Tag Archives: The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Praying Against Temptation

September 6, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.”

Jesus taught us to pray, “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).

Here we see two requests: that we not be led into temptation, and that we be delivered from the evil one. Because we know from James 1:13 that God does not tempt anyone, the first part must be understood as a request that God will not providentially bring us into the way of temptation. It is the prayer of the believer who sees his or her weaknesses and prays to not even encounter those temptations.

Of course, if we’re praying not to be led into temptation, we should take steps ourselves to see that we do not walk into the way of temptation. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from every form of evil.” He exhorted the Corinthian church, “Flee from sexual immorality” and he told Timothy, “Flee youthful passions” (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22). Flee, of course, denotes a stronger response than abstain, but both are necessary. We can abstain from certain temptations by not turning on the television or picking up certain magazines. But sometimes a temptation presents itself, and then we must flee. This is all part of watching.

The second request Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:13 is “deliver us from evil,” or, in some translations, “from the evil one”—meaning, of course, Satan. We need to pray defensively against the attacks of Satan. Christ did defeat him on the cross (Colossians 2:15), and we must by faith lay hold of that victory as we pray that we will be delivered from his attacks. (Excerpt taken from The Discipline of Grace)

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Life That Counts

September 6, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15-16

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” – John 6:27

I was watching a television program about one of the battles in the South Pacific during World War II. I had been in that particular battle and fought alongside the men shown in the film. As I watched, it brought to mind an official document I’d read several years before. This document analyzed the battle from the moment we hit the beach until the island was secured. When I got to the last paragraph, I read something that made me ill. In fact, I became so shaky I got out of my chair and sat down on the floor.

The government’s conclusion was that the battle had accomplished nothing of strategic importance. It had been a mistake. I could see in my mind those hundreds of slain Marines, as well as hundreds of young Japanese soldiers, who had died in vain in a battle that didn’t really matter.

Right then, the Lord brought a verse to my mind: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It may seem to you today that you’re banging your head against a brick wall, that nothing is going right in the Sunday school or women’s ministry or men’s brotherhood. But let me encourage you to stay at it. When you put in your eight hours on the job, having worked as unto the Lord, it is not in vain. When you reach out to your friends and family with the gospel, even if they refuse to listen, it is not in vain. Why? Because the Bible says that whatever you are doing for Christ matters.

Prayer

Lord, I rejoice that because of my relationship with You, even the most insignificant task has meaning and purpose. Amen.

To Ponder

Our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Definitive Sanctification

September 5, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:11

“You were sanctified.”

Our slavery to the dominion of sin was the result of our guilt incurred by Adam’s sin, further aggravated by our own personal sin. Through our union with Christ in his death, however, our guilt, both from Adam’s and from our own sins, was forever dealt with. Having then died with Christ to the guilt of sin, we died to, or were delivered from, the dominion of sin.

Whether we say we died to the dominion of sin, or we were delivered from the dominion of sin through our death to the guilt of sin, the result is the same. We no longer continue in sin as a dominant lifestyle. Sin no longer has dominion over us.

This death to, or deliverance from, sin’s dominion is often called definitive sanctification. You’re probably more or less familiar with the word sanctification, which historically has been used as a shorthand expression for Christian growth. Its basic meaning, however, is “separation,” and in using the term definitive sanctification we’re speaking of a decisive break—a decisive separation from sin as a ruling power in the believer’s life. It’s a point-in-time event occurring simultaneously with justification. It’s a change wrought in us by the monergistic action of the Holy Spirit as he removes us from the kingdom of darkness and brings us into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13).

That’s why Paul could write to the Corinthian believers as those who had already been sanctified, even though they were still quite immature in their Christian walk (see 1 Corinthians 1:2,30; 6:11). This definitive break with the dominion of sin, which is solely the work of the Holy Spirit, occurs in the life of everyone who trusts in Christ as savior. There’s no such thing as justification without definitive sanctification.

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Temple Builders

September 5, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1-6

I write to you…because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. – 1 John 2:14

You are probably familiar with the teaching in 1 Corinthians 3 that every Christian is a living temple of God. But did you know you’re also a temple builder?

