Tag Archives: theology

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Endures Criticism

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“For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. . . . ‘There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up’” (Daniel 3:8-12).

Expect spiritual opposition.

Have you noticed that whenever you take a public stand for righteousness you feel the reaction of the world more strongly? Even something as noble as doing your work with integrity and diligence can bring ridicule, rejection, or even open hostility. But that shouldn’t surprise you.

Jesus said, “‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). The apostle Paul warns that “indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were well-acquainted with spiritual opposition, and in today’s passage they are targets of envious Chaldeans who want to see them put to death. The accusations brought against them were not entirely true because they had not disregarded the king. On the contrary, they were model citizens and exemplary leaders. They had attended the king’s ceremony and fulfilled all their other civil duties insofar as those duties did not violate their responsibility to God.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Endures Criticism →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Why Your Assignment Matters

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I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

God has given many of us assignments we wouldn’t have chosen ourselves. Maybe you have been assigned to singleness longer than you would like, assigned to marriage but you wish you were single, assigned to work with people who don’t appreciate you, assigned to a job where you won’t be promoted, assigned to live in a neighborhood with unfriendly neighbors, assigned to a city you dislike, assigned to be a stay at home mom though you wish you were a working mother, assigned to be a working mother but wish you were a stay-at-home mom, or maybe you have been assigned to childlessness.

Perhaps you see your assignment as small. You see it as insignificant. You may even feel like you have been cheated. You may compare yourself to others. You see what they are doing and you think, God gave them a more important assignment.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).

To overcome disappointment and even experience joy, you must look at your God-given assignment through God’s lens—the lens of eternity. You must look past the here and now and consider how your assignment will ripple into heaven, even if you can’t see its impact now. When you have an eternal perspective about your temporary earthly assignment, what seems meaningless and futile, frustrating and worthless can become something sacred.

Could it be that your assignment is more purposeful, more sacred, and more holy than you could possibly imagine? Could it be that the eternal destinies of generations of people could be changed because you are faithful to your assignment, no matter how small? Could it be that God has placed you in your assignment at this time for a reason you do not comprehend? Could it be that you will not see the impact of this assignment you view as insignificant until you enter your heavenly home? Don’t count your assignment as unimportant or measure its value through a temporal lens, for you will not be seeing clearly. Look at it through God’s eyes, who doesn’t waste the impact of one of His children. All of His children have important assignments—all of them. There is not one that doesn’t matter.

“. . . the LORD’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken” (Psalm 33:11).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are sovereign and all-knowing. You do all things according to your eternal purposes and love. Thank you that my life has meaning and purpose because of you. Amen.

Application: Choose a few biblical saints and review their God-given assignments. Then consider the ways they did not know the eternal impact they would have, but were still faithful in their assignments.

Related Readings: John 17:18; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 6:8

Shana Schutte

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Taking the Way Out

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No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Recommended Reading

James 1:13-15

If you do an Internet search for the phrase, “I couldn’t see any way out” in the current news media, you will find a myriad of stories. It’s amazing how many “hopeless” situations people find themselves in. Unfortunately, that pessimistic view is sometimes used as an excuse for yielding to temptation: “I couldn’t see any way out.”

Viewing temptation that way ignores two things. First, with God nothing is impossible (Luke 18:27). Second, when it comes to temptation, God promises to provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). That puts the proverbial ball in our court; it is our task to look for the way of escape when faced with a temptation that seems too difficult to deny. When Paul wrote about “the way of escape,” he applied it to sins like idolatry, sexual immorality, secular involvements, grumbling, and testing God (1 Corinthians 10:6-10). So we know “the way” applies to our temptations as well.

When you are tempted to sin, look for the way of escape. Finding it is not usually the problem; taking it is.

He who avoids the temptation avoids the sin.

Unknown

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 50 – 55

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Follow Peace

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Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. —Romans 8:6 AMPC

People hesitate to follow their desires, because they don’t know how to divide their soul from their spirit. If they can’t discern the difference between the desires of their flesh and Spirit-led desires, then they don’t know when God is truly leading them to do something.

