THE MASTERS LIST Dean W. Masters

10 Biblical Truths to Overcome Sinful Anger
by Association of Biblical Counselors
by Biblical Soul Care Harvest Bible Chapel

It doesn’t take long to figure out that we live in an angry world. Read the 
headlines on any given day and you see anger on display in politics, movies,
TV shows, and sports. Spend any amount of time in any family and you’ll see 
anger expressed almost daily. When a day goes by without conflict, it’s a 
miracle
of God.

Sadly, the church hasn’t exactly been the poster child for pursuing peace 
and reconciling conflict in a God-glorifying way over the course of church 
history.
Even though Jesus “broke down the dividing wall of hostility… so that we 
could have peace” (Ephesians 2:14–16),
we still quarrel and fight

It’s inevitable—wherever there are relationships, sinful anger will be 
expressed. By nature, we’re all selfish. I’m no exception. Cut me off in 
traffic,
I might have some words for you (with my window up, of course). Do something 
I perceive as disrespectful, watch out! I may get a little passive 
aggressive
and withdraw from interacting with you because I have a heart of fear. If 
you “reject me,” I get insecure, defensive, and may punish you by holding 
back.

See, that’s how deceptive sin can be. It affects our ability to think 
reasonably and rationally. While I am not immune, I am also certain I’m not 
alone
in my struggle (1 Corinthians 10:13).
BUT GOD, in his grace, mercy, kindness, patience, and love has made us alive 
through the death, burial, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4–9).
It’s only because of Him that I’m pursuing humility and meekness as a way of 
life. Know this though, humility and meekness are not weakness! They are 
strength
under control, like a well trained war horse (Matthew 5:5).

As God’s children, we can all make this journey of change together. Here are 
some things I have learned over the years in my fight against sinful anger.
Understanding and applying these truths to your own life will help you 
overcome sinful anger and see sustained fruit.

1. Anger Has Three Faces: It is expressed primarily in three different ways: 
1) explosive and blowing up; 2) stewing, brewing, or silent indignation; and
3) irritability, exasperation or embitterment. Silent anger is just as 
offensive to God as explosive anger. How are you prone to express your 
anger?

2. Anger Hurts Relationships: You choose who is on the receiving end of your 
anger because anger is a perceived threat to something you hold valuable.
The problem is we can go a whole day at work being “nice” to our co-workers 
only to lose it at home with those closest to us! We tend to take it out on
those we are called to love the most. Who has been on the receiving end of 
your anger the most?

3. Anger is in the Bible: The Bible has a lot to say about anger. From the 
beginning in the garden all the way to the end; man’s anger is expressed by
rejecting God and pursuing his own way (
Romans 3:10–18).
Yet man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteous purposes (
James 1:19–20).
While God too can be angry, it is never sinful (Psalm 7:11
;John 3:36
;Romans 1:18).
Actually, compared to the offenses He must suffer, He is very “slow to 
anger” (Exodus 34:6
;Psalm 103:8).
Does your anger accomplish God’s purposes?

4. Anger Put Jesus on the Cross: Did you know that the anger of man and God’s 
wrath for all our sins culminated onto Jesus when he went to the cross to
pay the penalty for sin (
Acts 2:22–24)?
He satisfied God’s wrath and allowed man to express their anger towards him 
at the same time—man rejecting God and God loving man in the very same event
in history. How often do you reject God in your anger by not doing what He 
calls you to do?

5. Anger Is Covered by Christ’s Blood: The blood of Christ is sufficient to 
cover your sinful anger. No matter what wrath has protruded from your mouth
or what you’ve done physically to harm others or yourself, you can be 
forgiven and walk in newness of life. Anger is a sin, but the death of 
Christ is
payment enough to cover it. If you have died with Christ, you can become a 
different person (Romans 6:5–11).
Do you believe and live as if your anger is covered by the blood of Christ 
or do you act like His blood isn’t sufficient? Why or why not?

6. Anger is a Life-dominating Sin: Just like any other “addiction,” we 
become enslaved to anger. It temporarily satisfies our sinful desire and 
flesh,
yet we feel guilty and ashamed when we give full vent to it. It’s a vicious 
cycle of self-destruction. Are you stuck in a vicious cycle of anger? If so,
you can be set free (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

7. Anger is an Expression of False Worship: Like all other “addictions,” 
anger has false worship at its core. When you express your anger sinfully, 
ask
yourself, “What am I not getting that I really want or that I’m willing to 
sin to get?” Your answer will reveal what you’re living for in that moment.
Something else has captured your heart more than God, and you’re seeking a 
false refuge; that is idolatry. What’s captured your heart more than God?

8. Anger is Often Just a Fruit: It usually has fear at the root and more 
specifically, it is the fear of man. While anger may be all we can see at 
times,
at the heart of it is a fearful, insecure, unsafe, untrusting heart looking 
for something from man that only God can satisfy. Learn to love God more 
with
reverent awe and fear because then you’ll learn to need people less. 
Remember that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)
and that you are perfectly loved by your heavenly Father. What are you 
really afraid of deep down in the innermost being of your heart?

9. Anger Can Be Righteous:
Ephesians 4:26
says, “Be angry and do not sin.” You express righteous anger by becoming 
angry about what angers God. Jesus died not only to free you from sinful 
anger
but to enable you to be angry with God not at God. Is your anger expressed 
righteously or sinfully? How can you tell? Would others say the same?

10. Anger Must Be Surrendered: The only way out is to surrender your anger 
to God. Do not control or manage it in your flesh. Let the Spirit move you 
to
action or bring you to brokenness. God is the judge, not you or me (
James 4:11–12).
Are you ready to step down from the throne of your mini judgment seat and 
allow God to be God? Remember, “vengeance is mine,” says the Lord (Romans 12:18–21).

Are you ready to humble yourself in your broken state and surrender your 
sinful anger to God? Know that He will give you grace in your time of need (Isaiah 66:2b
;2 Chronicles 16:9
;James 4:6).
So, if you are ready, repent, ask God and those you have offended to forgive 
you, and walk in victory over the sinful anger that’s held you captive for
so long.

LightSource.com Featured Ministry
Adrian Rogers Love Worth Finding

Hope for the Future and Joy for Today

Colossians 1:5

Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our 
joy down here today. Our hearts will be stirred by thinking often of heaven,
for all that we can desire is promised there.

Here we are tired and weary, but over there is the land of rest where the 
sweat of toil will no longer soak our shirts, and fatigue will be banished 
forever.
To those who are weary and worn, the word rest is full of heaven. We are 
always in the field of battle; we are so tempted and so molested by foes 
that
we have little or no peace; but in heaven we will enjoy the victory, when 
the banner shall be unfurled in triumph, and the sword will be sheathed, and
we will hear our Captain say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."1

We have suffered bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land 
of the immortal where graves do not exist. Here sin is a constant grief to
us, but there we will be perfectly holy, for there will be nothing in heaven 
to defile it. There are no needs in the furrows of celestial fields. It is
a source of deep joy to realize that the wilderness journey of our earthly 
pilgrimage will end and we will inherit heaven.

But let us make sure that we are not just dreaming about the future and thus 
forgetting the present. Let all thoughts of the future serve to make us 
useful
in the present. Through the Spirit of God the hope of heaven is the most 
powerful force for producing virtue; it is a fountain of joyful endeavor; it 
is
the cornerstone of cheerful holiness. Those who have this hope in them go 
about their work with vigor, for the joy of the Lord is their strength. They
fight hard against temptation, for the hope of the next world repels the 
fiery darts of the adversary. They can work without immediate reward, for 
they
anticipate a reward in the world to come.

1 1 Matthew 25:23

Family
Bible
reading plan

verse 1 1 Kings 4, 5

verse 2 Ephesians 2

Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough

The changes taking place in Western cultures are both discouraging to
Christians
and, ironically, encouraging. More precisely, most of the changes themselves 
are discouraging, but they are calling forth a different set of changes that
are encouraging. The discouraging changes are easy to list. Rising biblical 
illiteracy means that there is less and less cultural consensus around 
things
like the Ten Commandments. Honor is an old-fashioned word, easily mocked; 
truth is increasingly flexible; the lust for power, success, and money has 
become
more and more transparent and unchecked; dignity is old-fashioned; cruelty 
and vengeance are sometimes depicted as virtues.

Short, clear, realistic and humorous, this book will challenge you to be 
honest in your conversations about Jesus, help you to know how to talk about 
him,
and thrill you that God can and will use ordinary people to change eternal 
destinies.

From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. 
Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News 
Publishers,
Wheaton, IL 60187,

Anne Graham Lotz - Open Your Heart to God
Open Your Heart to God
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see 
if there is any wicked way in me.

Psalm 139:23-24, NKJV

Have you erected a shield around your heart? A shield . . . of pride or 
doubt

or shame

or anger?

Did you think that if you opened your heart and let God see inside, that He 
would blame you for what you have or haven’t done? Or rebuke you for your 
lack
of faith?

You and I can be so foolish! Why do we think we can hide our feelings from 
God? Why would we want to hide our feelings from God? Would you open up your
heart and show it to Him? Let Him see exactly how you feel and what you 
think. Don’t hide it or repress it or cover it up or pretend it’s not there. 
Just
pour it all out to Him, and then wait expectantly for His response.

Blessings,
Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

When Was It?

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you 
hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And 
when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave 
you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited 
you?’" (Matthew 25:37-39, NRSV)

I read about Mike May who lost his sight when he was three years old. Forty 
years later medical technology had created a way through surgery for him to 
see. Even though his eye turned out perfect his brain could not always 
recognize at what he was looking.

One day while walking down the sidewalk in a city he noticed something 
there. It took him a little while but he finally figured out it was a 
homeless person. Of course, he had heard of homeless people but while 
walking downtown his dog guide had always led him around them. The day he 
first saw this homeless person it really bothered him.

In the teaching from Matthew 25 Jesus is talking about separating the sheep 
from the goats based on their actions. Both groups said they did not see 
Jesus when he was hungry, thirsty, etc. Jesus did not mean that they saw Him 
in those conditions personally but that those who help those who are in 
those conditions are doing them to Him.

As we go through our day do we try not to see those who are hungry, thirsty, 
sick, etc.? Do we say we don’t see them because we don’t want to be 
bothered? Are we afraid that if we really did notice them it would bother us 
like it did Mike May?

Prayer: Lord, please forgive us when we avoid seeing those who need our 
help. Forgive us for our selfishness. Help us to see those we can help and 
be willing to do what is needed. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thought: Let us look to see those who need our help.

By Dean W. Masters

World Challenge Pulpit Series
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Assistant Jesus?

by Gary Wilkerson | September 21, 2015

John 6 contains one of the hardest passages for me
in all of Scripture. It's a difficult text for
pastors especially because it speaks of followers
who end up rejecting Christ and turning away. The
passage I'm referring to isn't a teaching or
prophecy. It's a scene in which people literally
left Jesus in droves.

He had just miraculously fed a crowd of thousands.
The people were amazed and thrilled by what he'd
done, ready to follow this wonder-working Messiah.
But when Jesus challenged them about what they
were really after, they scoffed and left by the
masses.

Underlying this passage is a question for anyone
who would follow Christ. The question is this:
"Who is in charge of your life, you or Jesus?" Do
we allow God to have total direction of our lives?
Or do we try to determine for ourselves what God
wants of us?

Every Christian faces this question early on in
his or her walk with the Lord. From the outset a
battle takes place in us, a clash of two warring
cultures. First there is the outer culture of the
world, which constantly urges, "How can you
benefit from this?" Then there is the culture of
God's kingdom, which asks, "How can you serve the
Lord and your neighbor?"

Jesus had already preached that the kingdom of God
is at work in the world: "The kingdom of God is
near" (Mark 1:15, NLT). In other words: "The
kingdom of God is present among you." Most of
Christ's listeners that day had the world's
mindset. They were driven mainly by what they
could gain for themselves. When Jesus came along
offering blessings, they flocked to him saying,
"Sure, if you're going to provide me with
everything, I'll follow you. If you'll heal my
sick family members and answer my prayers, yes,
absolutely, I'll be your disciple."

But what happens to our faith commitment if these
things don't come to pass for us? How committed to
Jesus are we when we realize he's not just our
"assistant" in life? The same people in this scene
who were quick to follow Christ were just as quick
to reject him. Disappointed, they left, giving up
on him.

Jesus knew this would happen. That's why on the
heels of performing a great miracle for those
multitudes, he confronted them: "I tell you the
truth, you want to be with me because I fed you,
not because you understood the miraculous signs'"
(John 6:26). Is the same true of us today? Do we
follow Jesus mainly because of his blessings or
because he is Lord?

A few years ago a phrase was coined in our
culture: "The Greatest Generation."

This awesome tag was earned by the World War II
generation in America, people who served
sacrificially overseas and at home. These folks
told themselves, "We can win this war. It's going
to be hard and will take great sacrifices. But it
can be done and we're the ones to do it."

Once the war ended, that generation held on to the
values that had helped them win - and a great
trajectory began in our country. Suddenly there
were incredible advances in technology and
science, resulting in space travel, moon landings,
medical advancements and an economic boom. These
were the prosperous fruits of a culture built on
values held dear by The Greatest Generation. These
people had become used to sacrificing for the war
effort, so it was no great effort for, say, a
couple to save money over several years to make a
down payment on a house.

But if a culture is based on weak values, it will
fall apart. Nazi Germany was built on a culture of
dominance, supremacy and fear. Under Hitler, that
country was able to build a powerful war machine
in a short time, threatening all of Europe and
other continents. But in a few short years Germany
withered until it collapsed in war-torn rubble.

America has also seen a culture-based collapse in
recent years. It happened in the business world. I
have a friend who worked for a famous investment
firm in the eighties and nineties. This was one of
America's oldest, most reputable companies, built
on decades of serving the long-term economic
well-being of American families. But my friend saw
the company's culture change as greed and a
mentality of "have it all now" infected Wall
Street. In 2008, when the housing bubble burst,
that company had to lay off thousands of workers -
and it did so coldly without caring about them.
The company eventually came under government
investigation.

The church also has a highly valued culture to
preserve.

Every generation of Christians has to check itself
to discern whether its mission and actions are
God-honoring. We continually have to ask
ourselves, "Are we still serving the Lord and our
neighbor faithfully and sacrificially? Or have we
drifted into a 'bless me' mentality?" Christ knew
exactly where the masses' hearts were when they
began following him. That's why he challenged
them, "You want to be with me because I fed you,
not because you understood the miraculous signs"
(John 6:26). Why does Jesus refer to "miraculous
signs" here? Think about what a sign does. It
points to something; it isn't the thing itself.
When a road sign reads, "Denver 60 Miles," we know
we're not in Denver yet but we're on the way. In
the same way, Jesus was letting them know the
loaves and the fishes weren't the point. They
revealed the loving care of the heavenly Father.
The miracles are signs of his care for us.

The crowd's response revealed their hearts. "They
answered...the Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them
bread from heaen to eat'" (6:30-31). They were
playing Moses' example against Jesus. It was
arm-twisting, like a child who goes to each parent
trying to get what he wants. Do we look for God in
our midst? Or do we merely seek his provision?
Let's be honest, often when we pray we want an
answer now, today, this hour. That's an
unfortunate trait of our world's "have it all now"
culture. In a spiritual sense, we lack a
tremendous value that The Greatest Generation held
dear: to know that by faith we'll eventually see
great blessings.

For the Christian, knowing God isn't about being
"blessed now." The Lord won't bend to our lusts to
give us everything we want, when we want it. His
desire is to have a relationship with us - an
ongoing, long-term relationship that bears lasting
fruit. So his blessings aren't the end-all of the
relationship; they're signs of his faithfulness
and compassion - traits that any of us would covet
in a relationship. Christ's miracles were evidence
of those beautiful traits.

But for the crowds in Jesus' day, a relationship
wasn't enough. "They replied, 'We want to perform
God's works, too. What should we do?'" (6:28).
This may sound like a godly ambition, but behind
it was a desire for autonomy. They weren't seeking
God's power to serve the poor, disabled and
hungry. They were thinking of themselves. This is
proven a few verses later when they demanded of
Jesus, "Give us that bread every day" (6:34).
Jesus was communicating to them very clearly, "God
isn't anyone's personal vending machine."