The apostle Paul saw himself as a wise master builder who had laid the foundation of Jesus Christ in the lives of the believers in Corinth. He knew that others would continue the spiritual building process in the lives of these new converts, and he had a word of warning and exhortation for them in 1 Corinthians 3:10: “Each one should be careful how he builds.” Why the warning?

When the Old Testament people of God set about to build the temple, did they hurriedly throw something together overnight? Did they put up a building that resembled a little tool shed? A Quonset hut? A pup tent? No, they constructed a building according to God’s blueprint and design. The Bible describes it as exceedingly magnificent because it was a place that would be worthy of the name of God. Paul applies this same divine standard of excellence to what we build in the lives of others.

When I was a very young Christian, a man named Don Rosenberger taught me how to study the Bible, encouraged me in the discipline of Scripture memory, and showed me how to share the gospel of Christ with others. He prayed with me and helped me learn how to obey the Lord in everyday life. This didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen in Don’s free time. He poured the best that he had into helping me become a disciple of Christ who would, in turn, build into the lives of others. That’s what the Lord wants you and me to be doing, too.

Prayer

Lord, I want to faithfully pour my life into helping others become Your disciples. Amen.

To Ponder

Who could benefit from your knowledge of what it means to follow Christ?

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Accepted Through Christ

September 4, 2016 broboinhawaii 1 Comment

Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:20

“It is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Even the good works we bring to God are in themselves defective, both in motive and performance. It is virtually impossible to purge our motives completely of pride and self-gratification. And we can never perfectly perform those good works. The best we can do falls short of what God requires, but the truth is, we never actually do the best we can, let alone what would meet God’s perfect standard.

That is why Peter wrote, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Our best works are acceptable to God only because they are made acceptable by the merit of Jesus Christ. But God does accept them through Christ; he accepts them on the basis of his grace.

Ernest Kevan quoted one of the Puritans on the imperfection of our works as follows: “We do not do all that is commanded but come short of our duty, and that which we do is imperfect and defective in respect of manner and measure; and therefore in justice deserves punishment, rather than reward: and consequently the reward, when it is given, is to be ascribed to God’s undeserved mercy and not to our merit.”

So the entire Christian life is a life lived under grace from first to last, from beginning to end, all “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves” (Ephesians 1:6). (Excerpt taken from Transforming Grace)

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Wanted: Fruitful Laborers

September 4, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Romans 12-16

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. – 2 Timothy 2:2

In Romans 15:14, Paul described a laborer this way: “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” He begins with goodness, or Christian character. Back in Romans 13:13-14, Paul spoke of some things that destroy character–drunkenness, immorality, dissension, jealousy. As the antidote to these spiritual poisons, he says simply, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Then Paul speaks of being filled with knowledge. As laborers, we must saturate our hearts and minds with the Word of God. We must study it, memorize it, and live it. And finally, a laborer must be able to teach another person–to lead that person to Christ and then come alongside and encourage that new believer in the joys and struggles of daily life.

Are you a laborer? Are you developing in Christian character? Are you growing in knowledge of the Word of God? Are you learning to teach others and help them grow in their faith? The crying need today is for people–laborers–who are able and willing to take advantage of the spiritual opportunities all around us.

Prayer

Lord, as I abide in Your Word and Your Word abides in me, make me a fruitful laborer in the spiritual harvest for Your kingdom. Amen.

To Ponder

To be clothed with Christ, to follow Christ, to worship Christ are the keys to becoming a fruitful laborer for Christ.

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Deliverance from Sin

September 3, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:11

“Consider yourselves dead to sin.”

The guilt of our sin in Adam resulted in our being given over to sin’s dominion as a penal consequence. When a judge sentences a convicted criminal to five years in prison, that sentence is the penal consequence of his crime—analogous to what God did to Adam and all his posterity. Part of the penal consequence of Adam’s sin was being delivered into sin’s bondage.

When the prisoner has served his five years, his penal consequences are over. The broken law no longer has a claim against him. In that sense he has ended his relationship to the law and its penal consequences. He must continue to obey the law in the future, but the particular offense that sent him to prison has been dealt with forever. To use Paul’s expression, he has died to the law and its penal consequences.

