, the son faces the father, his head bowed in regret. Clearly, it is the father Rembrandt wants us most to see. The aged man reaches out with both hands, his eyes on the son, his entire body inclining toward him.

It is understandable that viewers have spent hours looking at this solemn reflection of mercy and homecoming. The artist slows unstill minds to a scene where the parable’s characters are powerfully still. The kneeling son leans silently toward the father; the father calmly and tenderly leans toward the son. All is at rest. But in fact, this is far from the scene Jesus portrays in the parable itself.

The parable of the prodigal son is a long way from restful, and the father within it is anything but solemn and docile in his embrace of the wayward son. In the story Jesus tells, while the son was “still a long way off,” the father saw him and “was filled with compassion for him” (Luke 15:20). This father was literally moved by his compassion. The Greek word conveys an inward movement of concern and mercy, but this man was also clearly moved outwardly. The text is full of dramatic action. The father runs to the son, embraces him (literally, “falls upon his neck”), and kisses him. Unlike the depiction of Rembrandt, Jesus describes a scene far more abrupt and shocking. It is not the son who we find kneeling in this picture, but the father. The characters are not at rest but in radical motion. The father who runs to his wayward son runs without any assurance of repentance; he runs without any promise that the son is even home to stay.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Father Who Runs →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – t’s Your Time

Leave a comment

 

Adapted from the resource The Confident Woman Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” —Matthew 14:30

The boat of my past that I needed to step out of was the childhood sexual abuse I suffered. I felt as though my dad stole my childhood, and I was so mistreated. I was bitter about the people who should have helped me and didn’t, and then there were the “could haves” and “would haves” and “wish I had.”

In my 30s, I was still taking it out on everybody who had anything to do with it. I didn’t trust men and had a chip on my shoulder. I was miserable, but I sat in the boat.

I remember how afraid I was when God told me that I was going to have to confront my dad about the sexual abuse of my childhood, because I was petrified of my father. The fear was rooted so deeply in me, even after I had been away from it for years. Whenever I would be around him or anyone who had a personality like his, I would feel the knot of fear come up in my gut.

Finally, God got in my face and said, “Look, you can be pitiful or you can be powerful.” Jesus was walking by my boat, and it was time to walk on water.

Prayer Starter: Lord, thank You that You won’t let me sink when I step out in obedience and deal with issues in my life. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Will Be Different

Leave a comment

 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).

A prominent businessman, elder in a prestigious church, was impatient with “narrow-minded, born-again Christians.” “I am a Christian,” he said, “but I have never been born again, and frankly I’m not interested. We emphasize more important issues in my church.”

When I read the third chapter of John with him and explained that there is only one kind of biblical Christian, the one who is “born-again,” and that no other kind of “Christian” can enter into the kingdom of God according to the words of Jesus, the light suddenly went on. With this new insight he readily received Christ as his Savior and Lord.

A caterpillar is an ugly, hairy, earthbound worm – until it weaves a cocoon about its body. Then an amazing transformation takes place. Out of that cocoon emerges a beautiful butterfly – a new creature, able to live on another plane, to soar in to the heavens. So it is with man.

John 3 records Jesus’ explanation of how one becomes a new creature. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who tried to adhere meticulously to every detail of the law, had come to Jesus for counsel.

“‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:2,3, NAS).

Puzzled, Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (John 3:4, NAS). Then Jesus explained that physical birth alone does not qualify anyone to enter the kingdom of God. Since His is a spiritual kingdom, we must experience spiritual birth.

Bible Reading:Romans 6:4-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will read John’s gospel, chapter three, meditating especially on the first eight verses, and will consider again my relationship with the Lord. If I should die today, I want to be sure I would go to heaven, and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit I want to begin living the supernatural life.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Why Did Jesus Raise Only a Few?

Leave a comment

 

Listen to Today’s Devotion

I’ve often thought it curious how few people Jesus raised from the dead.  He healed hundreds, fed thousands, but as far as we know He only raised three:  the daughter of Jairus, the boy near Nain, and Lazarus.  Why so few?

Could it be because He knew He’d be doing them no favors?

Could it be because He couldn’t get any volunteers?

Could it be that once someone is there, the last place they want to return to is here?

Isaiah said: “The good men perish; the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why.  No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from the evil days ahead.  For the godly who die will rest in peace.” Isaiah 57:1-2

What a thought. Could death be God’s grace? God’s protection from the future?  Trust in God, Jesus urges, and trust in Me!

