Tag Archives: religion

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Rescued from Darkness

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“For He has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13).

A famous general invited me to his office. He was hungry for God and eager to become a Christian. Yet as we counseled together, he seemed reluctant to pray. I inquired as to his reluctance, and he said, “I don’t understand myself. I want to receive Christ, but I can’t.”

I turned to Colossians 1:13,14 and asked him to read it aloud. Then I asked him to tell me what he thought it meant. The light went on. Suddenly he realized that he was a member of Satan’s kingdom, and Satan was trying to hinder his being liberated from darkness and gloom into the glorious light of the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Satan did not want him to receive Christ into his heart.

As soon as the man realized he was a member of Satan’s kingdom, he was ready to pray and receive Christ into his life so that he would then become a member of God’s kingdom.

I, too, was once in Satan’s kingdom – not a very pleasant thought, but true. And so were you if you are a Christian. Every person born into this world is a part of Satan’s kingdom; all who are not now experiencing the saving grace and love of Christ are a part of his kingdom.

It is God the Holy Spirit who enables men to comprehend spiritual truth. It is God the Holy Spirit who liberates men from darkness into light. It is God the Holy Spirit who is responsible for the new birth that brings men into the kingdom of God.

When we go out to witness, it is not enough to know God’s plan. It is not enough to know the Four Spiritual Laws. It is not enough for us to be nicely groomed and properly scented. We need to go in the power of God’s Holy Spirit. He alone can change men.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-13

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: My first concern in everything I do and every contact I make today will be that the power of God’s Holy Spirit will be operative in my life, so that others will see His supernatural qualities in my life and want to join me in following Him.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Rejoicing in Suffering

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Read: Acts 16:25-40

When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. Acts 16:23-26

There is nothing unusual about an earthquake in this region. To this day, earthquakes are common in northern Macedonia. The earthquake was natural; the timing of it was supernatural. God released the earthquake precisely at the right moment and set Paul, Silas, and the other prisoners free. The most dramatic aspect of this story, though, is not the earthquake. It is the singing of Paul and Silas at midnight. Somebody has said that the gospel entered Europe through a sacred concert which was so successful that it brought the house down!

Imagine this, praising God! That is the meaning of the word praying used here. They were not asking for anything; they were praising God and singing hymns. They were not faking either. Their backs were raw and bloody, they were covered with wounds, they had suffered a great injustice, but they exhibited no self-pity or resentment. They were facing agonizing uncertainty. They did not know this delivering earthquake was coming. But at midnight they began praising God and singing hymns. I do not know what they sang. I know what I’d be singing: Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. But I think they were singing, How great thou art. Evidently they sang because they could see things that we, in our poor, blinded condition, seldom see. These men were men of faith. When you see what they saw, your question will no longer be, Why did they sing? but, What else could they do but sing?

Continue reading Ray Stedman – Rejoicing in Suffering →

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How to Restore Someone Who Has Spiritually Fallen

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“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”—Proverbs 27:6

So what should we do if someone falls into sin?

“Brothers, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual condemn them and then make sure you tell as many people as you can what they have done” (Galatians 6:1).

Of course, that’s not what the verse says, but by the way some people act you would think it is.

Galatians 6:1 really says that if someone is overtaken in a fault, “you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV).

The objective is to restore, not destroy!

As that verse says, “Considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” First, we should consider ourselves! Why? Because it could be you someday that needs restoration, for we all have the potential to fall and fall big.

The most loving thing you can do for a fellow Christian is to tell them the truth, not pacify them out of fear of rejection. Proverbs 27:6 tells us “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (NIV).

A true friend will stab you “in the front,” not in the back.

Has a Christian friend ever helped to “restore you in the spirit of meekness”? Have you ever helped to restore another?