How does this apply to us? Let me paraphrase from the comments of John Brown, a nineteenth-century Scottish pastor, theologian, and author of several commentaries: “The wages of sin is death. Until the condemning sentence is executed, a person is subject to sin, both in its power to condemn and its power to deprave [or exert dominion]. But let the penal consequences be fully endured, let the law’s penalty be fully paid, and the person is at once delivered from sin’s condemning power and its depraving influence or dominion. It’s in this way that all that are in Christ Jesus, all that have been justified by his grace, have died, not in their own persons, but in the person of their surety. They are therefore delivered from the reign of sin—from its power to condemn, and therefore, also from its power to rule in the heart and life.”

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Lord Delivers

September 3, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Acts 13-15

They called the apostles in and had them flogged… The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. – Acts 5:40-42

One of the most unusual and possibly confusing statements in the Bible is, “Out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2 Timothy 3:11, KJV). It was written by Paul about the events recorded in Acts 13-15. As Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel in Antioch, they had tremendous results. Acts 13:44 tells us, “Almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” But the enemies of Christ stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and finally threw them out of town.

Acts 14:1-6 describes their next stop at Iconium, where they spoke boldly for Christ but were forced to leave when a murder plot was discovered. Paul and Barnabas escaped to Lystra but were followed by men from Antioch and Iconium, who stirred up the crowd against them. Acts 14:19 says, “They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

Some years later, when Paul wrote to Timothy about these persecutions, he said this in 2 Timothy 3:11: “But out of them all the Lord delivered me” (KJV). What? He escaped at Antioch and Iconium, but not at Lystra. There his enemies stoned him and left him for dead. But Paul doesn’t say he was delivered two out of three times. He says, “Out of them all…”

Christian, if you’re feeling a bit bruised and battered right now, remember that God sometimes delivers us through the stones, not from the stones. Our choice is to trust Him in every circumstance so that we can echo the triumphant testimony of the apostle Paul, “Out of them all the Lord delivered me.”

Prayer

Lord, You are my Strong Deliverer. Thank You for Your never-failing presence in my life. Amen.

To Ponder

Paul rejoiced that he was counted worthy of suffering for the Name. Does that sound like something you would say?

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Best Defense

September 2, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:13

“Be watchful.”

With all the enemies from the world and from Satan arrayed against us, and a guerrilla army of flesh within our own hearts, how can we effectively watch against the temptations that constantly beset us? The old adage “The best defense is a good offense” is good advice for watching against temptation. The best offense is meditation on the Word of God and prayer. It’s surely no coincidence that they’re the only two spiritual exercises that we are encouraged to do continually. We’re to meditate on God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:2), and Paul exhorted us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV).

There is power in the Word of God to keep us from sin: “I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). For every temptation that you face, there are specific passages of Scripture that address that issue. If you’re not aware of some, ask your pastor or another mature Christian to help you find them. Then memorize those verses, meditate on them, and pray over them every day, asking the Holy Spirit to bring them to your mind in times of need. Ask, also, that he will strengthen your will to enable you to obey the Word that he brings to your mind. All of us are being influenced by sinful society, so we want to do all we can to continually bring the Word of God to bear upon our thinking.

Also remember that Jesus told us to watch and pray against temptation (Matthew 26:41). We aren’t capable of watching by ourselves. “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Even with our best diligence, we need the extra dimension of the Lord watching for us. (Excerpt taken from The Discipline of Grace)

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – When God Speaks

September 2, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1-2

Today, if you hear his voice… – Psalm 95:7

There were four hundred years of silence between the writing of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and the announcement of the birth of Jesus. I guess that’s what makes the Christmas story, and particularly what happened to the shepherds, so amazing.

Listen to the familiar words beginning in Luke 2:8:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)

This announcement to the shepherds was the first public word from the Lord in four hundred years! Do you suppose the shepherds might have doubted that it really was the voice of God?

Sometimes we have the idea that God speaks only to pastors or to missionaries or to special people who seem to have it all together. Not so! God wants to talk to you, but you’ve got to meet Him halfway. So open your Bible, open your heart, and let Him speak to you today.

Prayer

Lord, prepare my heart to hear Your voice and obey it. Amen.