From A Gentle Thunder

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Why did Nikki Haley resign as UN Ambassador?

Leave a comment

The big news this morning is Nikki Haley’s decision to resign as US Ambassador to the United Nations. She reportedly suggested the idea to President Trump six months ago and plans to make her resignation effective at the end of the year.

Why is she leaving a position of such influence?

“It’s been eight years of intense time”

The president was effusive in his praise: “She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together. We’ve solved a lot of problems and we’re in the process of solving a lot of problems.”

However, skeptics immediately began speculating about the “real reasons” for Ambassador Haley’s decision. While some have pointed to the possibility that she might run for president in 2020, she stated clearly: “I can promise you what I’ll be doing is campaigning for this one [pointing to President Trump].”

Others are suggesting that her role has become limited since John Bolton took over as national security adviser. Critics have questioned her use of private airplanes last year. And some wonder if financial considerations were a factor since she has one child in college and another headed there soon.

Ambassador Haley’s explanation is simple: “It’s been eight years of intense time,” referring to her tenure as governor of South Carolina prior to joining the administration. She wants the president to have “the strongest person to fight” and believes “it’s good to rotate in other people who can put that same energy and power into it.”

It’s worth noting that her two-year tenure is exactly the average for a UN ambassador: Since the position was created in 1946, there have been thirty-six people to hold the office.

Hurricane Michael and political storms

In other news, Hurricane Michael is expected to make landfall over the Florida Panhandle later today. Forecasters predict “a dangerous storm surge, flooding rainfall and damaging winds.” Total damage and economic impact in the US could approach $15 billion.

In this day of heightened political tensions, we should not be surprised that the approaching storm is sparking political storms as well. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is running for the US Senate, may see his favorability ratings rise as he responds to the natural disaster. Skeptics are already claiming that his hands-on response to the pending tragedy is politically motivated.

In addition, the Democratic nominee for governor pulled his TV spots from media markets set to be impacted by the storm, while his Republican opponent did not. Now both sides are accusing the other of using the storm for political purposes.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”

Why are we so quick to ascribe political motives to political leaders? One reason is that we’re so often right when we do.

Lord Acton, a prominent British historian, famously remarked: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority. . . . There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did Nikki Haley resign as UN Ambassador? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Death of Self

Leave a comment

 

Matthew 16:24-26

Jesus Christ was obedient to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). While some Christians may be called upon to give up their life for the glory of God, most believers won’t face martyrdom. The death required of us, however, is no less real. We die to self.

Human beings are an independent lot. We want things our way, in our time, and on our terms. But Jesus said that anyone who wants to be His follower must deny him- or herself (Matt. 16:24).  Of course, that covers obvious issues like sinful habits and evil thoughts. But it also means that in some instances we must decline good things because they come at the wrong time or don’t fit God’s plan.

To an outside observer, the Christian’s commitment to obey must seem strange, especially when hands emptied by self-denial take up a cross instead (v. 24). Sometimes following the Lord involves suffering. What bystanders can’t see or experience is the deep satisfaction believers gain from doing what is right. Jesus once said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). As food is to the body, so obedience is to the soul and spirit. Working for God nourishes, energizes, strengthens, and enlightens—bringing us even more satisfaction than do those things we typically think of as pleasures.

Even when self-denial hurts, obeying God brings joy. Believers who prioritize submission to Him will know what I mean. Contentment is found in drawing close to the Lord, sensing His approval, and looking forward to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21 NIV).

Bible in One Year: Matthew 19-21

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Much More Than Words

Leave a comment

 

Read: Romans 8:22–30 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32–33; Colossians 1

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Romans 8:26

At a dedication ceremony during which a Bible translated into a local African language was presented, the area chief was presented with his own copy. In appreciation, he lifted the Bible to the skies and exclaimed, “Now we know God understands our language! We can read the Bible in our own native mother-tongue.”

No matter our language, our heavenly Father understands it. But often we feel unable to express our deepest longings to Him. The apostle Paul encourages us to pray regardless of how we feel. Paul speaks of our suffering world and our own pain: “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22), and he compares that to the Holy Spirit’s work on our behalf. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness,” he writes. “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (v. 26).