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Word Is Your Joy

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“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

How can you rejoice in the Lord always? Sometimes life might seem too difficult for you to be happy. However, you can always rejoice in God’s Word. David, the man after God’s own heart, found great delight in God’s Word. David calls God his “exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4). He says, “I will delight myself in [God’s] commandments, which I have loved” (Psalm 119:47), and “let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight” (Psalm 119:77). David found so much delight in God’s Word!

But what about you? How can you rejoice in God’s Word? The first step is obvious: Read it! Read it, looking for how great and amazing God is on every page. Read it prayerfully. Read it as God Word to you, and then talk back to Him in response – speaking right back to Him! Few people truly delight in God’s Word, and most of them do not even try to delight in it. Do you ever read because you have to? or because you think you ought to? You should read God’s Word as much as you can because you love it! You should not be able to get enough of it! You should want more and more time with God, just as a deer longs for the water brooks! (See Psalm 42:1.) Pray about it; ask God to help you love His Word more.

You can live joyfully because you have God’s eternal, unchanging Word, and because you have a great God. No matter what happens, you can, and should, always rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in God’s Word isn’t all! There are all kinds of things to rejoice in. Look in the Bible to see what else God has given you to rejoice in. Learn to delight in God’s Word as David did, and say with him “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Rejoice in God’s Word!

Rejoice in God’s Word.

My Response:

» Have I spent time reading God’s Word today?

» What did I learn about God today in His Word?

» How can I rejoice in the Lord today?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Hating All Sin

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 8:13

“By the Spirit . . . put to death the deeds of the body.”

To mortify a sin means to subdue it, to deprive it of its power, to break the habit pattern we have developed of continually giving in to the temptation to that particular sin. The goal of mortification is to weaken the habits of sin so that we make the right choices.

Mortification involves dealing with all known sin in one’s life. Without a purpose to obey all of God’s Word, isolated attempts to mortify a particular sin are of no avail. An attitude of universal obedience in every area of life is essential. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). We cannot, for example, mortify impure hearts if we’re unwilling to also put to death resentment. We cannot mortify a fiery temper if we aren’t also seeking to put to death the pride that so often underlies it. Hating one particular sin is not enough. We must hate all sin for what it really is: an expression of rebellion against God.

A man came to me wanting help in dealing with sexual lust in his thoughts and habits. I knew, however, that he had a greater problem in interpersonal relationships. He was critical and judgmental and very vocal about it. His lust bothered him because it made him feel guilty and defeated. His judgmental spirit and critical words didn’t bother him, so he was making no effort to deal with those sins. He needed to learn to mortify all sin, not just what made him feel bad about himself.

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Faithful, Not Famous

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Today’s Scripture: Luke 10-12

“Therefore go and make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20

God’s plan isn’t to win the war against the forces of evil through a few Christian superstars, but through multiplied thousands of believers working behind the scene–people like you and me.

Notice what Jesus did in Luke 10:1-2: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Now who were these men? Nobody knows. But what we do know of them speaks volumes about the Great Commission of Christ. They were unknown, ordinary disciples, but they were certainly well trained for their mission.

How do we know that? Because if we compare the mission of the Twelve in Matthew 10 with the mission of the seventy-two here in Luke 10, the job description is practically identical. And when they returned, they rejoiced in their successes. Their names are not known like the names of the Twelve, but they had been trained to be effective in carrying out the commands of Christ.

Now what do you think would happen in our world if every person who turned to Jesus Christ in true repentance and faith went on to become a strong, mature, fruitful disciple? This would fulfill the ministry of evangelizing the lost and establishing the new believer, just as Jesus commissioned.

Prayer

Lord, help me to be faithful in sharing the gospel with my neighbors and friends. Amen.

To Ponder

As you pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers, are you including yourself in the process of spiritual reproduction and multiplication?

 

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE COVENANT WITH ABRAM

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Read GENESIS 15

In the ancient Near East, covenants were sometimes sealed by a symbolic ritual. Sacrificial animals were cut in half and each party of the covenant walked between the halved pieces. The meaning was significant: if one of them did not keep their end of the covenant agreement, they should be treated like one of the severed animals.