What was at the root of this "me first" mentality?
I believe it was a question that many Christians
today wonder as well: "Is God really good?"

Do you believe God is as good in the hard times as
he is at other times?

These people didn't believe that about God.
Multitudes turned away from Jesus at that very
moment. "At this point many of his disciples
turned away and deserted him" (John 6:66).

I preach God's goodness, faithfulness and desire
to bless us. And I rejoice whenever someone calls
our office to say, "Praise God, I can pay my rent
this month!" Yet God doesn't stop being good when
that same person has to rent a U-Haul truck the
next month because they can no longer afford their
apartment. God never stops being good, no matter
what.

That's why, in our most trying moments, we may
hear his voice whisper, "I see your need and your
anguish. Do you trust me? Or are you angry at me?
Do you love me? And do you know I love you?"
Sometimes when he withholds a blessing, he is
asking us something important: "Do you follow me
because of what you get from me, or because you
love me and know that I love you?" Often God wants
to show us what is in our hearts so we may grow in
this cherished relationship.

Our trials also reveal which culture rules our
hearts. Jesus' challenge to the people here showed
they were mired in a culture of complaint. He
actually told them, in verse 43, "Stop complaining
about what I said." A culture of complaint always
sours relationships. That's why he asked his
closest circle of disciples, "Does this offend
you? Then what will you think if you see the Son
of Man ascend to heaven again?" (6:61-62). He was
saying, "You're fighting over bread and fish. How
will you not complain even more when I leave you
bodily?"

Jesus has a question for every hurting believer
today.

As the crowds began leaving, Christ turned to the
twelve and asked, "Are you also going to leave?"
(John 6:67). This is a question for every hurting
Christian today - everyone whose prayer hasn't
been answered the way they've wanted; whose
marriage is on the brink; whose physical healing
hasn't come; who is in the battle of their life -
in other words, everyone who is disappointed with
God. In those times, we are all tempted to give up
praying and turn away.

The passage in John 6 contains Jesus' response to
us. When he speaks of "ascend(ing) to heaven
again" (6:62), he's telling us, "I am going to
glory on your behalf. All the angels in creation
are going to bow down before me and cry out day
and night, 'Holy, holy, holy.' Knowing this, do
not get caught up in loaves and fishes. The
Father, who rules over all of creation, sees every
one of your needs. He holds your future in his
hands."

Peter seemed to grasp this great truth. He
replied, "Lord, to whom [else] would we go? You
have the words that give eternal life. We believe,
and we know you are the Holy One of God"
(6:68-69). What a moment for the disciples - and
for us today. Our faith commitment isn't based on
what God gives us. It's based on our relationship
with him, and who we know him to be:
compassionate, merciful and faithful.

Best of all, this relationship doesn't hinge on
our performance but on his faithfulness. He has
called us to serve him, and therefore he will be
faithful to keep us. Friend, hold on to your
faith. Your heavenly Father never slumbers; he is
continually at work on your behalf, even when you
cannot see the end of your trial. You can rest
assured he does. Amen!

_______________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2015 - World Challenge, Inc.
P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771, USA

Anne Graham Lotz - Breaking the Silence

Breaking the Silence
You have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit.

1 Peter 1:22, NKJV

Is God silent in your life? Could it be that He has given you Truth to which 
you have not responded obediently? Has He given you truth through a Bible
study,

or your pastor’s sermon,

or your daily devotions,

or an inspirational book,

or a godly friend,

that you have yet to apply and obey? Have you been frustrated because the 
Bible doesn’t seem to make sense to you? And when you pray, is it as though 
your
prayers hit the ceiling of your room and bounce back? Have you felt as 
though God has abandoned you? If so, you need to go back to the last thing 
you can
remember that He told you and act on it. If you can’t remember, just return 
to the Cross by faith. In prayer, confess your sin of disobedience whether
it was willful or not. Ask God to break His silence in your life.

Blessings,
Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

7 Ways to Survive the Transitions of Life
Fiona Veitch Smith

As a writer who makes her living by sending off proposals and waiting for 
responses from editors, publishers and agents, I know what it is to wait. As
a mother of a young child who feels her own dreams and aspirations are so 
far on the back burner that the gas has almost gone out, I know what it is 
to
wait. As a church member, yearning to see growth and the fruit of outreach 
into the community, I know what it is to wait. As a child of God who is 
being
led on a journey through hard times and good times and sometimes losing 
sight of the Father, I know what it is to wait. However, I have learned that 
there
are some things that can help us through our waiting times. Here are a few 
of them:

1. Be prepared to let go of your dreams

Dreams are wonderful things. They give us hope, they give us direction, they 
suggest a future where we are fulfilled and God’s plans are working in and
through us. What more could a child of God want? But sometimes our dreams 
are distorted, a product of our own desires, rather than God’s best for us. 
When
the door keeps closing, consider that God might not want you to move forward 
just yet. Or perhaps he might want you to let go of something before you do.
The waiting time is a period where we can discern which it is. It can be a 
painful time – letting go always is.

2. Seek Godly counsel and support from friends

The waiting times can be greatly helped by the support of
family
and friends. Sometimes though, our friends can be a little bit like Job’s 
comforters, not quite understanding where we are and what we are going 
through.
But a wise friend or leader will help you talk through what’s going on in 
your life. They may be able to suggest a way forward or simply give you the 
opportunity
to offload. I always feel better after I’ve poured out my confusion to my 
pastor or a good friend.

3. Waiting is learning to rest

“Come to me all you who are weak and heavy-laden and I will give you rest”
(Mattew 11:28).

The shalom of God – that wonderful gift of peace, rest and rightness with 
our Creator – is something we all desire, but to experience it is sometimes 
so
elusive. We need to learn to rest. We need to know what it is to abide in 
Christ, to walk with him, to allow him to take control. We need to be 
prepared
to “waste time” just being with him. These are all hard lessons to learn and 
ones that we are unable to grasp when we are rushing forward doing whatever
it is we feel called to do. So that’s when the waiting times come in. That’s 
the gift of this fallow time although it may only be seen in hindsight.

4. See what God is doing in the little things – now!

Every day is a gift from God: every moment, every second. When we are so 
busy looking towards the horizon we fail to see the beauty of what is at our 
feet
- the snail making its trail, the wild flower pushing its way through the 
crack in the pavement. There’s an old hymn that goes, “Count your 
blessings,
name them one by one.” When I’m frustrated with the waiting time and 
chomping at the bit to move forward into bigger and better things, I take my 
journal
and write a simple list of things to be grateful for now. A phone call from 
a friend, a chance to help someone reach something on the top shelf at the
market, the picture my daughter painted at school …

5. Look back on what God has done before

I have kept a spiritual journal since I was 19. In it I write out my prayers 
to God. I write out my frustrations and my celebrations. I confess my sins
and my confusion. I write out scripture verses that have touched me or 
something in a sermon I heard that has a particular application to my life. 
When
I sense I’m going into another waiting time I get out my old journals and 
re-read what I went through the last time. I’m comforted to see how God led 
me
through that, and it gives me hope that he will lead me again. I see 
patterns of behavior that I recognize as happening again. If you don’t 
already keep
a journal, start one now – it will help you not only to process what is 
happening now, but to be a guide for the next time it happens, too. Yes, 
there
will be a next time!

6. You can’t see around the bend, but God can

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm 
you, to give you a hope and a future”
(Jeremiah 29:11).

I hate not being able to see where I’m going. I hate not being in control. I 
get stressed when I’m going somewhere in the car as a passenger and I’m not
convinced the driver knows where he’s going … It can be the same with God. 
But I have to remind myself that God does know where he’s going. He knows 
what
is around the bend. When I doubt this I turn to the Bible and pray through 
the many verses and passages that assure me that God is in control.

I remember a time when my Young David Books were just beginning to make an 
impact in England – but we wanted them to go worldwide. We had no idea how,
but, as it turned out, God knew. He knew that around the bend I would meet a 
woman I had once taught with who was now a digital publisher. He knew that
since we had last seen each other she had developed cutting edge technology 
that could turn simple picture books into incredible interactive experiences
for children. He knew that while I was looking around in confusion, around 
the bend Brief Lives were waiting to produce the
Young David Book App.
He knew that one day I would be able to contribute profits from the book to 
established Christian charities worldwide. I wonder what is around the bend
for you …

7. Allow hope to rise again

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I 
am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”
(Isaiah 43:19).

Sometimes we’ve been waiting so long that we’ve given up on ever moving 
towards our dream. Sometimes we’ve let go of our dreams and are enjoying 
resting
with God, finally content with where we are. But don’t be surprised if that’s 
exactly the time God will stir something in you again. When he does allow
the hope to rise, be brave enough to risk moving forward again. You may be 
surprised that it’s the same dream, resurrected, with you now just in a 
better
position to follow it, or it may be a new and better dream that you could 
not grasp while you held onto the old. Learn to recognize the seasons of 
your
life: there’ll be a time to wait and a time to move on and then a time to 
wait again …

Fiona Veitch Smith is the author of the interactive Young David Books app, 
which can be accessed in the “Young David Books” App for iPad

Love Worth Finding Ministries
What Jesus Wants More than Your Service

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Discipleship is fellowship with Christ, knowing Christ, loving Christ, 
abiding in Christ.

I’m afraid that too many have joined the movement of Christianity rather 
than having surrendered to the man of Christianity. These people are doing 
things
for Christ, rather than sitting at the feet of Christ.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with service, and we ought to serve God, but we 
need to learn that we must minister to Jesus Christ as His disciple before 
we can minister to others. Jesus values the time you spend with Him far more 
than the things you do for Him. Do you know that?

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

The Commission of God

One of the characteristics about God that separates the
Christian faith
from other religions is that our God pursues us. While the world's religions 
devise ways to seek out and appease a higher being,
Christians
know that God is the One who initiated the seeking. God is the One who calls 
us to Him. Since the very beginning of history, God has chosen to commission
His people to testify to His name. Today He is still calling His children to 
share His Gospel with the world.

After His resurrection, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth 
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all 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 28:18-20).

The Great Commission is not only for preachers, evangelists, and 
missionaries. The Great Commission is for every believer and follower of 
Jesus Christ.
We do not need seminary degrees or a library full of commentaries to tell 
others about Christ. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive
all the qualification we need. His Holy Spirit will guide our words and 
actions. He will equip us to speak with whomever He leads us to, no matter 
how
intimidated or nervous we may feel. He will prepare the way for us; we only 
need to follow obediently.

We all have a role in spreading the Gospel message until the day of His 
return. Yet many of us routinely fail in following through on this 
commandment.
We shy away from it; we forget about it. We procrastinate. We become so 
involved in our earthly concerns and priorities that we neglect the kingdom 
of
God. As we make the Great Commission our top priority, we will discover that 
our concerns and excuses are taken care of: "But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" 
(Matthew 6:33).

Throughout history, God's people have disappointed Him in His commissions. 
In the days of the Old Testament, God gave His children great victories and
blessings to make Himself known to the world. Instead of sharing about God, 
His people became self-focused and kept the message to themselves. Even the
prophet Jonah tried to run away from his responsibility to share God's Word. 
In the days of the early Christian church, God's people would lose their 
enthusiasm
for witnessing. Eventually the center for missionary activity would change 
from one city to another: from Jerusalem to Antioch to Alexandria to Rome. 
Eventually
a missionary movement spread from Rome to England, where it crossed the 
Atlantic Ocean.

And here we stand at a crossroads. What will we continue to do with the 
opportunities God has given us? Will we completely lose our focus and allow 
the
Christian church to drift aimlessly? Will we obey the Great Commission and 
share the Gospel message while we still have the freedom to do so? Or will 
we
allow ourselves to be silenced while countless souls are in danger of 
eternal hell?

Only the Holy Spirit can change someone's heart, but God is calling us to be 
a part of the process. We can make a difference in the eternal lives of 
others.
We can tell our neighbors how Christ changed our lives. We can share with 
our friends why we have peace in the middle of difficult times. We can train
our children in the ways of the Lord. And we can unite together in prayer 
for the souls of nonbelievers. We can pray that we will continue to have the
freedom to openly speak Jesus' name in public. We can pray that we remain 
free to share the full Gospel message, without being confined to a 
politically
correct version. We can pray that God will continue to use His people to 
spread His Gospel to the ends of the world.

Spend time in prayer today examining your priorities. Where does the Great 
Commission fall on that list? Pray daily that God will renew your passion 
for
the souls of nonbelievers. Pray that God prepares the hearts of those around 
you to receive the Gospel message. Pray for the Holy Spirit to provide you
with opportunities for sharing about Christ. Pray that our country's 
freedoms will continue so that we may freely speak the uncompromising Truth 
of the
Gospel.

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have 
a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."--
Philemon 1:6

****

Jesus, Jihad and Peace

What does the threat of Islamic extremism mean in terms of Bible prophecy? 
In a world that cries out for peace, which will prevail—Jesus or jihad? In
Jesus, Jihad and Peace,
Dr. Michael Youssef provides answers that are concise, Biblically accurate, 
and targeted on the challenges that confront us in a world that is 
increasingly
fraught with peril. Order your copy today through Leading The Way!

We are Leading The Way for people living in spiritual darkness, at home and 
around the world, to discover the light of Christ as we passionately 
proclaim
uncompromising Truth. Visit us today at
http://www.ltw.org/

Love Worth Finding Ministries

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless 
and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”
Philippians 2:14-15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you know the problem with many of us when we obey God? We murmur about it 
while we are doing it! And God is taking notes, because halfhearted 
obedience
isn’t obedience at all. Remember, God is looking at the heart, not the deed 
(see 1 Samuel 16:7).

Do you know why we murmur? Because we’ve taken our eyes off Calvary. Jesus 
didn’t murmur on the way to the cross. Oh no. Do you thank God for the pains
in life? Or only the gains?

ACTION POINT:
Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the 
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries


Friendly---Inside Out
by Charles R. Swindoll

1 Samuel 16:1-7
;
1 Kings 5:1-12; John 15:15

Are you attractive? I'm not referring to external beauty nor facial 
features. I'm asking if you are attractive---magnetic, winsome, charming, 
friendly.
Listen to Proverbs 18:24a (KJV):

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.

Do you see the point of the proverb? To have friends we must be friendly. 
Friendliness is a matter of being someone . . . more than it is doing 
something.

A prerequisite to friendliness is a positive, healthy self-image. Ephesians 
5:29 suggests this fact in a context dealing with a man's love for his wife.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as 
Christ also does the church. (Read also Romans 12:3.)

A healthy attitude toward ourselves is necessary before there can be a 
healthy attitude toward others . . . which attracts them as friends. To 
encourage
you toward that vital objective, let me remind you of three simple, yet 
wonderful facts:

1. God originally designed and "prescribed" you (Psalm 139:13-17).
2. God is not through---He hasn't completed His work in you (Romans 8:29; 
Ephesians 2:10).
3. The real you---that which God develops---is within you (1 Samuel 16:7).

Far more than your outward size, shape, features, and dress, your inner 
qualities are the things that make you attractive and friendly. First Peter 
3:1-6
makes this abundantly clear.

So---rather than feeling obligated to "glad hand" everyone you see at church 
and work up an outward appearance of friendliness, take a long look at the
inner you, the real you. Call to mind those qualities He has developed 
within you. Find encouragement in the fact that you have a unique 
combination of
inner qualities found in no one else---so you have a contribution to make in 
just being yourself!

Ask God to give you the ability to be positive, honest, and open (and 
comfortable doing so!) at all times. Ask Him to use you to be a friend to 
someone
who is needing a friend. Personally, I think that makes a lot more sense 
than feeling we have to walk around with a grin twenty-four hours a day!

I agree with John R. Mott:

Rule by the heart. When logic and argument and other forms of persuasion 
fail, fall back on the heart-genuine friendship.