But you can learn to know if God is leading you or not. When God gives you a desire for something, He will give you peace along with it. You may not be excited, but you will have peace, if the thing you desire is from God. Wait for peace today.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Speak Life

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Whoever controls his mouth protects his own life. Whoever has a big mouth comes to ruin.

Proverbs 13:3

Friend to Friend

I recently received an email from a friend who told me the story of a private school in Washington that faced an unusual problem. Some of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would gather around the mirrors in the bathroom to compare shades and apply their lipstick.

The girls thought it was cute to then press their lips to the bathroom mirrors, leaving dozens of lip prints. The maintenance man did not think it was cute because he had to clean the mirrors – and you know how icky lipstick on a mirror can be.

Every night the maintenance man would remove the lipstick prints only to find that the girls put them back the next day.

The principal finally decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all the lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors. The principal then asked the maintenance man to demonstrate what he had to do to remove the lipstick and how much effort was required. A stunned silence fell across the bathroom as the weary maintenance man took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror. There has not been a single lip print left on the mirror since that day.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Speak Life →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Simple, Wonderful Message

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“He brought them out and begged them, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your entire household” (Acts 16:30- 31).

The story is told of a man who was very fond of the famous general, Robert E. Lee. He was eager for his four-year-old son to admire and respect this great, southern, Civil War general as much as he did. So every day, as they strolled through the park near their home, they would stop in front of the statue of General Lee astride his beautiful horse, Traveler, and the father would say to his little David, “Say good morning to General Lee,” The little lad would dutifully wave his hand in obedience to his father’s instructions and say, “Good morning, General Lee.” Months passed and one day, as they again stood in front of the statue of General Lee, the father said, “Say good morning to General Lee,” which the boy did. But as they walked on through the park together, David asked, “Daddy, who is that man riding General Lee?”

One of the biggest problems we have in life is communication. To David’s young mind the horse was more important that the rider. We all have a tendency to filter information through our own experiences. What I say is not necessarily what you hear, and what you say may not be what I hear. This is true even in communicating the gospel.

The most joyful news ever announced is found in Luke 2:10,11:” ‘Don’t be afraid!’ the angel said. ‘I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem!'” Yet that simple message has been diluted and profaned through the centuries.

One evening, I presented this message to a very mature, intelligent layman.

“Does it make sense?” I inquired.

It was as though a light suddenly went on and, for the first time, he understood what the gospel was all about. “Of course it does,” he answered.

“Would you like to receive Christ right now?”

“Of course I would. If what you say is true, I should think everyone would want to know Christ.”

If Spirit-filled, trained communicators properly presented the gospel, the majority of people would want to receive Christ.

Bible Reading: John 1:9-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will seek to present the good news of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ in such a logical, joyful, Spirit-filled way that those who hear will want to know my wonderful Savior. And I will trust God to use me to train other Christians as well to be better communicators of the greatest news the world has ever heard.

 

http://www.cru.org

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Cost of Disobedience

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Read: John 17:4-8

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:4, 5

This prayer was prayed prior to his going the cross, but, in its scope, it reaches beyond and includes the cross. Our Lord knew where he was going, he knew what he would be doing in the next few hours and what would be accomplished. That work included more than the cross. It encompassed his ministry of healing and mercy, and even those thirty silent years back in Nazareth. They were all part of his life, his work, which the Father had given him to do.

He includes this in his prayer to indicate to us the character of his work while he was here. He is suggesting that his work was characterized by a continual self-emptying, that is, a laying aside of glory. Now that he has reached the end, he is ready to resume the glory which was properly his, but he is thinking back over thirty-three years of his life and recognizing that all during that time he had voluntarily surrendered his right to be worshipped, his right to the glory that belonged to both the Father and the Son. Jesus is pointing out that his work that glorified the Father was essentially one of self-emptying.