To Ponder

Why does God choose some of the most unlikely people to carry out His purposes?

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Dead to Sin’s Guilt and Dominion

September 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:7

“For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

“What shall we say then?” the apostle Paul asked in Romans 6:1. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” If we’re justified freely by God’s grace through the work of Christ, doesn’t more sin increasingly magnify God’s grace?

“By no means!” responded Paul. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2).

Paul’s response is not an impatient “how could you think such a thing?” Rather, as he demonstrated in the verses that follow, such a practice cannot occur because a fundamental change has occurred in our relationship to sin. The expression Paul uses for this decisive change is, “We died to sin.”

What does Paul mean by that? It’s fairly obvious he doesn’t mean we died to the daily committal of sin. If that were true, no honest person could claim to be justified, because we all sin daily. Nor does it mean we died in the sense of being no longer responsive to sin’s temptations, or else Peter’s admonition to abstain from sinful desires (1 Peter 2:11) would be pointless. So what does Paul mean?

Conservative evangelical commentators have generally taken one of two positions in answering this question. Several have held that Paul refers exclusively to the guilt of sin. That is, through our union with Christ in his death, we died to sin’s guilt. Other commentators say that Paul means we died to sin’s reign and dominion in our lives. Because sin no longer exercises absolute dominion over us, we no longer can continue in sin as a predominant way of life. We struggle with sin, and we do sin, but sin no longer is our master.

I believe both views should be brought together.

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Self-Denial

September 1, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Mark 14-16

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

Some years ago I spent the summer studying the book of Mark. I was reading Mark 15, when I came across these words in verse 31: “The chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself!’” I wondered, Who else mocked Him as He hung on that cross? I started to find cross-references in other Gospels and discovered that along with the chief priests, Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, the thieves who were crucified with Him, and the people who passed by. This was a microcosm of humanity–the religious leaders, the military, those outside the law, and the general public. They all said essentially the same thing: “He saved others but he can’t save himself.” And then it hit me. “Right!” I shouted. “That’s right!”

To be used of God in the salvation of others requires denying self on behalf of others. The jeering crowd didn’t understand this as they hurled abuse at Jesus. They thought they had all their theological bases covered. But in their ignorance, they actually expressed a great truth.

Jesus said that if you’re not willing to give up your life for His sake and His kingdom, you will lose it (Luke 9:24). But if we deny self; if we follow the example of Christ and put the welfare of others before our own desires; if we repudiate self and give our lives for the salvation of others, we will find our lives and, in the end, come out winners.

Does your life reflect this Christlike characteristic of self-denial for the sake of others? If not, what stands in your way?

Prayer

Lord, give me the grace to give up my life for You and Your eternal purposes. Amen

To Ponder

Leading others to Christ calls for self-denial.

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Assuming God’s Role

August 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 7:1

“Judge not, that you be not judged.”

It’s easy to become judgmental toward anyone whose opinions are different from ours, then to hide our judgmentalism under the cloak of Christian convictions. Paul wrote, “Stop judging one another regardless of which position you take.” Then he added, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). Basically, Paul was saying, “stop trying to play God toward your fellow believers in Christ. God is the Judge, not you.”

That’s what we’re doing when we judge others whose preferences and practices are different from ours. We’re arrogating to ourselves a role God has reserved for himself. Perhaps this is what Jesus had in mind in the well-known words of Matthew 7:3 when he said, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Could that log in our eye be the log of judgmentalism, arrogating to ourselves the role of God?

Here we see Jesus using hyperbole to make his point. Physically, it’s impossible to have a log in one’s eye. But the log in one’s own eye may well represent God’s verdict on our sin of judgmentalism. If I’m correct, then the seriousness of the sin of judgmentalism is not so much that I judge my brother as that in so doing I assume the role of God.

We sin if we condemn the obviously flagrant sins of others without at the same time acknowledging that we ourselves are still sinners before God. One of the major objectives of this book is to help us stop doing that. (Excerpt taken from Respectable Sins)

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – First Love

August 31, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Revelation 1-3

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:15-16

I was sitting in the Sunday evening service of an evangelical church in the South. The preacher was delivering a sermon that was known in that part of the country as a stem-winder, or barnburner. His Scripture-filled message was fiery–full of compassion and concern for the lost.