Excerpt taken from
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life,
Copyright © 1983, 1994, 2007 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights 
reserved worldwide. Used by arrangement with Zondervan Publishing House..

The Power of Being Ordinary
LIZ CURTIS HIGGS

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were 
unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these 
men
had been with Jesus."
Acts 4:13
(NIV)

When I first embraced God’s gift of grace, I knew almost nothing about the 
Bible. I bought my first copy on a snowy Friday night, intimidated by the 
size
of it, overwhelmed by the notes in the margins and the maps in the back.

I started with the book of Psalms because it looked like poetry, and I was 
undone by the end of the first verse. "How blessed is the man who does not 
walk
in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in 
the seat of scoffers!"
(Psalm 1:1,
NASB)

Sinners, scoffers? I knew these people. We used different words — party 
animals, bad girls — but they were my friends. My before-Jesus friends. The 
people
I had walked with, stood with and sat with, just like the Bible said.

Though I loved them, I no longer wanted to do the things they did. Was it 
possible to change? To be made new? The next verse showed me what a person 
of
God did: "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he 
meditates day and night"
(Psalm 1:2,
NASB).

Wow. So simple. 1) Read the Bible with enthusiasm. 2) Think about what you’ve 
read. Bam.

No wonder my new friends from church kept telling me to read God’s Word. In 
a world filled with problems, He provides answers.

I started taking my Bible to work, catching a few minutes here and there to 
read and digest. I didn’t understand all of it, couldn’t keep the characters
straight and wasn’t clear on how everything fit together. But this much I 
knew: for the first time in my life, the Bible made sense.

A co-worker, seeing my excitement, asked me what I was reading.

"The Bible!" I told her. "Do you have one?"

She laughed. "Not one like that."

So, I bought one for her, the same make and model as mine. That turned out 
to be a blessing, because our Bibles had the same page numbers. Seriously, 
when
you don’t know Chronicles from Corinthians, those numbers come in handy.

We started meeting together once a week in the conference room at work, with 
our matching Bibles and our fill-in-the-blank workbooks designed for new 
believers.
I stayed one week ahead of her in the workbook, figuring if she asked me a 
question, I had a better chance of knowing the answer.

Me, leading a Bible study? Talk about the blind leading the blind! By that 
point, I knew maybe three verses by heart. Three. But I also knew the One 
who
wrote them.

I brought nothing to that study but the Bible in my hand and Jesus in my 
heart. Like our verse today says, I was "unschooled" and "ordinary." I had 
no
training, no biblical knowledge and no experience in making disciples. The 
Greek word for "ordinary" is idiótés, which pretty well sums things up.

Those disciples in Jerusalem? Their boldness … their confidence … didn’t 
come from having been in school. It came from having "been with Jesus"
(Acts 4:13).
And it came from being "filled with the Holy Spirit"
(Acts 4:8,
NIV).

For those of us who struggle, thinking "I don’t know much" or "I’m not smart 
enough" to share the Bible with others, our first-century brothers show us
the way. Spend time with Jesus, through worship and the Word, and trust the 
Holy Spirit to do the talking.

Heavenly Father, even as I diligently study the Bible, remind me it’s not 
about what I know, but Who I know. Help me lay down my weaknesses and 
embrace
Your strength. Help me put aside my words and share Your Word. In Jesus’ 
Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Corinthians 2:13,
"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words 
taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught 
words."(NIV)
© 2015 by Liz Curtis Higgs. All rights reserved.

challies.com - Informing the Reforming
A Powerful Practice for Prayer

Prayer has always been a struggle for me, and I know I am not the only one. 
There’s a reason that books on prayer continue to flood our bookshelves. 
Very
few of us pray as often and as earnestly as we would like. Very few of us 
are confident that we pray well. Fewer still feel like we really get prayer.

I have read the books and sat in the seminars and heard the sermons and even 
preached a few of my own. Along the way I have learned many truths and 
picked
up many practical tips. Little by little, bit by bit, they have helped me 
grow in my knowledge and understanding of prayer. And, I trust, they have 
helped
me to actually pray.

There is one practice I find myself working on these days more than any 
other, and I think it may be the most important of them all. It is a simple 
one: Never
resist the least urge to pray.

I cannot remember where I first heard that. Was it Joel Beeke? Was in Martyn 
Lloyd-Jones? Was it a Puritan writer? It may well have been all of them. The
truth behind it is simple: It’s never the wrong time to pray. Those impulses 
are invariably good. After all, it’s not like Satan or the old man will be
the ones directing me to call out to God rather than resting in selfishness 
or self-reliance, is it?

Like me, you probably feel that urge to pray throughout your day. You feel 
it after church when you are speaking to a struggling friend. Something in 
your
mind says, “I should pause right here and right now and pray with her.” And 
you fight a momentary battle over whether or not you will actually say, “Let
me pray for you.”

You feel it when you are lying in bed beside your wife, you are about to go 
to sleep, and you think, “I should pray with her.” But even something so 
simple
can feel like the hardest thing in the world.

You feel it when you are sharing the gospel. He has been at least a little 
bit receptive and you think, “I should offer to pray for him.” And right 
there,
a whole cosmic battle rages within your heart and mind.

It happens just as often when you are alone and you are struck with the 
desire to pray or the impulse that you ought to pray. You see that you have 
the
opportunity to pray. You believe that this is the time to pray. But will you 
pray?

Never resist the least urge to pray. What if you lived that way? What if we 
all lived that way? Our lives and our churches would be bathed in prayer. I
believe we would be living in much greater faithfulness to God’s command to 
“pray without ceasing.”

So why don’t you try it? See what difference it makes in your life, in your 
family, in your church, when you stop resisting those urges to pray, and 
when
you joyfully respond to every impulse.

It turns out, by the way, that it was probably Martyn Lloyd-Jones I was 
reading. He gives the instruction in the context of sermon preparation, but 
it
applies equally to all of life.

Always respond to every impulse to pray. I would make an absolute law of 
this – always obey such an impulse.

Where does it come from? It is the work of the Holy Spirit; it is a part of 
the meaning of ‘Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Phil 
2:12-13).

This often leads to some of the most remarkable experiences in the life of 
the minister. So never resist, never postpone it, never push it aside 
because
you are busy. Give yourself to it, yield to it; and you will find not only 
that you have not been wasting time with respect to the matter with which 
you
are dealing but that actually it has helped you greatly in that respect…

Such a call to prayer must never be regarded as a distraction; always 
respond to it immediately, and thank God if it happens to you frequently.


Anne Graham Lotz - God Is Great-Still!

God Is Great-Still!
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.

Psalm 37:23, NKJV

Before the Flood, God had said, “Come into the ark” (Gen. 7:1, NKJV). The 
clear implication was that God was already inside, inviting Noah to join Him
there. After the Flood, when God said, “Come out of the ark” (Gen. 8:16, 
NIV), the implication is that He had left and was asking Noah to follow. The 
great
God of the Exodus Who led His people out of bondage to slavery in Egypt, 
parting the Red Sea to allow them to pass on dry ground and so escape the 
armies
of Pharaoh – that same great God led Noah, his wife, his sons, his sons’ 
wives, and all the animals out of the ark!

God’s greatness has not been diluted in any way over the years of time. He 
is just as great today as He has been in the past. So why do you think He 
cannot
lead you out of trouble? Why would you think He cannot lead your entire life 
so that you find peace and fulfillment? Why do you think He is unable to 
lead
your children in the right direction that will be pleasing to Him and good 
for them? God is great!

Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

Experiencing LIFE Today

Is it too much to think that perhaps God speaks to us sometimes through 
music? How, then, could I be so ungrateful as to refuse the message? – Orson 
Scott Card

Author Christopher Booker suggests there are only seven basic plots used in 
storytelling and that every story told from the beginning of time falls 
under
one of these seven plots. If that’s true, isn’t it remarkable that scores of 
storytellers have creatively told new stories using the same seven bones?
That’s remarkable creativity.

And yet, God is even more creative in His communicating.

He spoke directly with Adam and Eve. He spoke to Noah through a rainbow and 
communicated to Moses through a burning bush. He spoke to the high priests
through the Urim and Thummim. He spoke via sermons through individuals and 
used prophets to represent Himself to the people. God is ubercreative as He
reveals Himself.

Yet every time God spoke, He kept it incomplete. He never actually got to 
the end of His story. He always hinted at it, predicted it, but never stated
it as clearly as was possible.

His words were great, but they could be – and would be – even better.

Hebrews 1:12 starts with this beautiful statement, “In the past God spoke to 
our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but
in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son … ”

What better way could God communicate with humankind? What could beat 
gardens and rainbows and prophets and priests?

Jesus. Jesus didn’t come simply as a prophet or a mouthpiece. He is God’s 
Word in the flesh. The Father desires relationship, and relationships demand
communication. So God wrapped His Word in flesh and sent Him to walk among 
us.

Of all the ways God has chosen to speak, Jesus as God’s Word is best – a 
beautiful way to complete the greatest of stories.

Father, when I think of how much You desire communication with me, my heart 
is humbled. You sent Jesus so Your Word would be more than sound and more 
than
words on a page, but the Word in the flesh. It’s glorious! Thank You! Amen.

Listen to Pete, Jill & Stuart Briscoe on the
Telling the Truth broadcast
at OnePlace.com

Four Prayers for Bible Reading
David Mathis / September 20, 2015
Four Prayers for Bible Reading

When we open our Bibles to read, we’re never alone. The Holy Spirit hovers 
over and in the words of God, ready to stir our hearts, illumine our minds,
and redirect our lives, all for the glory of Christ (John 16:14). The Spirit 
is the
X factor in Bible reading,
making an otherwise ordinary routine supernatural — and making it utterly 
foolish to read and study without praying for our eyes, minds, and hearts.

Prayer is a conversation, but not one we start. God speaks first. His voice 
sounds in the Scriptures and climactically in the person and work of his 
Son.
Then, wonder of all wonders, he stops, he stoops, he bends his ear to listen 
to us. Prayer is almost too good to be true. With our eyes on God’s words,
he gives us his ear, too.

How then should we pray over our Bibles? Here are four verses you might pray 
as you open God’s word.

1. Psalm 119:18: Open My Eyes to Wonder

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 
119:18). We ask God to open our spiritual eyes to show us the glimpses of 
glory
we cannot see by ourselves. Without his help, we are simply “natural” 
persons with natural eyes. “The natural person does not accept the things of 
the
Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand 
[see] them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14–15).

“Seeing they do not” was Jesus’s phrase for those who saw him and his 
teaching only with natural eyes, without the illumining work of the Spirit 
(Matthew
13:13). This is why Paul prays for Christians, “that the God of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of 
revelation
in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” 
(Ephesians 1:17–18).

Join the psalmist in praying not just for the gift of spiritual sight, but 
for the gift of seeing wondrous things in God’s word. Wonder is a great 
antidote
for wandering. Those who cultivate awe keep their hearts warm and soft, and 
resist the temptations to grow cold and fall away.

2. Luke 18:38: Have Mercy on Me

Pray, like the blind man begging roadside, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 
on me!” For as long as we are in this life, sin encumbers every encounter 
with
God in his word. We fail friends and family daily — and even more, we fail 
God. So it is fitting to accompany our opening of God’s word with the 
humble,
broken, poor plea of the redeemed: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 
18:13).

Bible reading is a daily prompt to own our failures, newly repent, and 
freshly cast ourselves on his grace all over again. Prayer is the path to 
staying
fascinated with his grace and cultivating a spirit of true humility.

3. James 1:22: Make Me a Doer of Your Word

Pray that God, having opened your eyes to wonder and reminded you of the 
sufficiency of his grace, would produce genuine change in your life. Ask him 
to
allow the seeds from Scripture to bear real, noticeable fruit in tangible 
acts of sacrificial love for others. “Be doers of the word, and not hearers 
only,
deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). You need not artificially capture one, 
specific point of application from every passage, but pray that his word 
would
shape and inform and direct your practical living.

Ask that he would make you more manifestly loving, not less, because of the 
time invested alone in reading and studying his word.

4. Luke 24:45: Open My Eyes to Jesus

This is another way of praying that God would open our eyes to wonder, just 
with more specificity. The works of God stand as marvelous mountain ranges
in the Bible, but the highest peak, and the most majestic vista, is the 
person and work of his Son.

As Jesus himself taught after his resurrection, he is the Bible’s closest 
thing to a skeleton key for unlocking the meaning of every text — every 
book,
every plot twist, the whole story. First, “he interpreted to them in all the 
Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27), then he taught his
disciples that “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the 
Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). And in doing so, 
“he opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

The great goal of Bible reading and study is this: knowing and enjoying 
Jesus. This is a taste now of heaven’s coming delights. “This is eternal 
life,
that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” 
(John 17:3). This gives direction, focus, and purpose to our study. “Let us
know; let us press on to know the LORD” (Hosea 6:3). This forms great 
yearning and passion in our souls: “I count everything as loss because of 
the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

Keep both eyes peeled for Jesus. Until we see how the passage at hand 
relates to Jesus’s person and work, we haven’t yet finished the single most 
important
aspect of our reading.

We are desperate for God’s ongoing help to see, and so we pray.

Rejoice in God's Attributes

Psalms 149

Rejoice, believer, but take care that your gladness has its spring in the 
Lord. You have much cause for gladness in God, for you can sing with David, 
"God
my exceeding joy."1 Be glad that the Lord reigns, that Jehovah is King! 
Rejoice that He sits on the throne and rules all things!

Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our 
gladness. The fact that He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our 
own
foolishness. That He is mighty should cause us who tremble in our weakness 
to rejoice. That He is everlasting should always be a theme of joy when we 
know
that we wither like grass. That He is unchanging should provide a perpetual 
song, for we change every hour. That He is full of grace, that He is 
overflowing
with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us, that it is ours 
to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, 
ours
to bring us to glory-all this should serve to make us glad in Him.

This gladness in God is like a deep river. So far we have only touched its 
edge; we know a little of its clear sweet, heavenly streams, but further on
the depth is greater, and the current more powerful in its joy.

The Christian feels that he may delight himself not only in what God is, but 
also in all that God has done in the past. The Psalms show us that God's 
people
in olden times were keen to make much of God's actions and to have a song 
concerning each of them. So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the 
Lord!
Let them tell of His mighty acts and "sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed 
gloriously."2 Let them never cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them
day by day, so their gladness in the Lord's loving acts of providence and 
grace should display itself in continued thanksgiving.

Be glad, children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God.

1 Psalm 43:4
2 Exodus 15:1

Family Bible reading plan

verse 1 2 Samuel 18

verse 2 2 Corinthians 11

Servant Secrets
Wednesday September 16, 2015
Volume 16 Number 185

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to 
give His life a ransom for many." NKJV

Teddy was a salesman in a major corporation. Once a year the company brought 
all their salesmen for an adventure in the wilderness. Team building was the
goal. Each day they assigned team events --- canoeing, rock climbing, 
softball, volleyball etc. Meaningful conversation was saved for around the 
campfire
at night.

The salesmen were separated into groups of 12. Teddy was assigned to a group 
that soon defined who they were. The group assembled after a day of team 
building
around the fire with a large cooler of beer. It was clear within a few 
minutes that Teddy was the only Christian --- heavy drinking and foul 
language followed.

Teddy fell into bed later that night contemplating what his pastor had said 
in Sunday's sermon. The topic was about being a light for Christ wherever we
tread. Teddy was not a happy camper in a group of heavy drinkers.

Teddy prayed as he went to bed, "Lord how can I possibly be a light for you 
in this group?" Next thing Teddy was awake to a beautiful sunrise. The Lord
had spoken to his spirit with the words, "BE A SERVANT." The words were 
embossed in his mind. Teddy was ready and sprang into action.

After breakfast there was a large pot with sticky burned oat meal. No one 
wanted to tackle the pot. He energetically took the pot and shined it up 
like
new.

A Bible verse he once memorized flashed into his mind, "1 Corinthians 10:24 
"No one should seek their own good, but the good of others" NIV

Then they were preparing for a challenging hike with back packs. Teddy over 
looked the stack of packs and picked the heaviest one. He strapped it on 
with
a smile.