We are so confused about this. We think that God is interested in our activity, that there are certain religious pursuits which we can perform which God will be pleased with no matter in what frame of mind we do them. That is why we sometimes drag ourselves out to church week after week when we have little interest in attending church — because we think that attending church is what God wants. How little we understand God! It is not activity that he desires. It was not merely that which Jesus did which glorified the Father. It was not his ministry of mercy and good works. Others have done similar things. But it was the fact that throughout his life he had a heart that was ready to obey, an ear that was ready to hear, a will that was ready to be subject to the Father. It was his willingness to be always available, to forever be giving of himself, that glorified God.

There are many books written about the so-called cost of discipleship. They declare, in one way or another, that to have power with God we must pay a high price. In various ways they state that to become a victorious Christian, an effective Christian, requires a difficult and demanding discipline. I am not impressed with this type of literature at all. We have gotten the cart before the horse. I do not mean that such an approach is untrue, for the fact is that obedience to God does mean saying, No to a lot of other things. I do not mean that living for the glory of God does not indeed cost us certain fancied pleasures and relationships which perhaps we want to hold onto. But greater than the cost of discipleship is the cost of disobedience! There is where the emphasis should be placed.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Cost of Disobedience →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Blessed Mourners

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Read: Matthew 5:4

They shall be comforted. (v. 4)

In the midst of the beatitudes, Jesus offers a blessing to those who mourn. They are blessed, he says, because they shall be comforted. Being in the company of those who are grieving isn’t typically a state we think of as particularly blessed; in fact we tend to have sympathy for those who mourn, and we momentarily count our own blessings, thankful that we aren’t among the newly bereaved. Grief can be a tumultuous season. So how is it also a blessed state? On one level, I think Jesus utters a blessing for those who mourn because he aims to simply put forth the promise that they are not inconsolable. It’s like this for you right now, says Jesus, but you will be comforted.

There is also a bittersweet blessedness in the way that grief and loss elicit the support of those around us. This aspect of grief can be a challenge for us in contemporary society, where we might be reluctant to display our needs and our raw emotions, and where the bereaved are expected to “move on.” Jesus seems to be saying that in the season of mourning itself there is a blessing to be found. In mourning, as hard as it can be, we can take stock of the significance of our relationship with the one we lost. We come to see and appreciate in a new light what they taught us, how they shaped us, the ways they made their way through life’s challenges and foibles.

Prayer:

Reveal your blessing to us in the midst of seasons of grief.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Mysteries of God

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Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”—Job 38:1–2

Whenever I post on my Facebook page about our son Christopher going to be with the Lord, I’m amazed at the number of responses I receive. Every time I talk about this, I’m reminded there is a massive community of people who are in pain around the world.

One person wrote me and said, “My son would have been sixteen years old this year. It has been fifteen years since his death, but he was the person who brought me to the Lord. Because of his death, I received my salvation. . . . I have found salvation through God’s Son because of the loss of mine.” I found that to be powerful.

Basically a horrific tragedy brought this person to Christ, but I am not saying that is the reason it happened. I think we make a big mistake when we connect dots like that. Do we think God could not reach a person without the death of another? Here is what I will say: This death happened. It is tragic. It is hard. But despite this tragedy, God worked and brought someone into His kingdom.

Let’s not try to explain the mysteries of God. We don’t know. I’m convinced that when I’m in Heaven, the things I thought were good in this life may be perceived as bad. Things that I perceived as bad in this life may be perceived as good.

We might say that good in this life is having everything go our way. But what if everything is going our way and we have no time for God? What if those bad things that happened in our lives brought us into a relationship with God? We would actually look at them and say they were good. Until that day, we simply need to trust God.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Sending a King

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“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.” (Psalm 72:18)

Do you ever wish you could be a king or queen? It seems like kings and queens have everything! They have whatever food they want. They have servants to do their every bidding. People have to bow down to them out of respect. They tell their military leaders when to go to war. They can give away their money or jewels to whomever they want. It seems like being a king or queen would be the best thing in all the world.