About halfway through, I looked around at the congregation and saw that some were responding to the preacher’s impassioned plea with a hearty yawn. Eyelids were drooping, and some had even drifted off to sleep.

Don’t get me wrong. These were good people. Some had put in years of faithful service for the Lord. Many had shown a zeal for evangelism and a concern for the spiritual growth of new Christians. But somehow they had become spiritually flat. They were comfortable, lethargic, engulfed in spiritual dullness. What happened?

Jesus said in Revelation 2:2-5, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love… Repent and do the things you did at first.”

Christian, has your devotion to Christ cooled? Has your fervency in serving God been replaced by a sense of duty? If there was a time when your heart burned hotter and brighter than it does today, Jesus says it’s time to repent and go the other way. Ask Him to rekindle the flame and renew the joy and excitement of your first love for Him.

Prayer

Lord, renew the flame of my first love–for You and for Your kingdom. Amen.

To Ponder

Do you still experience the same excitement, dedication, and hunger for the Word that you did as a new believer?

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Reward of Grace

August 30, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Romans 11:35

“Who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

Every aspect of our ministry is by the grace of God. We’re unworthy to minister, but God considers us worthy through Christ. We’re inadequate to minister, but God makes us adequate through the powerful working of his Holy Spirit. We’re not naturally given to self-sacrifice, but God gives us that spirit by his grace. All is of grace. No human worthiness or adequacy is required or accepted.

Such a strong, biblical emphasis on God’s grace apart from human worth or adequacy leads to the question of the relationship of grace and rewards. Doesn’t God promise rewards to his faithful servants? Didn’t Paul himself teach that we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what is due us?

God does promise rewards, and we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (see Matthew 25:21; 2 Corinthians 5:10). But these rewards are rewards of grace, not of merit. We never by our hard work or sacrificial service obligate God to reward us.

If all our service to God is made possible by his undeserved favor and made effective by the Spirit’s power, we’ve really brought nothing to him that we didn’t first receive from him. The Puritan Samuel Bolton said, “If there was anything of man’s bringing, which was not of God’s bestowing, though it were never so small, it would overturn the nature of grace, and make that of works which is of grace.” But every thought, word, or deed emanating from us that is in any way pleasing to God and glorifying to him has its ultimate origin in God, because apart from him, there’s nothing good in us (Romans 7:18).

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Flesh

August 30, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

There isn’t a person on earth who doesn’t experience temptation with fleshly lust at some time during life.

I recall being on a panel to discuss this in a high school class at a local church. The man who spoke before me was a local pastor, and since I was fairly new in my ministry with The Navigators, I was looking forward to what he would say. But when he began to speak, I couldn’t believe my ears. He told these kids, “Sure, it’s okay to park in a car on a dark, deserted country road. Just make sure you stay within the bounds of proper behavior.” Then it was my turn.

“Okay,” I said, “if you follow this man’s advice, make sure that when you park that car and turn off the lights on that dark, deserted country road that you both get out of the car, kneel down, and earnestly plead with the Lord in prayer that He will give you the strength and wisdom to stay within the bounds of proper behavior.”

The Bible tells the story of Achan, who stole something that didn’t belong to him. Listen to his explanation: “When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:21).

Notice the progression. He saw it, he lusted after it, he took it, and then he tried to cover up his sin. Friend, is there a temptation you’re flirting with today that looks innocent on the surface? Yield yourself immediately in prayer to the power of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your victory over sin and Your saving power in my life. Amen.

To Ponder

God’s Word says that we are not controlled by the sinful nature (see Romans 8:9). How does that truth come into play when we are tempted?

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – With Him Forever

August 29, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: John 12:26

“Where I am, there will my servant be also.”

While Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 emphasized the reality of an immortal, spiritual body, John in revelation called our attention to the reality of our eternal presence with God: “and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:3-4).

In the next chapter we read, “no longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:3-5).