This cultural background is important. God again reaffirmed His promises to Abram, culminating in a symbolic covenantal ceremony. But first, Abram had questions. In light of God’s promise of protection and reward, Abram wondered who would benefit, given his lack of a son and heir? God’s response was to point Abram to the stars as a symbol of the number of descendants he would have. Abram did not press the point; instead, he “believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness” (v. 6). Genuine questions did not preclude genuine faith.

Next, Abram offered a second question: How will he know that he will possess this land? Once again, God reaffirmed His promise, this time in dramatic fashion. He ordered Abram to obtain sacrificial animals. Abram then cut them in half and placed them on the ground. What happened next was both strange and wonderful. God Himself, represented by a smoking firepot and blazing torch, passed through the severed animal pieces. In doing so, “the LORD made a covenant with Abram” (v. 18).

The message to Abram was clear. His descendants, though facing oppression for a time, would one day possess the land. In fact, the Lord (and not Abram!) undertook the ancient covenantal cere- mony as a sign of His commitment to His promise. In other words, God put His own life on the line for this covenant with Abram!

APPLY THE WORD

Have we really understood the depths of God’s promises to Abram and to us? In fact, God has offered the life of His own Son that we might have life in Him! Find the Charles Wesley hymn “And Can It Be” and, as you sing or listen to it, note the end of the first stanza: “Amazing love! How can it be, / That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”

PRAY WITH US

Steven Mogck, executive VP and chief operating officer, welcomes your prayers today. Ask the Lord to direct him in all the decisions he makes daily at Moody and to encourage Steven and his teams with His grace and love.

 

http://www.todayintheword.org

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Struggle With Temptation

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1 Corinthians 10:13

No matter what specific form temptation takes in our lives, the enemy uses a fairly standard process to get us off track. And it is as effective as ever.

First, we begin to think about the object of our desire. We play with it in our mind, imagining how we would feel if it were ours. Isn’t it interesting that no matter how many blessings God has showered upon us, we always seem to focus on the one thing we do not have! We must ask ourselves, Could the enemy be trying to redirect my focus?

Remember, Satan wants to alienate us from the Lord. If he can get us to take our eyes off God and instead fix our attention on what we feel we’re lacking, then he can lead us to temptation.

Next, the thought builds until it finally gives way to full-blown desire. This intense longing is the culmination of our imaginings. We’re no longer content simply to enjoy the object in our mind; now, we must actually have it.

Finally, the desire leads to a choice. Here is where we make the decision, Will I give in to this sin, or will I lay it down and submit to the Lord’s will for my life?

Through the Holy Spirit’s power, we have the ability to walk away at any point in the process of temptation. We are never helpless to defuse the situation, no matter how much momentum has built up.

Do you ever feel as if you are powerless to stop a growing temptation in your life? Understanding the nature of this progressive process can help you to stand firm against the enemy’s tactics.

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 1-4

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Our Chief Task

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Read: Matthew 7:12–23 | Bible in a Year: Job 36–37; Acts 15:22–41

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

When a British scholar called on the world’s religions to work together for worldwide unity, people everywhere applauded. Pointing out that the major religions share a belief in the Golden Rule, she suggested, “The chief task of our time is to build a global society where people of all persuasions can live together in peace and harmony.”

Jesus cited the Golden Rule in His Sermon on the Mount: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt. 7:12). In the same sermon, He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (5:44). Putting those radical commands into practice would indeed go a long way toward peace and harmony. But immediately following the Golden Rule, Jesus called for discernment. “Watch out for false prophets,” He warned. “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (7:15).

Our respect for others is vital to winning their respect.

Respect for others and discernment of the truth go hand in hand. If we have the truth, we have a message worth telling. But God extends to everyone the freedom to choose Him or reject Him. Our responsibility is to lovingly present the truth and respect the personal choice of others just as God does.