David was a king, but he knew that his subjects, the people of Israel, deserved a better king than he was. So he prayed for a great king to rule perfectly over Israel. He wrote this prayer down in Psalm 72.

God is going to send a righteous king (vv.1-3, 7). Because God’s king will treat all people fairly, whether they are rich or poor, there will be peace for a very long time. When God’s king rules, there will be peace all over the world. God’s king will rule “from sea to sea and….unto the ends of the earth” (v. 8). Kings from all over the world, including places such as Spain and Saudi Arabia, will come to him with gifts because of how great he is.

God is going to send a king who will protect the “poor and needy” from evil. He will “redeem their soul from deceit and violence.” This king will care for his people so much that he will protect them not only from physical danger but also from spiritual harm.

God is going to send a king who will rule forever! Sometimes people in history have been glad when a king died, because he was not a good king. But the king that God will send will be blessed – that means honored – by all nations because of how wonderful he is.

So David blesses the Lord God because He will do the wondrous thing of sending this great king. David did not know who the king would be, but you and I do. Jesus is the king! When the wise men came looking for Jesus, they asked where the King of the Jews would be born. At the triumphal entry the people called Jesus a king. When Jesus spoke to Pilate at His trial, He told Pilate about His kingdom. Jesus is the king for whom David prayed.

God has sent a King for you to honor – and that King is coming again!

My Response:

» King Jesus came once to redeem sinners, and He is coming again to be King of All. Are you praying for Him to come as David prayed? Are you expecting Him to come as David expected Him?

 

http://kids4truth.com/home.aspx

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Ignoring God?

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Today’s Scripture: John 14:24

“The word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

Everything I’ve taught about the disciplines of Bible study, Scripture memorization, continual meditation, and application of Scripture in daily life has been based on Scripture. I have not developed man-made theories about Christian growth. All I’ve done is point out what the Scriptures say about these disciplines. And what Scripture says, God says. If we ignore these disciplines, we’re ignoring God.

We must always remember, though, that practicing these disciplines does not earn us any favor with God. It’s helpful to distinguish between a meritorious cause of God’s blessing and an instrumental cause. The meritorious cause is always the merit of Christ. We can never add to what he has already done to procure God’s blessing on our lives. The instrumental cause, however, is the means or avenues God has ordained to use. God has clearly set forth certain disciplines for us to practice in pursuing holiness. As we practice them, God will use them in our lives, not because we’ve earned his blessing but because we’ve followed his ordained path of blessing.

We also need to keep in mind that the imperative in Romans 12:2 to be transformed immediately follows the imperative of verse 1—to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. Both exhortations are based on the mercy of God. The discipline of developing Bible-based convictions, then, should be a response to God’s mercy and grace to us through Christ. If we truly desire to live by grace, we’ll want to respond to that grace by seeking to live lives that are pleasing to God. And we simply cannot do that if we do not practice the disciplines necessary to develop Bible-based convictions. (Excerpt taken from The Discipline of Grace)

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Be on Guard

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Today’s Scripture: Joshua 9-12

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. – 2 Corinthians 11:13-14

A jewelry store vault in a fashionable section of London was advertised as one of the world’s safest. It had armed security guards, steel walls two feet thick, bulletproof glass, infrared detectors, and sound detectors. How could anyone rob a vault like that?

It happened when two well-dressed men came in posing as prospective customers and convinced the manager to show them around. While a third man posed as a guard and turned other customers away from the front door, the two men put a gun to the manager’s head and robbed the vault of an estimated $32 million in jewelry and cash. Where brute force would have failed, they succeeded by trickery and deception.

This was the strategy of the men of Gibeon, recorded in Joshua 9. They pretended to come from a far country, seeking a treaty of peace and mutual alliance. It certainly seemed the Gibeonites were telling the truth. It looked like they had come from a far country. Their bread was moldy, their wineskins were torn, their shoes were worn out. But it was all a hoax, and Joshua was taken in. While he was victorious in open warfare, he was defeated by trickery. We can learn an important lesson from Joshua’s failure. Did he ask counsel of God? No. Did he seek the Lord? No. Did he counsel with the priests and elders? No. He acted on his own.