God’s Holy Spirit knows us intimately. He knows our longings, our heart-language, and our unspoken words, and He helps us in our communication with God. His Spirit draws us to be transformed into the image of God the Son (v. 29).

Our heavenly Father understands our language and speaks to us through His Word. When we think our prayers are weak or too short, His Holy Spirit helps us by speaking through us to the Father. He yearns for us to talk with Him in prayer.

Thank You, Lord, for understanding my language and innermost longings. When my prayers are weak and dry, bear me up through Your Spirit.

When we feel weak in our prayers, God’s Spirit helps us in ways we can’t imagine.

By Lawrence Darmani

INSIGHT

Our inability to know what to ask for when we pray is part of a bigger story. According to Paul’s letter to the Romans, there’s a lot more we can’t do for ourselves. We also can’t avoid the consequences of our own choices, change our own hearts, make ourselves right with God, or even live up to our own expectations (Romans 4:5; 6:23; 7:18–21). Yet Paul doesn’t leave us helpless and hopeless. He begins and ends chapter 8 showing us how to rise on wings of wonder. Could anything lift us higher than to know that we also can’t do anything that would cause the God who is for us to stop helping and loving us? (vv. 11, 31–39).

Mart DeHaan

 

http://www.odb.org

Uncategorized

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – On Authority, Power, and Influence

Leave a comment

What images come to mind in association with the word “authority”?  Typically, I think of government leaders or persons who hold positions of power.  Reading the world headlines, I often hear tales of brutality, betrayal, and oppression by those in “authority.”  There seems to be no end of warlords and despots, brutal dictatorships, and tyrants siphoning the resources of nations to hoard it for their own malevolent use.  These negative images of authority fill those who read about them or who suffer under them with feelings of mistrust and contempt.

The corruption of those in authority seems endemic to those who are entrusted with leadership.  Over one hundred years ago, Lord Acton warned: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men.”(1)  While Lord Acton’s sentiment appears thoroughly pessimistic, the requisite power that comes from being put in a position of authority often tempts the one who leads to use power for selfish gain, often in ways that promote harm, disorder, and injustice.  Given the abuse of authority that seems too often on display, it is no wonder that many feel a wary skepticism towards authority figures and institutions of power.

The attribution of authority applied to Jesus’s teaching ministry might make those who struggle with a more jaded view of authority pay attention; for even someone not familiar with the intricacies of Christian belief or theology would be reticent to compare the authority of Jesus with the way in which authority is often demonstrated in our world today.  Jesus never held political office nor did he have a high-ranking leadership position in the temple or synagogues of his day.  He would ultimately be crucified by those in authority over him.

Instead, authority is attributed to Jesus at the end of a sermon he preached.  The multitudes listening to that sermon “were amazed at his teaching; for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”(2) What was it about Jesus that caused such amazement, and that made his teaching authoritative?

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – On Authority, Power, and Influence →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Gods Approval

1 Comment

 

Adapted from the resource The Confident Woman Devotional – by Joyce Meyer

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
—Galatians 1:10

There is an epidemic of insecurity in our society today. Many people are insecure and feel bad about themselves, which steals their joy and causes major problems in all their relationships.

I know the effect insecurity can have on lives because I experienced it myself. Those who have been hurt badly through abuse or severe rejection, as I have, often seek the approval of others to try to overcome their feelings of rejection and low self-esteem.

They suffer from those feelings and use the addiction of approval to try to remove the pain. They are miserable if anyone seems to not approve of them in any way or for any reason, and they are anxious about the disapproval until they feel they are once again accepted. They may do almost anything to gain the approval they feel they have lost—even things their conscience tells them are wrong.

For example, if a person is met with disapproval when she declines an invitation, she might change her plans and accept the invitation just to gain approval. She compromises herself for the sake of feeling approved.

Prayer Starter: Lord, it’s true that You are the only one whom I need to please. Today, help me to not compromise myself or be a slave to pleasing others, no matter what I feel. I seek Your favor alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Has Not Deserted Me

Leave a comment

 

“And He who sent Me is with Me – He has not deserted Me – for I always do those things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29).

If we have a conscience free of offense, and if we have evidence that we please God, it matters little if men oppose us or what others may think of us. “Enoch, before his translation, had this testimony – that he pleased God.”

It would not be fair for you or me to profess ignorance in this matter of pleasing God. If we had never known before, we know now that it comes from doing always those things He commands – which of course are the things that please Him.