Our respect for others is vital to winning their respect. It’s an important step in gaining an opportunity to convey the message of Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Father in heaven, help us to see each individual as uniquely made in Your image and worthy of our love and respect. Show Your love through our lives in some small way today.

Love people; love the truth.

INSIGHT:

Today’s reading comes from what we call the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7). This was His first major teaching address and captured many of the values that are to be characteristic of a wisely lived life. Beginning with the Beatitudes (5:3–12), Christ expressed principles on witness (5:13–16), the law (5:17–20), relationships with people (5:21–48), relationship with God (6:1–18), attitudes toward possessions and needs (6:19–34), the need for self-examination (7:1–6), trust in God (7:7–14), and spiritual dangers (7:15–29). The Sermon on the Mount is a masterpiece of preaching, and its truths are timeless.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Image of True Humanity

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“What does it mean to be human?” has been the inquiring theme of more than a few journals, conferences, and special reports. It is a question that is considered from anthropological, theological, and biological perspectives, from within medical, ethical, social, and spiritual circles. Yet regardless of the examiner, any plumbing of the depths of the nature of humanity is a discovery that the implications are as far-reaching and intricate as the subject itself.

Generation after generation, voices that have spoken to the question of human nature often reflect something of the paradoxical character of humanity. Plato described human life in terms of the dualistic qualities he observed. While the mind is representative of the intellectual soul, the stomach is an appetitive beast that must be tamed. In terms less dividing of mind and body, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote of the human propensity for both compassion and cruelty at once. “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”(1) Speaking in the 17th century, Blaise Pascal made note of further dueling extremes present within humanity. “For after all, what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all—and infinitely far from understanding either… He is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness out of which he was drawn and the infinite in which he is engulfed.”(2)

What does it mean to be human? The seeming paradoxes in and around us make the question difficult to answer. We may sense at times within us contradiction and inconsistency—a desire to be a good friend beside the wherewithal to manipulate, the intention to be a good neighbor beside the tendency to walk away without helping. I find it quite reminiscent of Aslan’s response to the children in Prince Caspian: “‘You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,’ said Aslan. ‘And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in earth.’”(3)

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Image of True Humanity →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Joy in God

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“We also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:11).

The final link in the chain that eternally binds believers to Christ is their joy or exultation in God.

Perhaps nowhere outside of Scripture has Christian joy been expressed more beautifully than in these stanzas from Charles Wesley’s hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”:

O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,

Your loosened tongues employ;

Ye blind, behold your Savior come;

And leap, ye lame for joy!

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Joy in God →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Job Transition: Leave or Stay / Hire or Fire

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So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left. Genesis 13:8-9

No one works at the same place forever, they eventually move on or die. A person may feel their effectiveness in their current role at work has run its course—they are bored—and unless another opportunity opens up in the same organization they will transition out to a more challenging call. Hiring and firing resembles the same tension as leaving or staying. The latter represents the employee, and the former the employer. I am not the best hirer because I like people to like me, but often I need to hire team members gifted differently than me. So I am learning to trust seasoned staff to help me interview and select new employees. It’s so much wiser to hire slow and fire fast.

Abram and Lot found themselves in a dilemma: In today’s terms they were “running out of office space.” The growth of their family business forced them to make a relocation decision—so they decided to divide up their assets and go their separate ways. Lot deferred to and honored his uncle Abram, the more experienced, to define their disengagement choices and Lot selected which option he thought best for his family and work. He chose the well watered, green valley in the east and pitched his tent toward a sinful people, while Abram settled in Canaan and built an altar to God.

“If he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:7-9).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Job Transition: Leave or Stay / Hire or Fire →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Mortar for Living Stones

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Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

1 Corinthians 14:26

Recommended Reading

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

To understand edification, go back to the Old Testament building of the tabernacle in the wilderness: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8, NIV). The Hebrews were instructed to build a dwelling place for God. Fast forward to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst . . . God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple” (NIV).