We must always remember that the enemy of our souls is not only a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour, he is also a subtle serpent.

Prayer

Lord, remind me to seek Your counsel in everything, great or small. And give me the discernment to resist Satan’s subtle ploys. Amen.

To Ponder

If you made a list of the five most dangerous temptations facing you today, what would they be?

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  In the Wake of Orlando: Showing Christ’s Love to Our Neighbor

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Recently, I’ve been reading some of the very first works of Christian apologetics: by Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Athenagoras. Today, someone known as an apologist primarily attempts to make a case that Christianity is true, or answer a critique of Christianity, or show other worldviews—such as atheism or pantheism—to be false. The earliest apologists did all of this as well.

But because they were writing at a time of Christian persecution, the earliest apologists did not aim their work at the masses. They wrote to Roman authorities, pleading for the end of persecution. And to make their case, the earliest apologists pointed not only to truthfulness of Christianity, but also to the goodness of how Christians lived their lives.

Christians, they argued, were chaste, gentle, loving to both friends and enemies, good citizens, and sought to live peaceably for the love of God and the love of neighbor. Not only were Christians innocent of the absurd charges of incest and cannibalism leveled at them, they were the best of citizens.

Watching the news of the worst shooting in American history, an act of radical Islamist terror at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, I found myself thinking: Can Christians claim that sort of apologetic today? Of course we can argue for the truthfulness of Christianity, but can we legitimately claim that we fully live out and embody the Gospel we claim?

Without question, this despicable act targeted LGBT men and women. But where the shooting took place matters not in terms of how Christians ought respond. Every single victim, no matter how they “self-identify,” bears the image of God. They have eternal value simply by virtue of being human.

Yet the event is being used by some to throw radical Islam and Christianity into the same “culturally unclean” bucket. And it shouldn’t surprise us. Any moral stance taken against homosexuality will be lumped in with this vile act of murder.

In this environment, arguing for the clear distinctions that exist between the radically differing moral frameworks of Islam and Christianity will be difficult, if not impossible. Yet this shouldn’t discourage us from making our case. But even more, it should drive us toward embodying that love that most distinguishes the Christian faith.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  In the Wake of Orlando: Showing Christ’s Love to Our Neighbor →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – THE BATTLE OF THE BABIES: PART I

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Read Genesis 29:31–30:13

For years, China prioritized women’s value as workers and supporters of the state, not as mothers. But in October 2015, China abandoned its policy of limiting families to one child. The one- child rule was implemented in the late 1970s in an effort to limit population growth. Parents who had a second child were fined and could even lose their jobs. The Chinese government made the recent change in the hope that it would help with China’s rapidly aging population and improve the gender balance.

The battle between Jacob’s two wives reveals the opposite cultural value: a woman’s worth was based on her ability to have children. The inability to bear children was considered a mark of shame. In Jacob’s family, this shame was even more acute, and the tension between Rachel and Leah further aggravated by Jacob’s preference for Rachel. This resulted in what might be called “the battle of the babies.”

Rachel and Leah vied with one another and even schemed to see who would have the most children. Some of their plots seem reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah’s attempt to force God’s hand through human effort. God had promised to use Jacob’s family line to fulfill the promise made to Abraham that he would be the father of nations. Both Leah and Rachel wanted to be the mother God used to keep that promise.

God granted children to both, but not because of their schemes. His actions were motivated by compassion for the two women and in response to their prayers (Gen. 29:31; 30:6). Meanwhile Jacob seems like a hapless tool in all of this. He is passed back and forth between these women and their servants. His only comment is

an exasperated admission that the outcome rests in the hands of God (Gen. 30:2).

APPLY THE WORD

Medical science might make advances in reproductive technology, but it is ultimately still God who opens or closes the womb. We can trust Him to deal with us compassionately. He will hear our prayers. Whether you have more children

than you ever expected or you are grieving over infertility, God will be faithful to keep His promises.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – GOOD NEWS IN THE WAR ON TERROR DR. JIM DENISON

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What Satan uses for evil, God uses for good.