Whatever the group did Teddy chose the most difficult part. Always with a 
smile and kind words.

Three days later one of the guys asked Teddy, "What makes you smile all the 
time?" Teddy explained that Jesus taught him to be a servant which 
immediately
opened communications for the Lord.

By the end of that ten-day experience all those men were sitting around the 
campfire talking about Jesus. They shared about their marriages, children 
and
their dreams. They expressed their hopes and fears and discussed real issues 
in their real lives. And in parting they all committed to do it again as a
group next year.

Keep in mind that in this ever darkening world that we may be the only light 
some people see.

1 Corinthians 4:1
"People should think of us as servants of Christ, the ones God has trusted 
with his secrets" NCV (Bible Paraphrase)

Prayer: Father help me know, understand and share Your secrets. In the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!


Thank you for your prayerful consideration and gifts. Pastors Bill and Carol

Pastor Bill Team Prayer:
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Copyright (c) 2015
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries

How to Conquer Discouragement
Felicia Alvarez

“I have a tough life,” my five-year-old cousin said.

“Really? Why is that?” I asked.

Folding his arms, he looked up at me with his big blue eyes as he rattled 
off his complaints. “Well, I get spankings, I get time out, and I have to 
clean
my room!”

I couldn’t help bursting out in laughter. In return, he just looked at me 
quizzically as if silently asking, “Why are you laughing? I’m serious!”

After regaining my composure, I shook my head and said, “I don’t think that’s 
too terrible, buddy. I think you’re gonna be okay.”

Later that day my cousin’s complaint made me wonder: How often does God 
smile down at us and say, “Everything is going to be all right, my child”?

In our fallen world, we’re constantly bombarded with situations that tempt 
us to complain about how tough our lives are. Sometimes our troubles are 
miniscule
(like traffic or a cranky boss), but other times they are genuinely 
difficult and can be quite discouraging (like an abusive spouse or a dying 
loved one).
Our worries can weigh us down and cloud our perspective, causing us to 
forget:

• that, since we are citizens of heaven, our problems on earth are only for 
a season (
Philippians 3:20).
• that God works out everything—even tough situations—for the good of those 
who love Him (
Romans 8:28).
• that we can trust God with our lives (
Psalm 55:22).

When trouble hits, we tend to see only challenges. So, how can we get a 
fresh perspective on life when discouragement is weighing us down?

Here are a few things that have helped me:

1) Determine if the cause of discouragement is worth being discouraged 
about. First, I ask myself: Am I upset about something important or 
something trivial?
Often a long line at the supermarket or a rude stranger can put a damper on 
the entire day. But are those worth being upset about?

2) Determine if the loss is imagined or real. Frequently I’m only upset 
because of my own “what if…” thoughts: What if she thinks this? What if they 
do
that? What if I don’t do well? What if they don’t like it?

When “what ifs” or imagined thoughts weigh you down, ask God to help you 
take those thoughts captive (
2 Corinthians 10:5).
Choose instead to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is 
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if 
anything
is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (
Philippians 4:8).

3) Talk to the right people about the problem. In
1 Samuel
we find the story of Hannah, a woman deeply grieved because she was unable 
to have children. In her sorrow, Hannah cried out to the Lord for comfort.
She went to the temple year after year to pray, and the Lord heard her 
prayers and opened her womb. Her story is an excellent reminder that we 
should,
first of all, talk to God about our sorrows. “Cast all your anxieties upon 
Him because He cares for you” (
1 Peter 5:7).

We can also dialog with encouraging Christians who will speak God’s truth 
into our lives. However, we need to be careful when selecting these 
confidants.
Discussing the matter with those unable to provide wise advice doesn’t help 
us. It may even deepen our discouragement or spread it to others.

4) Dive into the Word. God’s truth is the best defense against Satan’s 
schemes. Several years ago I had two stress fractures which kept me from 
being active.
It put my hobbies—and career—on the line. Needless to say, I was very 
discouraged. But during that time I dove into the Bible and, in the depths 
of my
sadness, He spoke to me in deeper ways than I had ever experienced. The 
trial didn’t disappear, but God’s Scriptures lifted me out of the valley of 
discouragement.
It empowered me to endure the trial with contentment and peace instead of 
depression and bitterness. Sometimes our lows in life are what bring us 
closest
to God. Don’t miss the opportunity by pushing away from God; run to the open 
pages of the Word!

5) Pour into others. I once heard someone say that it’s better to live life 
giving away than pulling away. Giving to those in need reminds us of what we
have to be thankful for. So, visit a lonely person. Help an elderly neighbor 
with their yard work. Write a letter to someone who needs cheering up. Are
there children at your church that need a mentor? Take the opportunity to 
disciple them and point them to the Lord. The more you serve, the more you’ll
find that your perspective change from gloominess to thankfulness.

6) Rest in the Lord.
Psalm 55:22
says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never 
let the righteous be shaken.” During an extremely difficult situation in the
life of Christian author and pastor, Andrew Murray, he
eloquently penned:

"First, He brought me here; it is by His will I am in this strait place: in 
that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His 
child.
Then, he will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends 
me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.

Let me say I am here,

1) by God’s appointment
2) in His keeping
3) under His training
4) for His time"

No matter what your trial, God will see you through it. “Trust in Him at all 
times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (
Psalm 62:8).

Felicia Alvarez lives in Southern California and loves avocados, sunshine, 
and serving her Savior. Currently, she teaches dance to over one hundred 
students
and is working on her second book. Connect with
Felicia on her blog or Facebook
—she would love to hear from you.
LightSource.com

Anne Graham Lotz - With God, You’re a Majority

With God, You’re a Majority
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus 
Christ.

Philippians 1:6, NKJV

God is looking for a few good men and women. Men and women who are willing

to go against the current of popular opinion,

to hold firm convictions in a world where “anything goes,”

to speak the truth when it is not politically correct,

to walk with God when everyone else is running away from Him.

God is looking for those who believe

that what He says is more important than what anyone else says,

that what He thinks is more important than what anyone else thinks,

that what He wants is more important than what anyone else wants.

that His will is more important than their own.

God is looking for another Noah. Another Meshach. Another Shadrach. Another 
Abednego. One person with God is not alone but a majority!

Blessings,
Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

Wildflowers

Genesis 41:52 (NKJV)
For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

IN the downtown area there are some beautiful flowers. Some have been 
planted to beautify the town but some of the prettiest are growing around 
the bottom of a telephone pole in a parking lot. There may be some dirt but 
it is mostly gravel. Creosote which is used to preserve wooden telephone 
poles has drained down and run into the rocks but the flowers thrive. 
Someone liked them so much they took some home. They found some good fertile 
ground and replanted them. They watered them and babied them but they died. 
They could not stand what we think would be great for them.

The same thing can be true with Christians also. Some think they are in 
terrible situations and some are in these situations but what might happen 
if they got in better situations?
C. H. Spurgeon wrote:

When rich and increased with goods, many professors carry their heads much 
too loftily and speak much too boastfully. Like David, they boast: € ¢â’ ’¼ï»¿My 
mountain stands fast; it will never be moved.€ ¢ï»¿â’ ’½ (See € ¢ï»¿Psalm 30:6€ ¢â’ ’³7€ ¢ï»¿.) When 
the Christian grows wealthy, is in good repute, and has good health and a 
happy family, he too often wanders away.

the Christian can get the idea that he doesn€ ¢â’ ’¹t need God after he has it 
made. Sometimes he might just be doing so well he is too busy for a 
relationship with Jesus Christ. I have known and heard of this happening to 
Christians. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being well off 
and that everyone ought to be poor. I think we need to be just where God 
wants us. We need to be fruitful where we are planted. WE need to be able to 
say with the apostle Paul:

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)
11¦ for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or 
little. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have 
learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full 
stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the 
help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

by Dean W. Masters

What Happens to Us When We Die?
by Ray Pritchard

We live in a time when there is great fascination about life after death.

Why this fascination with the world beyond the grave? Is it not because 
death is so final? Whatever one thinks about the reports of € ¢â’ ’¼near-death€ ¢â’ ’½ 
visions,
death when it finally comes is irreversible. When you finally cross the 
line, there is no coming back from the other side. Death wins the battle 
every
time. After the doctors have tried the latest wonder drug, after the best 
minds have pooled their wisdom, after the philosophers have done their best 
to
explain that death is only a natural part of life, we come face to face with 
the ugly reality that someday we will all die. And that death€ ¢â’ ’´whether 
planned
or accidental, whether comfortable or painful€ ¢â’ ’´will be the end of life as we 
have known it.

Three Great Questions

In answering questions about life after death, we are left with only two 
sources to consult. Either we turn to human experience or we turn to the 
Word
of God. If we turn to human experience, we find many guesses, many ideas, 
many theories€ ¢â’ ’´but no sure answers. That€ ¢â’ ’¹s because, in the nature of the 
case,
no human has a sure answer. The only people who have the answer are dead! 
That leaves us with the Word of God. In God€ ¢â’ ’¹s Word we find ample, abundant 
answers.
God who knows the future knows what happens when we die, and he hasn€ ¢â’ ’¹t left 
us to wonder about it. The Bible is filled with information on this subject,
so much in fact that we can offer only a brief survey in this chapter.

If you want the answer in one sentence here it is: What happens after you 
die depends on what happens before you die. Consider what the Bible says in
Hebrews 9:27,
€ ¢â’ ’¼It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment€ ¢â’ ’½ (NKJV). 
This is an appointment no one will miss. As someone has noted, the 
statistics
on death are appalling. One hundred out of one hundred people will 
eventually die. We are all terminally ill with a disease called death; we 
just don€ ¢â’ ’¹t
know when the end will come.

One Hundred Sixteen Others the Same Day

As I pondered this, my mind was drawn to the death of a former elder and 
beloved friend of many people in our congregation. He died just short of his 
forty-third
birthday. On the day of his funeral I found his obituary in the Chicago 
Tribune [newspaper]. I counted one hundred sixteen other death notices that 
same
day.

Death is no respecter of persons. Perhaps you€ ¢â’ ’¹ve heard the story of Bill and 
George who were both avid baseball players. One day they wondered if people
played baseball in heaven. They agreed that whoever died first would find 
out the answer and try to come back to communicate with the survivor. 
Eventually
Bill died. Several weeks later George was awakened with a vision of his 
friend Bill. He was delighted to see him and asked, € ¢â’ ’¼Do they play baseball 
in heaven?€ ¢â’ ’½
Bill said, € ¢â’ ’¼I€ ¢â’ ’¹ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, they play 
baseball all the time in heaven. The bad news is, you€ ¢â’ ’¹re scheduled to pitch 
next
week.€ ¢â’ ’½

And we all laugh when we read about the friendly undertaker who signed all 
his correspondence, € ¢â’ ’¼Eventually yours.€ ¢â’ ’½ He€ ¢â’ ’¹s right, of course. Death is 
coming€ ¢â’ ’´eventually
for all of us, sooner than we think for some of us.

Questions and Answers about Death

Before we go further, let€ ¢â’ ’¹s stop and think about some important questions 
that people often ask about death and dying.

Is There a € ¢â’ ’¼Second Chance€ ¢â’ ’½ after Death?

This is the popular view of many people who hope that those who did not 
accept Christ in this life will somehow have a second chance after 
death€ ¢â’ ’´either
in the afterlife or perhaps through reincarnation. The answer is quite 
simple: There is no biblical support whatsoever for the notion of a € ¢â’ ’¼second 
chance.€ ¢â’ ’½

Hebrews 9:27
declares that we die once and after that comes the judgment of God. Let no 
one be mistaken on this point. The only opportunity you will ever have to 
get
right with God is the opportunity God affords you right now. If you dream of 
coming to God after you die, you are nursing a vain hope.

What about € ¢â’ ’¼Near-Death Experiences€ ¢â’ ’½?

Such experiences are very popular today. I€ ¢â’ ’¹ve already mentioned the 
pioneering work of Raymond Moody. Other books in recent years have purported 
to tell
of people who € ¢â’ ’¼died,€ ¢â’ ’½ went to € ¢â’ ’¼heaven,€ ¢â’ ’½ and then were given a € ¢â’ ’¼second 
chance€ ¢â’ ’½ to return to the earth. Some of those books have been extremely 
popular,
and a few have been embraced by Christians. However, a close inspection 
shows that most of those books embrace unbiblical heresy, either the notion 
that
we are saved by doing good works or the idea that everyone is going to 
heaven in the end.

In thinking about this question, we need biblical balance. On one hand it€ ¢â’ ’¹s 
undeniably true that some Bible characters did see the Lord before they 
died.
Stephen saw Jesus just before he died in
Acts 7.
Paul was evidently given a vision of heaven€ ¢â’ ’´perhaps during his stoning at 
Lystra in
Acts 14.
He alludes to the event in
2 Corinthians 12.
However, it€ ¢â’ ’¹s important to say that such
revelations
did not happen often even in Bible times. Not every believer had or will 
have a revelation of heaven. Could such a thing happen today? Yes, but we 
shouldn€ ¢â’ ’¹t
expect it or base our hope of heaven upon a last-second experience.

Let€ ¢â’ ’¹s also remember that Satan is the great deceiver. He can create scenes 
that seem to be scenes of heaven but are actually creations born in hell. 
Some
near-death experiences are demonic in nature. You should never base your 
hope of heaven€ ¢â’ ’´or the hope of seeing a loved one in heaven€ ¢â’ ’´on a supposed 
vision
or revelation. The only reliable ground given to us is the eternal, 
unchanging Word of God.

What Happens to Children Who Die?

This is obviously a very tender subject to many people. Parents want to 
know: Will I see my child again? The place to begin in answering this 
question
is with the observation that the Bible doesn€ ¢â’ ’¹t specifically address this 
question. However, we do know two things are true. First, children are not 
born
innocent, but sinful. If children who die do go to heaven€ ¢â’ ’´and I believe they 
do€ ¢â’ ’´it is not because they are morally innocent in the sight of God. All of
us are born with an inclination to sin that leads us away from God.
Ephesians 2:1
says that we are spiritually dead by nature. That applies as much to young 
children as it does to adults. Second, we know that God€ ¢â’ ’¹s grace is always 
greater
than human sin.
Romans 5:20
reminds us that where sin abounded, grace superabounded. God€ ¢â’ ’¹s grace always 
goes far beyond sin€ ¢â’ ’¹s disgrace.

I believe that God€ ¢â’ ’¹s grace credits children with the merits of Jesus€ ¢â’ ’¹ blood 
and righteousness so that children who die before they are old enough to 
believe
are covered by His blood, and their entrance into heaven is made sure and 
certain. Thus they are saved by grace exactly as we are.

Can We Contact the Dead after They Are Gone?

The answer is no. Any attempt to dabble in spirit contact is strictly 
forbidden in the Bible. It is sometimes called necromancy or sorcery or 
dealing with
familiar spirits. Remember, demons can masquerade as the dead. They can even 
mimic the voices of our loved ones and give information that only the dead
person would have known (for more on this subject, see
Leviticus 19:26-28,
Leviticus 19:31
;
Deuteronomy 18:9-14
;
Galatians 5:20).
In case this isn€ ¢â’ ’¹t clear, let me make it plain. Do not attempt to contact 
the dead through any means at all€ ¢â’ ’´s€ ¢Ã©ances, parlor games, crystal balls, 
psychic
readers, channelers, or mediums. You are involving yourself in that which 
God forbids. Leave the dead alone.

What Do You Say to Someone Who Has Lost a Loved One?

Over the years I have discovered that it really doesn€ ¢â’ ’¹t matter what you say 
in terms of the precise words. Those who are grieving will not remember the
words you say, but they will never forget that you cared enough to be there 
when they needed you. If you go with God€ ¢â’ ’¹s love in your heart, he will give
you any words you need to say. That means we don€ ¢â’ ’¹t need to answer questions 
only God can answer. If we don€ ¢â’ ’¹t know the spiritual state of the deceased,
we shouldn€ ¢â’ ’¹t speculate, either to offer false hope or lay a heavier burden 
on those who are left behind. God is both just and merciful, and in every 
case
He will do what is right.