Edification means a building or the act of building. Just as the Israelites built a tabernacle as God’s dwelling place, so the Church is the “building” we are constructing until Christ returns. And how do we build the Church? With God’s wisdom by His Word and Spirit. In short, the truth of God is the “mortar” that binds the “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) of the Church together. As we learn, apply, and share God’s truth with each other, God’s “building,” the Church, gets stronger.

Are you mixing the mortar? Are you walking in the truth, applying the truth to your life and the lives of others? Ours is a sacred task, a sacred temple.

If you build upon yourself your edifice will be a mere ruin.

Augustine

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Proverbs 27 – 29

 

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Heart of an Eagle

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That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you.—2 Timothy 1:6

Do you ever feel like an eagle in a chicken yard? You know in your heart that there is much more within you than you are experiencing and expressing in your life right now. You feel certain God has a great purpose for your life—and you cannot escape or ignore the inner urge to “go for it.”

I encourage you today to fan the flame inside you. Fan it until it burns brightly. Never give up on the greatness for which you were created, and never try to hide your uniqueness. Instead, be thankful for it, and be thankful that God has something special in store. Realize your hunger for adventure is God-given; wanting to try something new is a wonderful desire; and embracing life and aiming high is what you were made for. You are an eagle!

Prayer of Thanks: Father, thank You for the dreams and desires You have placed in my heart. Thank You that You have a destiny for me. Today, I will dare to dream of all the wonderful things You have in Your plan for my life.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – You’re More Than a One-Talent Girl

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Today’s Truth

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3

Friend to Friend

In my last devotion, we looked at the parable of the talents, or rather the parable of the three choices. We saw a landowner that gave one servant five talents, another servant two talents, and another servant one talent.

As you read that devotion, (and if you didn’t, please click on http://www.girlfriendsinGod.com and read it first) I wonder if you saw yourself as a one-talent girl. Perhaps you’re thinking that God hasn’t given you much to work with. He did, after all, entrust the servants with talents “according to their ability.” You look at what other folks are doing for God with their five talents and think that yours doesn’t really matter much anyway. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It could be that the servant with the five talents started out with one talent a few years back. The master saw what he did with that one—how he turned it into two. Then when he went on his next trip, the master gave that servant two talents, which he turned into four. So on this particular journey, the master entrusted this servant with five!

If we don’t use what God has given us because of fear, then He will not entrust us with more. It could very well be that He will take away what He’s given us and give it to someone else who has the courage to use her gifts and talents to accomplish her God-given purpose.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – You’re More Than a One-Talent Girl →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Claiming Forgiveness

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“But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying Him and doing the things that please Him” (1 John 3:21,22).

What a marvelous promise – unfortunately, a promise which few Christians are able to claim. Why? Because they do not have a clear conscience in regard to their sin and when they come to God, they cannot come with confidence that He will hear and answer them. As God’s Word reminds us in Psalm 66:15, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. How wonderful to know that whatever sins have been committed, the shedding of Christ’s blood and His death on the cross have paid the penalty for them all. If we confess our sin of pride, lust, jealousy, gossip, dishonesty, greed, whatever it may be, we can by faith claim His forgiveness. Remember that if we agree with God concerning our sin, if we recognize Christ’s death on the cross has indeed paid the penalty for that sin, and if we repent or change our attitude, which results in a change of our action, we can know that we are forgiven. However, if there is no change of attitude and action, obviously there has been no true confession and therefore no forgiveness and cleansing.

If you have truly confessed your sins, you can come now into the presence of God with great joy and a clear conscience and have perfect assurance and trust that whatever you ask for, you will receive because you are praying according to the will and the Word of God.

Bible Reading: I John 3:18-24

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: One of the qualifications for supernatural living is a clear conscience. Therefore, by God’s grace I will keep my heart and motives pure through the practice of spiritual breathing knowing that when I breathe spiritually (exhale – confess, inhale – appropriate promise), I can come into God’s presence with a clear conscience and expect to receive answers to my prayers.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – A Heart is Opened

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Read: Acts 16:11-24

And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. Acts 16:13-14

After the proclaiming of the Word of God, these disciples expected God to do something! That, by the way, is the missing note among Christians in many places today. Many have given up expecting God to do anything, while they expect to do everything. They expect to organize a program and carry it through. Many churches today are operating in such a way that, if the Holy Spirit were suddenly removed from their program, nobody would notice that anything had happened.