In the wake of the Orlando tragedy, investigators are trying to learn how Omar Mateen became radicalized. A key element is the Internet. Criminology professor Scott Decker: “The Internet has played a central role in the spread of terrorism, particularly individuals in the U.S. who have become radicalized or adopted extremist views.”

Jeffrey Simon, author of a book on “lone wolf” terrorism, agrees: “The Internet is really the game-changer in today’s terrorism, especially for the lone wolves.” He added that “ISIS has proven incredibly savvy in using social media and the Internet to spread their ideology, to call for violent attacks.”

That’s why the man at the top of America’s “most wanted” list is someone most Americans have never heard of. Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is director of external operations for ISIS. He is widely considered to be the author of a strategy that has murdered more than 500 people in attacks around the world since last October 10. Al-Adnani apparently helped inspired the massacre in San Bernardino last December. And he issued the call to violence during Ramadan that apparently inspired Omar Mateen to massacre forty-nine people in Orlando.

The terrorists’ strategy to gain followers is clearly working. Bangladesh has detained more than 5,000 people in efforts to counter extremist violence in that country. Israeli authorities continue to investigate last week’s attacks in Tel Aviv that killed four and wounded sixteen. Suicide bombers struck a Damascus suburb last Saturday, killing at least twenty and injuring dozens more. ISIS immediately claimed responsibility.

But there’s good news in the news.

Continue reading Denison Forum – GOOD NEWS IN THE WAR ON TERROR DR. JIM DENISON →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – A Balanced Prayer

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2 Chronicles 20:5-12

Christians today can learn some valuable lessons from the prayers found in the Old Testament. When Jehoshaphat petitioned for divine help, he struck a balance between asking the Lord to meet his needs and proclaiming God’s greatness. Likewise, our requests should be made with recognition of who God is. Otherwise, the focus of our prayers can become need, weakness, failure, or fear.

Jehoshaphat cried out to God about his terrible predicament, but he also exalted the Lord’s attributes, acknowledging the great things He had done for them. When we pray with this attitude, we become stronger, bolder, and more forthright. That’s why knowing the Word of God is so important. When we read about how the Lord has worked in the lives of others, we better understand His awesome power and might. Then we can look to the men and women of the Old Testament as an example and begin to pray in a similar way. God’s wonder-working power is still available to us today, and He wants His children to access it.

By proclaiming, “Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You” (2 Chron. 20:6), Jehoshaphat was praising God and at the same time reminding himself of the Lord’s greatness. As you pray, speak to God of His mercy, talk to Him about His grace, and recall His mighty power.

Do you want to revolutionize your prayer life? If you give as much attention to declaring the attributes of the Lord as you do to making requests, your prayers will take on a whole new dimension. They’ll cease to be self-centered and instead will become God-centered.

Bible in a Year: Psalms 15-18

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Repeat After Me

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Repeat After Me

Read: Psalm 141 | Bible in a Year: Ezra 6–8; John 21

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Psalm 141:3 (nlt)

When Rebecca stood on stage to speak at a conference, her first sentence into the microphone echoed around the room. It was a bit unsettling for her to hear her own words come back at her, and she had to adjust to the faulty sound system and try to ignore the echo of every word she spoke.

Imagine what it would be like to hear everything we say repeated! It wouldn’t be so bad to hear ourselves repeat “I love you” or “I was wrong” or “Thank You, Lord” or “I’m praying for you.” But not all of our words are beautiful or gentle or kind. What about those angry outbursts or demeaning comments that no one wants to hear once, let alone twice—those words that we would really rather take back?

He forgives us when we fail.