What Happens at the Moment of Death . . .

Now we come to the central question: What happens at the very moment of 
death? I have already given the general answer: What happens when you die 
depends
on what happens before you die. The Bible classifies the whole human race 
into two broad categories€ ¢â’ ’´the saved and the lost. The saved are those who 
have
trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The lost are those who haven€ ¢â’ ’¹t. 
What happens to the saved is radically different from what happens to the 
lost.

. . . For the Saved

The Bible is abundantly clear on this point. When the saved die, they go 
directly into the presence of the Lord. At this point we remember the words 
of
Jesus to the thief on the cross, € ¢â’ ’¼I tell you the truth, today you will be 
with me in paradise€ ¢â’ ’½ (
Luke 23:43,
emphasis added). This appears to be a straightforward promise that at the 
moment of death the repentant thief would pass from his life of crime and 
his
agonizing death into the realm called € ¢â’ ’¼paradise.€ ¢â’ ’½ This would seem to 
contradict the teaching called € ¢â’ ’¼soul-sleep,€ ¢â’ ’½ which implies that at death a 
believer
€ ¢â’ ’¼sleeps€ ¢â’ ’½ in a kind of suspended animation until the day of the resurrection. 
How could the thief be that very day in paradise if his soul went to sleep
when he died? At the moment of death the believer passes immediately into 
the personal presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we 
stand
at the graveside of a loved one.

Paul said he had a desire € ¢â’ ’¼to depart and be with Christ, which is better by 
far€ ¢â’ ’½ (
Philippians 1:23,
emphasis added). He also said, € ¢â’ ’¼We are confident, I say, and would prefer to 
be away from the body (that is, separated from the body by death) and at 
home
with the Lord€ ¢â’ ’¹ (
2 Corinthians 5:8,
emphasis added). These are the words of a man who believed that heaven would 
begin at the moment of his death. Was Paul looking forward to an unconscious
slumber after his death? No! He was looking forward to the personal presence 
of Jesus Christ.

But that€ ¢â’ ’¹s not the whole story. The soul goes to be with the Lord in heaven, 
and the body is buried until the day of resurrection when Jesus returns to
the earth.
1 Thessalonians 4:14
says, € ¢â’ ’¼We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God 
will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.€ ¢â’ ’½ Here you have
both sides of the truth. Christians who die are said to be € ¢â’ ’¼with Jesus€ ¢â’ ’½ 
(that€ ¢â’ ’¹s the soul in the conscious presence of the Lord) and € ¢â’ ’¼have fallen 
asleep
in him€ ¢â’ ’½ (that€ ¢â’ ’¹s the body which € ¢â’ ’¼sleeps€ ¢â’ ’½ in the grave). Listen to Paul€ ¢â’ ’¹s 
description of that great reunion of body and soul: € ¢â’ ’¼For the Lord himself 
will
come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel 
and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first€ ¢â’ ’½ (
1 Thessalonians 4:16,
emphasis added). Here is a clear promise of future bodily resurrection for 
the believer.

1 Corinthians 15:51-55
adds the crucial fact that our bodies will be € ¢â’ ’¼raised imperishable"€ ¢â’ ’´that is, 
with a body that is perfect in every way, free from the vestiges of death
and decay In this life our bodies wear out, like a clock continually running 
down, but when we are raised, it will be with bodies that can never decay,
never wear out, never suffer injury, never grow old, never get sick, and 
thank God, never die.

Many Christians have a wrong view of death. We think we€ ¢â’ ’¹re going from the 
land of living to the land of dying. But the opposite is true. If you know 
Jesus,
you are going from the land of dying to the land of the living. Here are 
some of the images the Bible uses for the death of a Christian: going to 
sleep
and waking up in heaven . . . moving from a tent to a mansion . . . walking 
from the darkness into a well-lit room . . . coming home to see your family
and friends . . . being set free from prison . . . taking a long journey to 
a new land . . . riding a chariot to the New Jerusalem . . . moving into a
brand-new home . . . opening a gate to a brand-new world.

Christians have always faced death with confidence. The very word cemetery 
comes from a Greek word meaning € ¢â’ ’¼sleeping-place,€ ¢â’ ’½ which refers to their 
confidence
in the promise of the resurrection. Many pagans cremated their dead because 
they saw no further use for the human body. But Christians buried their dead
as a statement of faith in the coming resurrection of the body. I have been 
asked more than once how God can raise the dead if the body has been burned
or lost or vaporized in some terrible explosion. I don€ ¢â’ ’¹t think that€ ¢â’ ’¹s a 
difficult question at all. If you can raise the dead, you can raise the 
dead. Resurrection
is God€ ¢â’ ’¹s problem, not ours. We don€ ¢â’ ’¹t need to know the how of the 
resurrection as long as we know the who.

As he lay dying, D. L. Moody proclaimed, € ¢â’ ’¼Earth recedes, heaven opens before 
me.€ ¢â’ ’½ Catherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, cried out,
€ ¢â’ ’¼The waters are rising, but I am not sinking.€ ¢â’ ’½ And George MacDonald, the 
English novelist, said, € ¢â’ ’¼I came from God, and I€ ¢â’ ’¹m going back to God, and I 
won€ ¢â’ ’¹t
have any gaps of death in the middle of my life.€ ¢â’ ’½ John Wesley summed up the 
faith of the early Methodists with four simple words: € ¢â’ ’¼Our people die well.€ ¢â’ ’½

When Benjamin Franklin was twenty-three years old, he wrote the following 
epitaph. His words catch the essence of the Christian doctrine of bodily 
resurrection:

Once our bodies are raised, we will be with the Lord forever. Wherever he 
is, there we will be, rejoicing, praising, singing, and celebrating 
throughout
the ages of eternity.
1 Thessalonians 4:17
says, € ¢â’ ’¼We will be with the Lord forever.€ ¢â’ ’½ Speaking of his own return, Jesus 
said, € ¢â’ ’¼In my Father€ ¢â’ ’¹s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that 
you also
may be where I am" (
John 14:2-3,
emphasis added).

What is ahead for us when we die?

As Tony Evans says, € ¢â’ ’¼Have a good time at my funeral, because I€ ¢â’ ’¹m not going 
to be there.€ ¢â’ ’½

... For the Lost

Now we turn to briefly consider the fate of those who die without Jesus 
Christ. The lost fear death and with good reason.
Job 18:14
calls death € ¢â’ ’¼the king of terrors.€ ¢â’ ’½
Hebrews 2:14
reminds us that the devil holds people in bondage through the fear of death. 
And
1 Corinthians 15:26
calls death € ¢â’ ’¼the last enemy.€ ¢â’ ’½

Before saying any more, we should note one similarity between the fate of 
the saved and the lost. At the moment of death, the body is buried in the 
grave
while the soul enters a new realm. For the believer, the moment of death 
brings him into the personal presence of Christ. For the unbeliever, death 
begins
an experience of unending conscious punishment.

We can summarize the fate of the lost in four short statements:

1. At the moment of death the soul of the lost is sent to hell where it is 
in conscious torment. In
Luke 16:19-31
Jesus told of a rich man who upon his death went to hell and suffered in the 
flames of torment. It does not matter whether you think this passage is 
literal
or figurative. If you say it is literal, then it must be a terrible 
punishment. If it is figurative, the figure itself is so awful to consider 
that the
reality must be much worse.

2. That punishment is eternal. Though this is debated in some circles today, 
Christians have united across the centuries in their belief that the Bible
teaches an eternal punishment for those who do not know our Lord.
Mark 9:43-48
speaks of the fire that is not quenched and the worm that does not die€ ¢â’ ’´a 
reference to the continuing existence of human personality in hell.

3. The body is raised at the Great White Throne judgment.
Revelation 20:11-15
describes the awesome scene as the unsaved dead are raised to stand before 
God and receive their final sentence of doom.

4. The unsaved are then cast into the lake of fire where they will reside 
forever, eternally separated from the presence of Almighty God. If this is 
unbearable
to think about, if we shrink from such a thought, then let us by all means 
do whatever is necessary to make sure that such a fate does not befall us or
the ones we love the most.

This is the final destiny of those who do not know Jesus Christ. To make it 
more personal, it is the final destiny of your friends and neighbors, your
loved ones, your parents, your brothers, your sisters, your children, if 
they die without Jesus Christ. And it is your destiny if you die without 
Jesus
Christ. Let that thought linger in your mind. The reality of hell is more 
than just a theoretical doctrine. There is a place reserved for you in the 
lake
of fire unless you by a conscious choice put your complete trust in Jesus 
Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Dr. Barnhouse and the Shadow of Death

Only one question remains. How can you personally face your own death with 
confidence? Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse€ ¢â’ ’´beloved Bible teacher of another 
generation€ ¢â’ ’´told
the following story. While he was still a young man in the ministry, his 
first wife died. As he was returning from the funeral with his heartbroken 
children,
their car came to a stoplight just as a massive truck pulled up next to 
them, blocking the light of the sun. Seeing the immense shadow that had 
overtaken
them, Dr. Barnhouse asked his children if they would rather be run over by 
the truck or by the shadow of the truck. € ¢â’ ’¼By the shadow,€ ¢â’ ’½ the children 
instantly
replied, knowing that a shadow could not hurt them. € ¢â’ ’¼That€ ¢â’ ’¹s what has 
happened to your mother,€ ¢â’ ’½ he told them. € ¢â’ ’¼Death cannot hurt her because the 
Lord Jesus
Christ took her to heaven. It is only the shadow of death that took her from 
us.€ ¢â’ ’½

If you know Jesus, you have nothing to fear when death knocks at your door. 
Death comes to all of us€ ¢â’ ’´it will come for you one of these days. Do you know
Jesus? If so, then you need not live in fear. Death may be quick or slow, 
painful or painless, but when the moment comes, you will find yourself 
ushered
into heaven where you will see Jesus face to face.

Some people wonder if they will have enough faith when they die. They worry 
about losing their faith and wonder if that will cause God to turn them 
away.
When she was a young child in Holland Corrie ten Boom worried about her own 
death and whether or not she would have enough courage when the moment 
finally
came. Her father€ ¢â’ ’´Papa ten Boom€ ¢â’ ’´knew of her fears and calmed her heart with 
these words: € ¢â’ ’¼Corrie, when I am going to take you on the train, when do I 
give
you the ticket?€ ¢â’ ’½ € ¢â’ ’¼Just before we get on board.€ ¢â’ ’½ € ¢â’ ’¼That€ ¢â’ ’¹s right. Dying is like 
taking a trip to see the Lord Jesus. He will give you whatever you need just
when you need it. If you don€ ¢â’ ’¹t have the courage now, it€ ¢â’ ’¹s because you don€ ¢â’ ’¹t 
need it now. When you need it, the Lord will give it to you, and you won€ ¢â’ ’¹t
be afraid.€ ¢â’ ’½

In another generation, believers talked about € ¢â’ ’¼dying grace.€ ¢â’ ’½ They meant the 
special enablement God gives to his children as death draws near. Countless
Christians who worried about their last moments on earth have exited this 
life full of faith because the Lord gave them grace just when they needed it
most.

Jesus Has the Keys

Here are the words of Jesus in
Revelation 1:18:
€ ¢â’ ’¼I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! 
And I hold the keys of death and Hades.€ ¢â’ ’½ Keys are a sign of authority. If 
you
have the keys to my house, you can open it and go in anytime you want. It is 
often said that the devil owns the gates of hell€ ¢â’ ’´that is, he has the power
of death. But that€ ¢â’ ’¹s okay. The devil has the gates, but Jesus has the keys. 
We have nothing to fear in the moment of death for when the time comes, 
Jesus
will personally unlock the gate and usher us into his presence.

€ ¢â’ ’¼I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even 
though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?€ ¢â’ ’½ (
John 11:25).
If you believe in Jesus, you will never die. What an amazing promise. But 
believers die every day. Yes, but for the believer, death is merely the 
passing
from this life with all its sorrows into life eternal in the presence of our 
Lord. The question is not: What happens when we die? But rather: What will
happen when you die?

Death is not the end of the road, it is only a bend in the road. For the 
believer, death is the doorway to heaven. For the unbeliever, it is a 
passageway
into unimaginable suffering. These things are true even if we do not fully 
understand them. They are true even if we don€ ¢â’ ’¹t believe them.

What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. Here is my 
final word to you: Make sure you€ ¢â’ ’¹re ready to die so that when the time 
comes,
you won€ ¢â’ ’¹t be surprised by what happens next.

A Truth to Remember:

What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die.

Going Deeper

Taking Action

Take a moment to calculate the number of days you have lived so far. Now 
take a guess as to how many more days you expect to live. What is the most 
eternally
profitable way you can spend your remaining days?

[Taken from
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life
by Keep Believing Ministries. Used by permission.]

An Inexpensive Gift You Can Give
CHRYSTAL EVANS HURST

"Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be 
used in the service of others. So use your gift well."
1 Peter 4:10
(CEV)

I really needed to talk to someone.

I desperately needed to process the ramifications of a heavy weight I 
carried and wanted to hear a caring voice on the other end of the line. I 
desired
the gift of truth wrapped in encouragement and presented with a little 
affirmation.

So I picked up the phone and called my friend.

She answered, but I could tell she was busy. She was in the car with her 
kids running errands, so I offered to call her back and chat later, but she 
insisted
that she had time to talk.

I believed her and began sharing my heart’s concerns.

However, multiple times during our conversation, she asked me to hold while 
she took another call or needed to talk to her kids. She did try hard to 
listen
well in between distractions, but after about 10 minutes, she interrupted me 
to say that she’d arrived at her destination. She needed to get her kids out
of the car and take care of her errand. She offered to call me back.

I was left hanging, feeling a tad unimportant, and a lot silly for even 
attempting to "put myself out there" and share my struggle and desire for 
encouragement.
In the moment where I needed support and reached out for that very thing, I 
was left with a sense of regret for even trying.

Now, I know my friend didn’t mean to hurt my feelings, imply that I wasn’t 
important or leave me hanging. How do I know this you might ask? Because I’ve
been that friend, too.

There have been times when someone has called or reached out to me and in my 
genuine and sincere desire to make time for them, I’ve squeezed them into
a space in my time that wasn’t adequate. I’m guilty of unintentionally 
leaving people I love and care for feeling forgotten and a tad bit 
unimportant.

So what do I wish my friend had done? What did I become painfully aware of 
that I can do for others?

Give the gift of attention.

Attention is an easy and inexpensive gift that you and I can give to others.

In
Mark 5:25-34,
we find Jesus busy with the demands of His everyday ministry life. Healing 
and teaching took up a lot of His time and the more He did, the more the 
people
wanted Him to do. Large crowds followed Him and pressed in on Him everywhere 
He went. Jesus was a busy man on a mission.

And yet, one woman needed His help and desired His attention.

She carried the heavy weight of a broken spirit and body. She suffered from 
abnormal bleeding and carried with it the shame, frustration and loneliness
of being an outcast — an "untouchable." She desired the gift of wholeness 
wrapped in compassion and presented with a little mercy, so she took the 
risk
of reaching out to Jesus.

She touched Him.

And Jesus noticed. Even amidst the busy demands of His day, He stopped and 
gave special attention to this woman, her problem and her heart’s desire. 
Jesus
made room in an overflowing schedule, and as a result, a woman received a 
new opportunity at life and we have a great picture of what it means to give
others the gift of our attention.

Jesus spent time with those who would have easily gone unnoticed by others. 
He willingly and regularly paused His own activities, engaged one-on-one, 
and
made room for meaningful conversations. He gave the gift of His attention 
and it cost Him nothing more than His time. Because of His example, I am 
reminded
of how important it is to make room in my life for unexpected interruptions.

And I’m reminded of the gift my undivided attention can be to others.