Jesus is saying here, among other things, that God is with Him in the working of miracles. Though men had forsaken and rejected Him, yet God stayed by Him and worked in and through Him.

In the same way, God has made it possible for us to please Him by giving us His Holy Spirit to indwell, enable and empower us for service. With the available enablement, we are without excuse in the matter of doing the “greater things” He has promised for those who love and serve Him.

What better goal for today, tomorrow and all our coming days than to seek to please Him?

Bible Reading:John 8:25-28

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: So that Christ might be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death, I will seek to do only those things today which please Him.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Standing On God’s Promises

Leave a comment

 

Listen to Today’s Devotion

The promises of God work.  They work!  Search until you find covenants that address your needs.  Clutch them as the precious pearls they are.  And when the enemy comes with his lies of doubt and fear, produce the pearl.  Satan will be quickly silenced.  He has no reply for truth.

Russell Kelso Carter committed himself to believe the promises of God in the Bible.  His decision to trust God in the midst of great difficulty gave birth to a hymn that’s still sung today.  My favorite stanza says:

“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

by the living Word of God I shall prevail,

standing on the promises of God!”

Will you do the same?  Build your life on the promises of God.  Because God’s promises are unbreakable your hope will be unshakable!

Read more Unshakable Hope

 

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Home

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – What Amazon’s empire says about your soul

Leave a comment

I haven’t seen this much cardboard since our family moved to Dallas twenty years ago. Like millions of Americans, our home is the regular destination of brown boxes adorned with smiling logos. What was once a simple online bookseller is fast becoming the most ubiquitous company in the world.

CNN Business tells the story of Amazon’s astounding rise to global dominance. The company seemingly sells everything a consumer can buy, from electronic readers to home security systems to groceries. While there are genuine concerns about the demise of traditional retailers, Amazon’s business model is clearly in the ascent.

One sentence explains their success.

What I learned about America in Cuba

Jeff Bezos, now the world’s richest man, told an Economic Club of Washington dinner last September: “The number one thing that has made us successful, by far, is obsessive-compulsive focus on the customer as opposed to obsession over the competitor.”

This is a fascinating window into our culture. Why does such a customer-centric business model work so well? Consider two factors, both of which relate directly to churches today.

One: Americans are conditioned to think like consumers.

As Bezos notes, we will always want low prices, fast delivery, and large selection. And we will reward companies that deliver them to us. Likewise, churches that tell us what we want to hear will gain a hearing today.

I have discovered that it is not so everywhere. In my frequent travels to Cuba, I have witnessed Christians taking stands for Christ that lead to economic deprivation and government oppression. I have met Muslims who converted to Christianity at the risk of their jobs and even their lives. I know of pastors in China who preach the gospel while facing government censure and worse.

Two: Our culture is more cocooned than ever.

Shopping in a mall is a communal experience, as is attending a movie in a theater, a concert in a music hall, and a worship service in a church building.

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Amazon’s empire says about your soul →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –Obedience or Preference?

Leave a comment

 

Matthew 26:36-42

Every believer must choose whether he will live by the principle of obedience or follow his preferences. When a person commits to doing the Lord’s will, then every situation and decision is sifted through the standard of “God said it, so I’m going to do it—and that’s the end of it.” He or she may complain, weep, or try to argue. But in the end, the individual will be obedient, no matter what.

I recall being invited years ago to interview with a church in Atlanta. During the entire trip, I told the Lord that I didn’t want to move. I fussed and carried on a good while, but I knew Atlanta would be my new home. I didn’t like the idea, but the alternative was unimaginable: There are few things more unpleasant than living with the nagging anxiety that you missed out on something good.

The Lord certainly understands our need to question, cry out, and petition Him for the strength to do what He commands. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Jesus wasn’t excited or happy about the cross. He grieved over the coming separation from His Father. Nevertheless, He was committed to following God’s will (Matt. 26:39). No one took Christ’s life from Him; He laid it down (John 10:18).

Our lives are about fulfilling the heavenly Father’s purpose. Many people miss out on its goodness because they choose to follow personal preferences instead, believing their own choices are better. Obedience is sometimes hard, but the struggle and sacrifice are worth it. The Lord’s ways and principles lead believers to joy and peace.

Bible in One Year: Matthew 16-18

 

http://www.intouch.org/