Continue reading Our Daily Bread – Repeat After Me →

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Risk of Seeing

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In an essay titled “Meditation in a Toolshed,” C.S. Lewis describes a scene from within a darkened shed. The sun was brilliantly shining outside, yet from the inside only a small sunbeam could be seen through a crack at the top of the door. Everything was pitch-black except for the prominent beam of light, by which he could see flecks of dust floating about. Writes Lewis:

“I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it. Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving in the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences.”(1)

Each time I come to the gospel accounts of the woman with the alabaster jar, I notice something similar. “Do you see this woman?” Jesus asks, as if he is speaking as much to me the reader as he is to the guests around the table. With a jar of costly perfume, she had anointed the feet of Christ with fragrance and tears. She risked shame and endured criticism because she alone saw the one in front of them all. While the dinner crowd was sitting in the dark about Jesus, the woman was peering in the light of understanding. What she saw invoked tears of recognition, sacrifice, and love. Gazing along the beam and at the beam are quite different ways of seeing.

The late seventeenth century poet George Herbert once described prayer as “the soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage.” At those words I picture the woman with her broken alabaster jar, wiping the dusty, fragrant feet of Christ with her hair. Pouring out the expensive nard, she seems to pour out her soul. Fittingly, Herbert concludes his grand description of prayer as “something understood.”

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Risk of Seeing →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Resists Intimidation

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“Then the herald loudly proclaimed: ‘To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.’ Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up” (Daniel 3:4-7).

The choices you make reveal the convictions you embrace.

After King Nebuchadnezzar had gathered all his leaders to the dedication of his golden image, he issued a proclamation that at the sound of his orchestra they were to fall down and worship the image. Those leaders were the most influential and respected people in Babylon, so you might expect them to be people of strong convictions and personal integrity. Sadly, that was not the case, and with only three exceptions they all lacked the courage to say no.

Granted, punishment for disobeying the king’s decree would be severe indeed. But even the threat of a fiery death could not intimidate Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Instead, it simply revealed the depth of their commitment to God. That’s what makes them such remarkable role models. As young men barely twenty years old, they demonstrated tremendous courage and conviction.

Each day Christians face considerable pressure to compromise spiritual integrity and to adopt standards of thought and behavior that are displeasing to the Lord. Young people especially are vulnerable to negative peer pressure and intimidation. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego show us that young people can be spiritual leaders who are strong in their faith and exemplary in their obedience. May that be true of you as well, regardless of your age.

Suggestions for Prayer

Remember to pray often for the young people in your church, and do what you can to encourage them in their walk with the Lord.

For Further Study

Read Joshua 1:1-9. How did God encourage Joshua as he faced the intimidating task of leading the nation of Israel?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – How to Know if We Take God Seriously Enough 

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Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth. John 17:17, AMP

Some people play church. Their brand of Christianity is cultural, socially acceptable—but not a level of commitment to Christ that invites criticism or an uncomfortable life change. Like an imaginary game they may play with a child, they pretend to be serious with their faith—but they are only posers. Their Sunday religious ruse is a form of godliness. It is temporary, an empty routine. Bible reading, prayer and worship evaporate the other six days of the week. To not take the Almighty seriously is a serious mistake. A flippant faith is a false religion for fools.

Jesus describes the process of how a Christian grows in understanding of their heavenly Father and His plan for their life. A child of God is set apart for His purposes to make them holy—and in Christ they are His holy people. The common theme in Christ’s words is truth—the truth found in God’s word and the truth to transform the human heart. And because Jesus is the Truth and Jesus is the Word—to know and love Jesus is to know and love the truth. Authentic Christianity takes the Lord seriously by learning His truth and submitting to its transforming work of grace.

“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-18, AMP).

Let’s take a truth test and expose common misconceptions about Christianity. True or False: Being a follower of Jesus solves all our problems and makes us prosperous. False. Sometimes the godly are persecuted for their faith and suffer material loss. True or False: Christians do not believe they are morally superior to non-Christians. True. Those who walk with Christ aspire to a high ethical standard, but confess their struggle with sin and seek forgiveness. True or False: The Christian life is predictable. False. A life of faith is a great adventure with joyful discoveries!

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – How to Know if We Take God Seriously Enough  →