Dear Jesus, I’m so glad You understand what it is to have an overflowing 
schedule. Yet, You still made time to give the gift of Your full attention 
when
You engaged with others. Help me to do the same. Give me the wisdom to know 
when to pause and with whom I should engage. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 12:10,
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another 
in honor." (NASB)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Do you desire to give the gift of attention to others but don’t seem to have 
room in your life to do so? Check out
The Best Yes
by Lysa TerKeurst.

Chrystal has created a free printable to help you remember to focus on the 
needs of others.
Click here to download.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Do you struggle with giving others your undivided attention? Why do you 
think that is?

Pray and ask God to show you how you can give the gift of your attention to 
someone today.

© 2015 by Chrystal Evans Hurst. All rights reserved.

Taking Every Thought Captive

Since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through 
God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every 
high-minded
thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought 
captive to obey Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your 
mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will
of God. — Romans 12:2

These two power-packed passages are the battle plan for our defense against 
the enemy’s attempts to infiltrate our mind. They tell us how to transform
our thinking and put on the helmet of salvation. I think I can boil it down 
to three key mission objectives.

Step #1. Identify the toxic thought patterns you’ve been nursing (you’ve 
begun that process this week) and recognize them for what they truly 
are—strongholds
that, along with the enemy, you’ve assisted in constructing within your 
mind.

Pull quote

In this first step, we hear clear hints of the battle context involved in 
the fight for our minds. A stronghold in biblical times was a military 
fortress.
Nearly every ancient city had one. It stood at the highest point in their 
geographical area, erected for all to see. It was designed to block and keep
out incoming invaders.

Step #2. Confess errant thought processes to God and agree with Him about 
your responsibility in helping to construct these strongholds in your life.

Our strongholds are not all the enemy’s fault. Every time we’ve nursed and 
rehearsed illegitimate thinking, we’ve added another concrete brick to the 
construction
of a stronghold. Whether those thoughts were in relation to doubt, fear, 
insecurity, salacious imaginations, or something else entirely, rehearsing 
the
enemy’s lies made us in essence a partner with the enemy in building up a 
fortress that has held us captive.

Step #3. Dismantle the stronghold by taking your thoughts captive, then 
renewing your perspective and understanding through the concentrated, 
deliberate
applying of God’s truth.

Pull quote

This is not a passive assignment. It requires forethought and proactivity. 
The same kind of passion and strategy you might put into a new workout plan
or reaching a financial goal must define your hands-on approach if you want 
to destroy a stronghold. Because remember, this is a military fortress we’re
talking about here, not a flimsy shack. Destroying it requires force and 
power—the kind that can only come from consistently applying divinely 
empowered
weapons, namely the Word of God.

When Paul instructed us to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 
10:5), he employed a tone that expresses continuous, ongoing action. So we 
must
understand that being successful at this endeavor will be a lifestyle, not a 
one-time event. Taking thoughts captive means controlling them instead of
allowing them to control you. It means actively replacing the enemy’s 
thinking with God’s thinking at every opportunity. When the enemy’s lies 
enter, immediately
consider them in light of the freely given benefits package of your 
salvation inheritance. Resist the urge to agree with or rehearse the 
negative thought.
Instead replace it—repeatedly, diligently, and verbally—until eventually 
that brick in our stronghold comes tumbling down.

And, listen to me—it will come down. No matter how long or how difficult 
this journey has been for you, your vigilance in this area of your life will 
pay
off. Because God Himself will see to it.

----------------------------------------------------------
The Armor of God
Excerpted from the Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer
©2015. LifeWay Christian Resources.
Used by permission.

Who Keeps You from Victory?
Monday, September 21, 2015

“As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah 
could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah
at Jerusalem to this day.”
- Joshua 15:63 NKJV

God had promised the Israelites victory over every adversary, but Judah was 
not able to experience this total victory. They could not drive out the 
inhabitants
of Jerusalem. But this tribe was not alone. For example, Ephraim “did not 
drive out the Canaanites” (Joshua 16:10). Similarly, Manasseh faced 
Canaanites
who “were determined to dwell in that land” (Joshua 17:12).

Why were they so hard to defeat?

“Canaanites” is from a word that means “to bend the knee, to humiliate.” 
They represent people who dominate our culture and who appear to hold every 
advantage.
“Jebusites” is from a word that means “trodden or threshing place.” They 
stand for the status quo. Their ways are entrenched. They seem invincible.

For us, these people symbolize the forces who oppose us, the people who try 
to block victory in our lives.

Many Christians have this kind of defeat. They believe in God, attend 
church, read the Bible, and pray, but do not seem to experience victory. 
Perhaps,
they allow the “Jebusites” and “Canaanites” in the world to overwhelm them 
and make them discouraged.

As He did for the Israelites, God can cause us to be victorious and defeat 
every adversary. To possess the land. The strategy is the same strategy He 
gave
to the Israelites. To learn His Word, and believe that every promise is 
true. To obey Him. To have faith and put our faith into action. To refuse to 
be
sidetracked.

In your life, believe these principles are true for you. Do not accept 
defeat or be discouraged. Instead, renew your faith in God, and keep 
pressing on.
As you persevere, believe Him and trust Him, confident that He will grant 
you victory.

Today's Inspiration Prayer

Father, I believe that You want me to be victorious and experience all of 
Your blessings. I look to You. Help me to have Your power. I have faith in 
You.
Thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Further Reading: Joshua 15

I am sending this since nov. 1 is All Saints Day.

Dean

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - The Christ of All Saints Day
----------------------------------------------------------

The Christ of All Saints Day

Posted: 13 Oct 2015 09:55 PM PDT

from
A Christ-centered Year,
free seasonal readings from LNWhymns.com

You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the 
saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in 
whom the whole building…is growing into a holy temple in the Lord. 
(Ephesians
2:19-21, NASB)

On All Saints Day, Jesus unites us with all God’s children of all nations 
and all ages.
He was speaking of us when He said,

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and 
they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” 
(John
10:16, NASB)

In His final evening before His arrest, as He talked to His Father, He 
prayed for us:

“I do not ask on behalf of these [disciples] alone, but for those also who 
believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, 
Father,
are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may 
believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21, NASB)

He longed to make us all one with Himself,
one with the Father, Son, and Spirit.
To express this oneness, He speaks of us and thinks of us as
His friends, His family,
His temple, His body, His bride.
It seems that no one image could fully express His desire to be
together with us in the fullest possible sense.

In Christ, we are united with all believers of every time, every nation,
every language and culture, every situation and personality.
The lives and examples of all who have gone before us
are like a great cloud of witnesses,
watching, encouraging, and cheering us on.
In Jesus Christ we share with them the same Spirit,
the same love, and the same purpose.
Together we are being prepared as the holy, beautiful, glorious bride of 
Christ.

On All Saints Day, Jesus unites us with all God’s children and
points us toward our shared destiny in Him.

Reformation Day: Jesus Came Knocking
Jon Bloom / October 30, 2015
Reformation Day: Jesus Came Knocking

Sometime around A.D. 95, Jesus, through the apostle John, came 
metaphorically knocking on the door of the church in Laodicea with an 
unsurpassed invitation:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens 
the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” 
(Revelation
3:20)

Pulled out of its context, this verse can sound like Jesus was calling 
softly and tenderly. Paintings inspired by this verse tend to portray a 
gentle Jesus
mildly knocking. In reality, he was anything but soft and tender, gentle and 
mild. This invitation came on the heels of a bracing rebuke and serious 
warning.
Jesus was pounding on the Laodicean’s door with the urgency of emergency:

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either 
cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will
spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I 
need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, 
and
naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be 
rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of
your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you 
may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and 
repent.”
(Revelation 3:15–19)

Jesus was pounding on the door of a church whose trust in an idol put them 
in grave spiritual danger. Their prosperous tepidness made him want to gag.
But because he loved these lukewarm Christians, he lovingly disciplined them 
with hard words and called them to zealous repentance and reformation.

When Jesus Came Knocking in Wittenberg

On October 31, 1517, Jesus, through a little-known German priest/professor 
named Martin Luther, came quite literally knocking on the Wittenberg door of
the Roman Catholic Church.

Unrestrained corruption of power and wealth was a sin-cancer that had 
metastasized in the Roman Catholic Church and spread to many of her leaders 
and,
through them, into her doctrines and practices. This cancer was killing the 
church. She too had grown very prosperous and yet did not realize how 
wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked she had become. She had not listened 
sufficiently to Jesus’s authoritative voice in the Scriptures, or to the 
prophetic
voices of warning that he had repeatedly sent to her. The Lord was at the 
end of his patience.

But because he loved his sin-diseased church whose idolatry put her in grave 
spiritual danger, he sent an unlikely messenger from an unlikely town — so
very like the Lord — with a hard word of loving discipline. Professor Luther 
walked up to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg with a hammer, a
few nails, and a parchment listing 95 stinging indictments against the Roman 
Catholic Church. Unlike what the Laodiceans received, Luther’s theses were
not inerrant Scripture. In fact, later Luther knew a number of them did not 
go far enough. But still, they were a largely biblical call to zealous 
repentance,
as the first thesis so clearly captures:

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17), he 
willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

In the pounding of Martin’s hammer, Jesus came knocking. And his knocking 
set off a chain-reaction that exploded into the Protestant Reformation, a 
gospel
detonation that is still shaking the world nearly 500 years later.

A Reformation Detonation

As a result of October 31, 1517, hundreds of millions of Christians all over 
the world have submitted to God’s word as their highest authority (Sola 
Scriptura)
and his teaching that salvation is a gift given by God’s grace alone (Sola 
Gratia) through the instrument of faith alone (Sola Fide) in the death and 
resurrection
of their one savior and mediator, Jesus Christ (Sola Christus), so that all 
glory would always redound to the Triune God alone (Sola Deo Gloria).

Wherever the church opened the door to Jesus, repentance and reformation was 
like chemotherapy to the cancer of spiritual corruption and recovered belief
in the gospel of Christ spread spiritual health through much of Europe, then 
on to the New World, Asia, and Africa. It spawned massive evangelism, church
planting, Bible translation, and frontier missions efforts. And in its wake 
it brought about all manner of social good: stronger families, honest 
commerce,
economic empowerment for the poor, hospitals and clinics for the sick, 
education for the masses, encouragement for the scientific enterprise, 
democratic
forms of civic government, and on and on.

When we really comprehend the massive floodgate of mercy that was opened to 
us because Jesus came knocking in Wittenberg, Reformation Day (October 31st)
becomes a thanksgiving day — a day for feasting or perhaps for fasting and 
prayer for another reformation detonation in our lives and churches and 
nations.

Is Jesus Knocking on Your Door?

In fact, given the prosperity that most of us in the West are experiencing 
and the arid spiritual climate most of us live in, it may be that the best 
way
we can observe Reformation Day is to do some serious, prayerful 
soul-searching. Have we allowed a Laodicean type of acedia to settle in? We 
know that significant
portions of the Western church are diseased with various heresies. Do they 
provoke us to earnest prayer?

And we should ask ourselves, is Jesus knocking — or pounding — on our door? 
Are we hearing him? Are we ignoring or even resisting him? Are we tolerating
and justifying any idols? One clear symptom of idolatry is spiritual 
lukewarmness. Tepidness typically does not feel like a grave danger. It can 
feel like
a tolerable and even nearly pleasant malaise. But it is deadly. In this 
state we do not realize how wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked we 
are.

And because Jesus loves sinful people like us, when we fall into such a 
state he comes knocking — hard. We often do not recognize it as him at first 
because
he can come in the form of a messenger, sometimes an unlikely one. And the 
pounding of their hard words can make us defensive and mad.

But let us listen carefully and drop our guard. The hard words are painful, 
especially to our pride. But Jesus (or his imperfect messenger) is not being
mean or condemning us. It is the loving discipline of our Savior to warn us. 
Lukewarmness means spiritual life-threatening idolatry. The cure is for us
to “be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

If Jesus is knocking on our door, let us welcome him in fully that we may 
eat with him and he with us (Revelation 3:20). Accepting his unsurpassed 
invitation
to joy through repentance and reformation may be the greatest way to 
celebrate Reformation Day.

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Today's Devotional

Jehan Cauvin

Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised 
before time began. (NKJV)

Some years ago, we had the privilege of doing a "Cities of the Reformation" 
tour, where we heard a lot about the different reformers of that time so 
many
years ago. The last city that we visited was Geneva, Switzerland, where John 
Calvin, born Jehan Cauvin in France on the 10th of July, 1509, served as an
influential pastor and theologian. Calvin was a principal figure in the 
development of reformed Christian theology, which affirms Scripture as the 
only
rule for faith and life (Scripture alone, or "sola scriptura"), salvation by 
faith alone (or "sola fide") and by God's grace alone ("sola gratia'), 
accomplished
by Christ alone ("solus Christus"), and to the glory of God alone ("soli Deo 
gloria").

Calvin's affirmation of the doctrine of predestination — alluded to in 
today's Scripture verse — and his articulation and defence of the absolute 
sovereignty
of God in saving the human soul from death and eternal damnation remain 
among his contributions to the legacy of the Reformation.

Calvin, like the other reformers, experienced persecution from the 
established church, which was, at that time in Paris, burning protestant 
"heretics"
at the stake. This caused him to flee for his life to Basel, and later to 
Strasbourg. He ended up in Geneva, where he preached in the Cathedral of St.
Peter, from 1536, when it became a protestant church, until his death in 
1564.

John Calvin was often portrayed by his opponents as hard, cold, stern, and 
calculating, but he was actually a very shy person and quite often 
misunderstood.
But when God and His kingdom were attacked, he rose to exert the authority 
of his calling to the ministry that God had given him. On such occasions, he
became relentless, and he firmly believed this passage which spoke to his 
heart:

Isaiah 25:1 – O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your 
name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are 
faithfulness
and truth. (NKJV)

On our visit to the church where Calvin preached, we were told about the 
different events which had taken place there. The pastor who was leading our 
group
was invited to enter the pulpit and say a few words. Only clergy are allowed 
to enter this pulpit, so, as I am a Lay Minister, I was allowed to do this
as well.

I spoke a few words to the congregation gathered below me and offered a 
prayer. What a humbling experience it was to climb into the pulpit where 
John Calvin
had stood so many times some 500 years before!

Over the years, many preachers have occupied that very pulpit and brought 
the good news of salvation to so many people.

As we reflect on these events on this Reformation Day, sadly, also over the 
years, many protestant denominations have strayed from the principle of the
primacy of Scripture as the Word and counsel of God to govern our lives, 
substituting instead questionable interpretations that excuse moral lapses. 
The
Reformers were willing to risk their lives because they believed in 
Scripture alone. Undoubtedly, it is time for a renewed reformation!

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the many reformers of old who 
brought your good news to the people in easy-to-understand and meaningful
ways. May we have the ability to carry on their tradition, each one of us in 
our own way. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

7 Suggestions When God is Silent
by Ron Edmondson

Elijah had been used of God to hold back rain from the people for over three 
years, because of their sins. Obviously, he was not well liked as a 
preacher.
I can imagine the stress he experienced during those years.

Something strikes me, however, that seems to further complicate Elijah’s 
situation.

Consider
1 Kings 18:1:

“After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 
“Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”

According to a couple New Testament passages, this “After a long time” was 
actually three and a half years. The famine was three and a half years long.
For three and a half years, the people apparently continued to sin, Elijah 
continued to hold on by faith, but God said nothing. God was apparently 
inactive…
not speaking… even to His great servant Elijah during this time.

Have you ever been there? Has the silence of God in your life ever been 
eerily strong?

Imagine you had been faithfully serving… God is using you… you are in 
constant communication with Him… and then suddenly… everything is quiet. You 
have
to wait.

The separation must have seemed unbearable. Elijah is not liked and 
unpopular. He’s an outcast from the people and the One he trusted most was 
seemingly
absent.

God would soon do a miracle through Elijah… one he couldn’t even imagine… 
certainly not script, but during this period all Elijah could do was wait.

If you have been follower of Christ very long, you have had periods where it 
seems God is nowhere to be found. We often call them periods of spiritual
dryness. Sometimes I refer to it as being in a spiritual funk.