The day will come when our perfected spirits and immortal bodies are forever united. And in that glorious condition “we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, NIV). Hallelujah! At that time we will experience the full reality of the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Before we experience that glorious reality, we still live in this life. We’re not just to wait for our hope of heaven, but to be actively and vigorously engaged in becoming more like Christ (the process called sanctification) and of extending the rule of his kingdom (the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13). (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Powerful Enemy

August 29, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. – 2 Timothy 2:22

The mistake I made was trying to read in bed by lamplight. We were in the jungles of Colombia, South America, and I should have known better. Within minutes, thousands of tiny bugs were flying in circles around the lamp.

I jumped up, turned on the ceiling light, and turned off the light by the bed. Immediately, these pesky insects flew to the top of the room and began to circle that light. Next, I opened the door to the hallway and turned on the hall light, then turned off the ceiling light in the bedroom. Off they flew into the hallway and began to fly circles around the light in the hall.

I quickly shut the door, kept all lights off in the bedroom, and had a good night’s sleep. The next morning when I stepped into the hallway, there they were–thousands of insects dead on the floor directly under the light. They had circled hundreds of times, then got too close and were killed.

Friend, I have seen a similar thing happen to people who play around with sexual lust. Like these insects, they flit around and finally go too far. I watched this happen to a friend of mine who seemed to be a dedicated Christian. He was a handsome guy who easily attracted women. When we ate together in a restaurant, he’d often kid around with the waitress, making some witty remark, and the two of them would laugh and wink and flirt with each other. Then it happened. He got caught up in a sexual sin and today he is not serving God.

Beware! Lust is a powerful enemy.

Prayer

Lord, Your Word says that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Help me to honor You with my body. Amen.

To Ponder

To continue to play around danger is to end up serving the sin we thought we were master of.

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The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Know Yourself

August 28, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Genesis 4:7

“Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

The evil desire within us constantly searches for occasions to express itself. It’s like a radar system whose antenna is constantly scanning the environment for temptations to which it can respond. Some years ago, when I was continually indulging my desire for ice cream (which I don’t do anymore), my eyes would automatically be drawn to an ice-cream store. It was uncanny. I could pass the signs of a score of stores without consciously seeing them, but I never failed to see the sign of an ice-cream store.

Recently I became interested in a certain model car. It was the same make as the one I drive, but a nicer, more expensive model. As soon as I became interested in that particular car, I noticed every one I passed on the street. I began to think of reasons why I needed that nicer model. It was roomier, more comfortable on a long trip, and had a better transmission. I finally concluded, rather reluctantly, that I really didn’t need that car. But the point is, during that time my antenna was “tuned” for that model car.

Perhaps the indulgence with ice cream and the fixation on a nicer model car seem rather benign compared to temptations you’ve faced. You may be thinking, Come on, let’s talk about some real sins—covetousness, lust, envy, resentment, lying to customers, or cheating on exams. Well, first of all, the indulgence in ice cream and the preoccupation with a nicer car may not be so benign, but either way, those issues demonstrate the principle: our flesh is always searching out opportunities to gratify itself according to the particular sinful desires each of us has.

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The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – No More Stains

August 28, 2016 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Zechariah 12-14

In him we have redemption through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. – Ephesians 1:7 (paraphrase mine)

The next time you go to the grocery store, take a look at all the cleaning products that claim to make even the most stubborn stains disappear. But for the most difficult stain known to man, the stain of sin, there is only one remedy.

In Zechariah 13:1, we read: “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”

When I read that verse, I always think of Dr. Robert “Dick” Wilson of Princeton Seminary. As the story goes, a student asked, “Dr. Wilson, what is the most profound thought to ever enter your mind?” Without hesitation, Dr. Wilson quoted the words of an old gospel hymn: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

This fountain will never lose its power to cleanse people like us from sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He shed His blood that we might receive the gift of eternal life, if we turn to Him in repentance and belief.

And what does it mean to believe? According to the apostle John, it means to open the door of your heart to Christ and welcome Him as your Savior and Lord. To be cleansed from sin is to be free from guilt and free to live a new life of power. Christ Himself is the fountain where you can lose all your guilty stains.

Prayer

Lord, I can never thank You enough for Your shed blood that cleansed me from my sin and gave me a completely new life, now and forever. Amen.

To Ponder

How would you explain to a nonbeliever the meaning of the terms repentance, belief, and salvation?

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