They do not expect God to do anything, but these people did. They just preached the Word and then they expected God to act. They could not tell what he would do — he is always unpredictable. He has several ways by which he gains access to a city, breaks open a community, and begins to spread the gospel and to plant a church. But right here you find one of the ways the Lord frequently uses: He has prepared men and women there, people whose hearts are ready to respond to the gospel. Such a woman was Lydia who was already a worshiper of God. She was a business woman who sold purple goods, who handled the purple dye for cloth which was so valuable in those days. She made a good living. She had her own home and it was large enough to accommodate Paul and his party. Her heart was ready, having been prepared by God, and she was led of God to be there and to hear.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – A Heart is Opened →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Worldliness

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Read: 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of  the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father. (vv. 15-16)

Is it a bad thing to love the world? Doesn’t God love the world so much that he gave his only Son to save us from our sins? These are a couple of questions that may come to mind when we read today’s Bible verses.

To answer the second question first, yes, God does love the world. Sending his Son Jesus to pay the price of our sins is certainly proof of that. And also yes, we should love the world as our Savior does. Indeed, our desire, like God’s, should be that none should perish, but that “all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

But there is another meaning of the “world” here in these verses to which John is referring. His reference in these verses is to the world as a place where sin has domain. John describes this as an anti-God place, where sinful cravings of people dominate and things like lust and boasting hold sway. No, John says, these things are not of God. They are what we often used to hear described as “worldly.” And these things, although they may seem very attractive, do not last.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). Amen.

Author: John Koedyker

 

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – No Space Available

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For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.—2 Corinthians 10:4–5

I’ve been known to fill up the storage space on my hard drive. I take lots of pictures, and I keep them all on my computer. I’ve been advised to put them on a separate hard drive, but I prefer to keep them on my computer. A lot of them, if not most of them, are of my family, and I enjoy looking at them. But just the other day I was trying to save a document, and my hard drive was full.

Wouldn’t it be great if, when the devil comes knocking at the door of our minds with an illicit thought, a message pops up that reads, This hard drive is full with the Word of God. There’s no room for your stuff. Don’t even bother? Far too often we have a lot of storage available, and we’re willing to entertain those thoughts.

Temptation, in most cases, comes through the doorway of our minds. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

When our guard is down and those flaming arrows of ungodly thoughts come our way, we are to “[cast] down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Paul also said, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Let’s think about things that will build us up—not things that will tear us down.

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Not the Kind of God Who Leaves

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“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Have you ever missed the school bus or a ride to an activity that was important to you? Being left is a terrible feeling! It is embarrassing and frustrating, and it can also be really sad – especially if you miss out on something you were really hoping to see or do. Sometimes it can even be dangerous to be left behind. What if you accidentally got left in a football stadium? What if you were on a hiking trail and got separated from your friends? It could be scary, and lonely, and maybe even harmful to be left like that.

Sometimes we rely on people too much. It is okay to count on your friends and family to keep an eye out for you and to remember your needs and hopes. But friends and family are human, and sometimes they forget or make mistakes. Some people might take off on you because they want to do something selfish for themselves, or some might turn their back on you when you have done something wrong. People are human. They might let you down. They might give up on you. They might leave you.

The writer of Hebrews 13:5 was reminding readers of what Jesus said to His disciples – that He would never leave them. He would never forsake them. Jesus is God; He is greater than our human friends and family. He is better than anything we might try to be or to get on our own. In this verse, the Bible shows us the kind of God Who promises to be faithful. That means He is not the kind of God Who lets His people down. He is not the kind of God Who leaves His people alone. He keeps His promises.

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