What should we do during the times of silence, before the miracles of God 
come through for us?

If you are like me, you can figure out how to celebrate a miracle. You don’t 
need much help doing that. The tough part of life is figuring out what to
do during the years of silence… during the years when miracles are seemingly 
nowhere to be found.

What do we do during the spiritually dry periods of life when we don’t hear 
clearly the voice of God?

Here are 7 suggestions for those times:

Don’t ignore the silence – Some of the biggest moves God has made in my life 
have come after a period of spiritual dryness… when it seemed like God was
doing nothing in my life. Stay very close to God and watch for Him to 
eventually display His power. He will in the fullness of time.

Confront known sin in your life – This wasn’t the problem of silence for 
Elijah, but the problem for the Israelites was that they were chasing after 
other
gods and living lives in total disobedience to God. Sin may not be the 
reason you don’t sense closeness to God right now, but if you have known sin 
in
your life it will affect your intimacy with God.

Go back to what you know – Get back to the basics of the faith that saved 
you. You’ll do it 100s of times in your life, but you must remind yourselves
of the basis of faith… which is the very character and promises of God. God 
is in control. He really is… even when it doesn’t seem that He is anywhere
to be found.

Make a decision… Choose sides – You can’t adequately serve God and the 
world. (Consider
Joshua 24:15.)
Something happens in life, often sin, busyness, boredom, or a tragedy… but 
if we are normal, we have periods where we grow away from our close 
relationship
with God. God hasn’t moved, but if you’ve shifted in your obedience, get 
back securely on the right side.

Trust More… Not less – Times of silence may be filled with fear, but 
ironically, these times require more faith. Times come in our spiritual life 
when
our enthusiasm isn’t as real as when we began our walk with God. That’s not 
an indication to quit… it may be that God is using that time for something
bigger than you could have imagined… but whatever is next will most likely 
require a deeper level of trust.

Listen and Watch Closely – Some day God is going to make His plans known to 
you. Don’t miss them. He may come to your personally, through His Word, 
circumstances,
or another person. You’ll need to be in a position to know that God is 
moving. (Read
THIS POST
if you need help discerning God’s will.)

Get ready to receive – God will break the silence some day… and when He does 
it WILL be good. If you mope around in your sorrows, you’ll be less prepared
to receive the good things to come. Not because of your circumstances, but 
because of your faith, clothe yourself in joy as you wait for God to bless 
you
after the period of silence.

Are you in one of those periods of silence today? How do you handle these 
periods of time?

Ron Edmondson pastors Immanuel Baptist Church. Find out more at:
http://www.ronedmondson.com/about

Sharing Your Testimony
by Charles R. Swindoll

Acts 22:1-21

A time-honored, effective method of evangelism is your personal testimony. 
Just telling about your spiritual pilgrimage. The skeptic may deny your 
doctrine
or attack your church, but he cannot honestly ignore the fact that your life 
has been cleaned up and revolutionized.

Now I'm not talking about some stale, dragged-out verbal marathon. That kind 
of testimony never attracted anyone! I'm speaking of an effective, powerful
missile launched from your lips to the ears of the unsaved. Consider these 
five suggestions:

1. You want to be listened to, so be interesting. It's a contradiction to 
talk about how exciting Christ really is in an uninteresting way. Remember 
to
guard against religious clichés, jargon, and hard-to-understand terminology. 
Theologians, beware!

2. You want to be understood, so be logical. Think of your salvation in 
three phases and construct your testimony accordingly: (a) before you were 
born
again---the struggles within, the loneliness, lack of peace, absence of 
love, unrest, and fears; (b) the decision that revolutionized your life; and 
(c)
the change---the difference it has made since you received Christ.

3. You want the moment of your new birth to be clear, so be specific. Don't 
be vague. Speak of Christ, not the church. Emphasize faith more than 
feeling.
Be simple and direct as you describe what you did or what you prayed or what 
you said. This is crucial!

4. You want your testimony to be used, so be practical. Be human and honest 
as you talk. Don't promise, "All your problems will end if you will become
a Christian," for that isn't true. Try to think as unbelievers think.

5. You want your testimony to produce results, so be warm and genuine. A 
smile breaks down more barriers than the hammer blows of cold, hard facts. 
Let
your enthusiasm flow freely. It's hard to convince someone of the sheer joy 
and excitement of knowing Christ if you're wearing a face like a jail 
warden.
Above all, be positive and courteous. Absolutely refuse to argue. Nobody I 
ever met was "arm wrestled" into the kingdom. Insults and put-downs turn 
people
off.

Ask God to open your lips and honor your words . . . but be careful! Once 
your missile hits the target, you'll become totally dissatisfied with your 
former
life as an earthbound, secret-service saint.

No persuasive technique will ever take the place of your personal testimony. 
If you have not discovered the value of telling others how God rearranged
your life, you've missed a vital link in the chain of His plan for reaching 
the lost.

Excerpted from
Day by Day with Charles Swindoll,
Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). 
All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

We must continually come to Him!

(James Smith, "
Abide with Me"
1859)

One great part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is to . . .
empty us,
strip us of self,
lead us to feel our own weakness, and
bring us as poor sinners to look to Jesus alone, as our wisdom, 
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And just in proportion as we feel our need of Christ, and realize our 
absolute nothingness without Christ--shall we . . .
prize Him,
enjoy Him, and
exercise dependence upon Him.

O how little do many of us know our need of Christ, and therefore it is that 
we . . .
make so little use of Christ,
enjoy so little of Christ,
receive so little from Christ,
and do so little for Christ!

We come to Him at first--as poor, lost, helpless sinners--that we may be 
saved by His merit and mercy.
And as believers, we must continually come to Him . . .
with all our burdens--that He may bear them;
with all our cares--that He may manage them;
with all our sorrows--that He may sanctify them;
with all our foes--that He may conquer them;
with all our sins--that He may cleanse them; and
with all our needs--that He may supply them.

All that we need is in Christ--and it is in Christ, for us. Our sense of our 
need of Christ, if it is deep and increasing--will lead us to daily come to
Christ for all our supplies.

Our deep necessity fits us for Christ--and His infinite fullness fits Him 
for us!

Our trials, troubles, temptations, disappointments, and vexations are to 
teach us our need of Christ--and drive us continually to Him.

There is often much prayer--and yet little communion with Christ.
We should realize that He is giving us His whole attention.
He expects us to tell Him . . .
all that troubles us,
all that grieves us,
all that pleases us,
all that we need,
and all that we desire.
We should keep back nothing from Him--but speak to Him freely on every 
subject, and every circumstance.
He is always with us, listening to us, and sympathetically entering into all 
our concerns!

We must be intimate with Christ.
We must walk with Him.
We must carry everything to Him.
We must seek all we need from Him.
We must be constantly . . .
going to Christ,
conversing with Christ,
and obtaining from Christ--
if we would receive the consoling influences of His love!

The Only Thing Stopping Me is Me
GLYNNIS WHITWER

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love 
and self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7
(NIV)

For most areas of my life, the only thing holding me back from achieving my 
goals is me.

I know what I should do … what I could do … but when it comes right down to 
it, excuses slip in and override my good intentions:

I want to read my Bible every day, but I’m tired and the kids are so loud.
I could go to the gym, but I’m sure the elliptical machines will be taken by 
now.
I should start a diet … but this lasagna and garlic bread are calling my 
name! I’ll start tomorrow.

And so it goes. The Bible says the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (
Mark 14:38).
I must be a super weakling, because self-discipline is as unnatural to me as 
exercise.

Recently, I heard today’s key verse read over the radio and it gave me a new 
perspective on self-discipline. It’s a familiar verse to me and I love the
first part of it: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but 
gives us power, love and self-discipline"
(2 Timothy 1:7).

Some versions of the Bible say God did not give us a spirit of fear. I love 
the idea of not being afraid or timid. I cheer when I read that!

And He gives us "power" … woo hoo!

And "love" … YES, YES I want more of that.

I know this verse well. But when I heard it read aloud, for the first time 
that last word jumped out at me: "self-discipline." Have you ever seen a 
cartoon
character come to a screeching halt, with dust and pebbles flying?

I seriously wondered how someone snuck that word into my Bible without me 
noticing it before.

Apparently, God had been offering me the gift of self-discipline, and I’d 
been ignoring it. So I decided to give it a try the next week on something 
mundane
that I really didn’t want to do.

I had ignored my ironing for a while, and decided to tackle the laundry 
baskets. After an hour, stopping sounded great. But I remembered the verse 
and
asked the Lord for the self-discipline to continue. I kept going. I’m 
guessing you’ve never let your ironing pile up like this, but I ironed for 
three
more hours until every last shirt was pressed. (Now I know there are lots of 
other issues surrounding this fact, like why I iron t-shirts, but the point
is, God gave me the discipline to finish what I’d started.)

So often I ignore the gifts God wants to lavishly share with me, like power, 
love and self-discipline. I try to power through in my own strength, which
simply isn’t enough for the best things in my life. And yes, even ironing 
qualifies as a "best" choice when my family needs work shirts.

Beyond the daily tasks of life, I long for the discipline to achieve 
long-time goals and dreams. I want to leave behind the disappointment in 
myself when
I fail to achieve them yet again.

Having a natural bent away from self-discipline is an opportunity to 
discover God’s power, as I need to return to God often and ask for His help. 
Once
a week just won’t cut it. It needs to be hourly and sometimes by the minute. 
Even though God wants to give me the gift of self-discipline, I still have
a strong free will, which can reject it.

What more might God want to do in me and through me with this gift of help? 
I’m pretty sure God’s got a list for me, and with His help, I’ll be ready.
It might even include saying no to lasagna.

Heavenly Father, thank You for freely giving me Your Spirit to help me with 
the hard things in life. My heart longs to be more self-disciplined, but my
flesh is weak. Help me remember when faced with a choice, I don’t have to 
give in to excuses. I can call on You for help. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Galatians 5:22-23,
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, 
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things 
there
is no law." (NIV)

Proverbs 25:28,
"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks 
self-control." (NIV)

Bad News?

Psalms 112:7

Christian, you ought not to be afraid of the arrival of bad news; because if 
you are distressed by such, you are no different from other men. They do not
have your God to run to; they have never proved His faithfulness as you have 
done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with
fear. But you profess to be of another spirit; you have been born again to a 
living hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things. If
you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace 
that you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature
that you claim to possess?

Again, if you should be filled with alarm like others, you would no doubt be 
led into the sins so common to them under trying circumstances. The ungodly,
when they are overtaken by bad news, rebel against God; they murmur and 
maintain that God has dealt harshly with them. Will you fall into that same 
sin?
Will you provoke the Lord as they do?

Moreover, unconverted men often run to wrong means in order to escape from 
difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if your mind yields to the
present pressure. Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Your wisest 
course is to do what Moses did at the Red Sea: "Stand firm, and see the
salvation
of the LORD."1 For if you give way to fear when you hear bad news, you will 
be unable to meet the trouble with that calm composure that prepares for 
duty
and sustains in adversity.

How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God's 
high praises in the fires, but when you act as if there were no one to help,
will your doubting and despondency magnify the Most High? Then take courage 
and, relying in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God,
"Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."2

1 Exodus 14:13

2 John 14:27

Family Bible reading plan

verse 1 2 Samuel 11

verse 2 2 Corinthians 4

Why We Pray

Prayer is essential to the Christian life, but sometimes it seems hard. 
Written by a pastor with years of teaching and counseling experience,
Why We Pray
doesn’t simply tell us why we should pray, but instead focuses on four 
blessing-filled reasons that will help us want to pray.

Rather than feeling discouraged and disheartened by our inconsistent prayer,
Why We Pray
helps us approach God with reinvigorated confidence and joy, delighted by 
the privilege of talking directly to our loving, heavenly Father.
From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. 
Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News 
Publishers,
Wheaton, IL 60187,
www.crossway.org.

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - Don’t Forget
----------------------------------------------------------

Don’t Forget

Posted: 15 Sep 2015 09:55 PM PDT

I am a conservative, evangelical, Bible-believing Christian. The laws, court 
decisions, and social movements in this country often conflict with my 
deeply-held
beliefs. That will not change until Christ returns. Like most of you, I 
wrestle with how I should live as salt and light in this crooked and 
perverse generation
(Matthew 5:13-16; Philippians 2:15, NASB).

I can’t tell you how you should respond to the moral issues that will 
continue to stir societal tensions; gay marriage, for example. But I can 
urge you
to remember some basic truths that are easily forgotten in the heat of 
cultural combat:

1. As children of God, our most basic calling is to show all those 
around us just how much God loves them (Ephesians 1:6). Our responsibility 
to
each and every person is to love them as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). 
Nothing is ever more important than actively demonstrating God’s love. 
Nothing!
Without love, everything we say is as meaningless and obnoxious as a noisy 
gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1, NASB).

2. Jesus didn’t respond to people as classes. He resisted labels. He 
dealt with people as individuals, and always with respect. His Spirit should
guide every personal interaction. Remember that each individual is 
unspeakably precious to Him. Treat them that way.

3. Jesus said: “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the 
world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17, NASB). He
didn’t condemn the moral degenerates of His day. He openly befriended them 
and warmly socialized with them. The religious conservatives accused Him of
being a “friend of sinners”, a charge which He gladly owned. If He did not 
come to judge sinners, neither have we.

4. People do not become righteous by externally-imposed laws, but by 
grace through faith. They are drawn to God from the inside, not driven from
the outside. Righteous laws don’t make a righteous people, nor does a 
perfect president, a perfect court system, or a perfect Congress. Old 
Testament Israel
was given a perfect legal code, dictated by God Himself, with Moses as their 
leader. Did that make them a godly nation? Not even close. Neither would 
Christian
laws make America Christian. The Biblical agent for changing individuals and 
societies is not law, but grace. Shouldn’t grace be our focus?

When Our Prayers Go Unanswered
Prayer Thoughts: A monthly memo to encourage us in our prayer life
By Colin Stott, Special to ASSIST News Service

MURRIETA, CA (ANS – September 14, 2015) -- “The God we serve is able to 
deliver us…but even if He does not…we will not serve your gods.” (Dan. 3:17-18)

Have you ever been disappointed, even angry with God when He has not 
answered prayer in the way you wanted or expected? I am sure we all have. 
The thing
is God usually has different priorities than we do.

We ask to be delivered from a trial when God wants us to go through it. We 
want our prayers answered now when God wants us to grow through waiting. We
ask to be spared from suffering when God knows that our current difficulties 
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs all of our 
troubles.
(2 Cor. 4:17)

It is hard to understand though if we have trusted God for something that we 
really felt was His will only to suffer a huge reversal and have our hopes
dashed. Unanswered prayers reveal our heart. If we get angry with God it 
shows that, at least in this area of our life, He is not at the center—we 
are.
If He is in the center then, whether He delivers us or not (Heb. 11:35), we 
can agree with that old hymn that “it is well with my soul.”

God is not fazed by our anger. He knows us so well. But He does want us to 
grow and become more like His Son, with that same spirit of submission: “Let
this cup pass from me and yet not my will but thine be done.” (Matt. 26:39 
NIV) God will strive with us to get us to the place of surrender expressed 
by
John Wesley:

John Wesley Colin Stott
“I am no longer my own but Thine. Put me to what Thou wilt; rank me with 
whom Thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me employed for 
Thee
– or laid aside for Thee; exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee. Let me 
be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing. I 
freely
and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal.”

Can God trust us with reversals and disappointments in prayer? Maybe what we 
think is an unanswered prayer is actually God’s answer to prayers we once
prayed—the ones where we asked Him to take us into a deeper walk of faith. 
Our current circumstance might be very the thing God is using to help 
achieve
that deeper walk. At the end of the day it’s all about trust; trusting His 
heart when we don’t understand His ways.

Colin Stott
About the writer: Colin Stott is International Prayer Coordinator for Global 
Recordings Network (GRN), a mission that provides audio Bible stories in 
over six thousand languages and dialects. Colin was born in England. He and his 
wife Patti make their home in Murrieta in southern California. For more 
information about GRN and using its materials visit www.globalrecordings.net. For more 
information about reprinting this article and others in this series on 
prayer,contact Colin at colinstott@globalrecordings.net

Today's Daily Encounter

Lessons from Rabbits

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what
is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves."1

Scientists were studying the impact of a
high-cholesterol diet on heart disease. To measure this
effect, they fed a group of genetically similar rabbits
the same high-cholesterol diet. To their amazement,
half the rabbits developed heart troubles, while the
others were normal, with no noticeable heart disease.

This outcome was not explainable, so they bought new
rabbits and repeated the study. At the end of two
weeks, they obtained the same results. Something was
wrong with the research design, but they could not
determine the unaccountable variable.

Eventually, they discovered that during the evening the
assistant who fed and cared for the rabbits took the
rabbits out of their cages and cuddled them and petted
them while she changed their bedding and food. However,
because she was short, she could not reach the rabbits
on the top shelf, so they were simply fed and changed
without being picked up. Sure enough, after two weeks,
the rabbits on the top row all had heart disease, while
the rabbits on the bottom row were healthy. The
environment and diet were exactly the same. The only
variable was expressed love through touching.2

I'm not suggesting that we ignore a healthy diet. Not
at all! But every one of us also needs a healthy diet
of love and affection if we are to be and stay healthy.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be so
filled with Your love that I will always be loving and
affectionate towards my loved ones and also (with
discretion) to all the people You bring into my life.
Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Romans 12:9-10 (NIV).
2. By Marvin Wray in "Wit and Wisdom."

<)))><

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
Click on:
http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php.
Or
if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ,
please click on
http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php
to note this.

* * * * * * *
Copyright (c) 2015 by ACTS International
When copying or forwarding include the following:
"Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2015
ACTS International.

Undermining God’s Plans
by Dean Masters

Esther 6:13
And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had 
happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If 
Mordecai
before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not 
overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

I just love the book of Esther, there’s just so much in it that shows us who 
God is and how He loves and defends even though His name is never mentioned.

Haman had an obvious issue with Mordecai that goes back generations and he 
allowed that and his pride to get him to the point where he had the plans 
all
laid out to not only kill Mordecai, but to kill all of the Jews. This is one 
of those cases where bitterness was allowed to grow to a point of 
ridiculousness
and now murder was filling his mind. Bitterness can lead you to the point of 
committing sins you never dreamed you were capable of! Don’t hold on to that
“stuff”! Forgive and move on and if need be remove that person from your 
circle but don’t allow bitterness to consume you! Choose godliness over 
bitterness!

Have you ever had someone trying to undermine all that you are doing? You’ve 
watched as they go behind your back and maybe tell untruths or they tried
to search out your every move so they could destroy you and what you are 
trying to do? If you are following God and you know you are seeking His 
direction
then let it go! Don’t worry about what others are doing ~ keep your eyes 
fixed on God! In this part of the story, Haman had just prepared a gallows 
to
have Mordecai hanged on and God spent the night while Mordecai (the Jew) was 
sleeping, protecting him from Haman’s plans. God kept King Ahasuerus up 
until
he called to have the book of Memorable deeds read to him and the king 
remembered how Mordecai had saved his life. While Haman was trying to 
destroy Mordecai,
God was protecting Him.

There are so many things we could draw from this but two of the things that 
stand out are:
1) If someone is trying to undermine you and what you feel you are called 
to do, pray about it and leave them to God to take care of. Don’t get 
consumed
with it until your focus is on them instead of God’s plan. Satan is trying 
to distract you and hold you back from all that God has planned.
2) If you are the one trying to undermine someone else and what they are 
doing, ask yourself “WHY?” Is there bitterness from something in the past 
that
has eaten you up to the point where all you can do is focus on destroying 
them and what they are doing? If so, have you stopped to realize that, that 
is
Satan’s plan…… He wants to keep you from all that God has called you to buy 
keeping that bitterness alive. His plan is to destroy you and all that God
has called you to! Don’t let him win! Give that person to God! If they did 
you wrong in the past, ask God to heal your heart so you can move forward 
and
enjoy all that God has called you to! God is not going to allow you to not 
only destroy what He has called you to but His plans for someone else as 
well.
He loves you too much! There’s no real pleasure in destroying someone else! 
There’s never pleasure in holding on to bitterness and unforgiveness! Joy 
and
blessing comes when we forgive and we allow God to heal our hearts so we can 
be used by Him to the degree He has created and called us to be!

I would encourage you to pray today and ask God to show you how to move 
forward. Pray for Him to pour out His mercy and grace on you today so you 
can let
everything that is standing in your way go! Pray for that other person in 
your life, pray that God will move in their life so that God can use them 
for
what He created them for! Keep God and His plan for your life in the front 
of your mind! Don’t let Satan stand in the way! The best is yet to come when
you can let the wrongs others have done to you go! Trust God today to take 
care of it!

Quote:
“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he, himself, 
must pass.” Lord Herbert

The key to reaching your family first

September 10, 2015

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons 
begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to
him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for 
you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Mark 5:18-19

I’m always intrigued when I read the story of Jesus healing the 
demon-possessed man in the land of the Gerasenes. This man had been living 
in the graveyard,
isolated from the rest of the community, and exhibited self-destructive 
tendencies. The townspeople had tried to bind him with chains, but the man 
would
break free.

So in came Jesus. And when the man saw him from afar, he immediately 
recognized the Lord and began shouting at him, begging Jesus not to torment 
him. So
Jesus cast the demons out and let them go into a herd of pigs who 
immediately drowned themselves in the sea.

The man was free, and wanted to follow Jesus and be with him. But 
interestingly, Jesus said no. Instead, he told the man to go back to his 
home and share
what He had done for him. What a powerful testimony to those who knew this 
man best!

The place to begin sharing God’s truth is at home. That’s where we’re to 
live authentically, walking with God and showing others the grace He’s given 
us…
our spouses, our kids, our parents, and our friends. Start sharing the 
Gospel at home, testify of the Lord’s goodness, and be a living witness to 
your
loved ones of God’s grace in your life.

SHARE GOD’S GRACE WITH THOSE AT HOME FIRST BY WALKING AUTHENTICALLY WITH GOD 
AND BEING A LIVING WITNESS OF HIS GRACE!

----------------------------------------------------------
For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit
www.jackgraham.org

The Love of God

The world's viewpoint about God's love is such a watered-down version of the 
Truth. They view Him as a benign and insipid force. They think that His love
is so unconditional that He will happily overlook all of their faults. They 
think that God is not concerned about what religion they belong to or what
they believe.

As Christians we know that our God is loving and merciful, yet He is also 
just in His judgments. We know that although His love is not based on our 
accomplishments,
His love is conditional upon Christ's death on the cross and upon our 
acceptance of that gift.

Our human brains cannot comprehend the infinity of God's love. The apostle 
Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "And I pray that you, being rooted and 
established
in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and 
long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that 
surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" 
(Ephesians 3:17-19).

God's love does not come cheaply. God's love came at the cost of His own 
Son. Jesus endured immeasurable physical and emotional pain when He was 
separated
from the Father in order to carry our sins. The perfect, holy, righteous 
Jesus Christ died in order to pay the wages of our sin. That kind of 
sacrificial
love is incomprehensible. How great is God's love that He would give Himself 
for us. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only
Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we 
loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for
our sins" (1 John 4:9-10).

We did absolutely nothing to earn God's love. We were born into sin; we were 
at enmity with God. We were unlovable and undeserving. Yet Christ still died
for us. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, 
Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous 
man, though
for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his 
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" 
(Romans
5:6-8)

God's love is so abundant that He not only saved us from eternal damnation, 
but He adopted us as His own children. "How great is the love the Father has
lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what 
we are!" (1 John 3:1). He changes our very nature upon
salvation
so that we can become more like Him. "No one who is born of God will 
continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, 
because
he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9).

God does not want a one-sided relationship with us. He did not send His own 
Son to die a painful death on the cross for us in order for us to merely 
accept
His forgiveness and continue our lives without Him. He did not adopt us as 
His children only to receive the occasional visit in return. He wants a 
daily,
close, personal relationship with us. He wants to see us commit our time and 
hearts to Him in prayer. He wants us to talk to Him, praise Him, and worship
Him every day.

The more we comprehend the magnitude of God's love for us, the more we will 
love Him back. The more time we spend in prayer learning about Him and 
developing
a relationship with Him, the more our love for Him will grow. Spend time in 
prayer today just adoring Him. Praise Him for His amazing love. Pray that 
the
Holy Spirit will guide you in how to show the immensity of God's love to the 
world.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor 
depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love 
of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD."--Romans 8:38-39

****

Jesus, Jihad and Peace

What does the threat of Islamic extremism mean in terms of Bible prophecy? 
In a world that cries out for peace, which will prevail—Jesus or jihad? In
Jesus, Jihad and Peace,
Dr. Michael Youssef provides answers that are concise, Biblically accurate, 
and targeted on the challenges that confront us in a world that is 
increasingly
fraught with peril. Order your copy today through Leading The Way!

We are Leading The Way for people living in spiritual darkness, at home and 
around the world, to discover the light of Christ as we passionately 
proclaim
uncompromising Truth. Visit us today at
http://www.ltw.org/

Listen to
Michael Youssef
on Today's Broadcast of "
Leading The Way"
at OnePlace.com

A NORVELL NOTE by Tom Norvell
- http://www.anorvellnote.com

----------------------------------------------------------

A Norvell Note
Vol. 17 No. 37 September 14, 2015
That Awkward Moment
You have probably been in one of those situations with a group of friends, 
family, or co-workers when the conversation shifts from the usual surface 
talk
to something more serious. There may be a pause, or one of those awkward 
silences when people begin to look at the clock to see if it is twenty 
minutes
past or twenty minutes before the hour.
It is awkward because you know it is the perfect time to raise the 
conversation from the ordinary to the extraordinary. You can go back to 
“Did you see
that game?†or you can say something like “Hey, can I share something I 
read in the Gospel of John the other day?†If you choose the first you 
will
get more of the same. If you choose the latter you may get that 
uncomfortable silent reaction which might be translated, “Did he really 
just say that?â€
These awkward uncomfortable moments probably come and go more often than we 
realize because we are so accustomed to allowing the opportunities to pass.
It is so easy to keep the conversation light and fluffy so that no one feels 
judged, is put on the spot, or made to feel the slightest bit uneasy. So,
we talk about the weather. We talk about sports. We talk about work. We talk 
about the children. We may even talk about our church, what is good, what
is bad, what we like, and especially we do not like.
We justify and rationalize our action or lack of action by saying we do not 
want to be seen as too serious or too religious or too rigid or too holy or
to this or too that. We justify and rationalize by quoting the one passage 
we remember from Ecclesiastes: “Do not be over righteous, neither be 
over-wise
— why destroy yourself?†(7:16). We justify and rationalize then we beat 
ourselves up for missing the opportunity.
Maybe there is a better way. Peter said this, “But in your hearts revere 
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks 
you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness 
and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously
against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.†(1 
Peter 3:15,19, NIV)
“Always be prepared.†Maybe we shy away from this passage because we 
assume to always be prepared to give an answer means we have all the 
answers.
That is not the point of the passage. We are to always be prepared to give 
an answer for the hope that we have. There is an assumption: we have hope. 
Since
we have hope, be ready to tell people. Since we have hope, and since we have 
a reason for our hope, why not break the silence sometimes by sharing the
hope that we have. Since we have hope, and since we have a reason for our 
hope, why not transform the conversation from the mundane to the spiritual.
Will it be awkward? Yes, at times. Will be strange? Yes, at times. Will some 
people wish you would have let conversation stay on the surface? Yes, some
will. Will it be worth the awkwardness? Yes. Will it change the dynamic of 
your group? Yes. Will it make the conversation be more memorable and 
meaningful.
Absolutely!
When you find yourself squirming in your seat because you sense that awkward 
moment is approaching, be ready. Think about something you have been reading
(something worth sharing). Be ready to share it. Then, share it. The 
awkwardness will pass.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Love Worth Finding Ministries

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Ready to Make an Honest Confession?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and 
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean to “confess your sins”? It doesn’t mean to simply admit 
your sin. There are a lot of people who have admitted their sins, who have 
never
confessed their sins.

I’ve spoken to people many times and asked, “Do you know that you’re a 
sinner?” And they respond, “Yes, I know. We’ve all sinned.” But those people 
aren’t
confessing; all they’re doing is admitting. There is a difference.

The word “confess” is a compilation of two words, “con” and “fess,” which 
mean “to agree with.” To confess your sins is “to say with” God what God 
says
about them.

ACTION POINT:
As you go before the Lord in prayer today, rather than just admitting you’ve 
sinned, agree with God about your sin. Then ask for His grace to overcome.
© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

nourish

The Peace of God

Our salvation is not just about going to heaven and escaping hell. Those are 
certainly the most extraordinary benefits of our relationship with Jesus,
but if our concept of salvation ends there, we’re selling it short. Peace 
with God establishes our relationship with Him, and as a result, we can 
experience
the peace of God. This is what makes peace a legitimate option for us right 
now, on earth.

God’s Spirit indwells you at the moment of salvation (see Eph. 1:13). His 
job is not only to sanctify you but also to empower you to develop and 
exhibit
His fruit. So when God’s Spirit came into your life, He brought housewarming 
presents—a nice fruit basket, plus an array of personalized gifts for you
to use in serving others. As Jesus said to His disciples before His death, 
and ultimately before returning in resurrected glory to the Father: “Peace I
leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to 
you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27).

Pull quote

So, you see, the anchoring and guiding peace of God is already in you as a 
divine gift. Hand delivered. Your task is to make sure it’s not lying 
dormant,
unused, and unappreciated. You must choose to cultivate and activate it in 
your life.

But how? How do you put on the shoes of peace? Let’s take a walk through 
three passages of Scripture that teach us how—two from the New Testament and 
one
from the Old.

Philippians 4:6-7
Colossians 3:15
Isaiah 26:3-4

The messages of these passages are inextricably tied together. When we 
choose thankful prayer over wallowing in anxiety and worry, we are 
demonstrating
an unwavering trust in God. Prayer shrouded in gratitude expresses a firm 
faith. Concentrating on Him instead of being absorbed by our circumstances 
tells
the Lord that we believe He is able to override and overcome even the most 
difficult issues. This kind of faith catches His attention, and He responds
by activating His peace within us—a peace that will not only guard but also 
guide us by helping us to discern the direction God is leading us to take in
our lives.

When God sees this type of prayerful, grateful faith, when our mind is 
squared on Him, the peace of God expands within us. It stabilizes our 
runaway emotions,
centers our minds, guides our footsteps, and even overflows into our 
experience with others. It cools our sharp tongue, dismantles our emotional 
walls,
and keeps us from being so difficult to be around.

This is how we put on the shoes of peace—we trust and express gratitude. 
Then, we experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Starting today, any time you feel worry or anxiety creeping into your heart, 
take it as your cue to turn your attention to God. Pray. Trust Him. Be 
grateful.
And watch His peace—a peace you cannot even begin to explain—swell in your 
experience. Then your feet will be fitted with the shalom of God.

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord 
be with all of you (2 Thess. 3:16, HCSB).

----------------------------------------------------------
The Armor of God
Excerpted from The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer
©2015. LifeWay Christian Resources.
Used by permission.

Cut It Out!

In the 18th Century, the U. S. Congress issued a special edition of Thomas 
Jefferson’s Bible. It was a simple copy of our Bible with all references to 
the supernatural eliminated. Jefferson, in selecting, had confined himself 
solely to the moral teachings of Jesus.

The closing words of this Bible are: “There laid they Jesus and rolled a 
great stone at the mouth of the sepulchre and departed.”
Thank God, our Bible ended with the news that “He is risen!”
From Encyclopedia of 7000 Quotations

There was a king in the Old Testament that did something similar to what 
Thomas Jefferson did but went a lot further. He had Jeremiah put into 
prison. Jeremiah had a message from God for this king so he got someone to 
write it down on a scroll. Here is what happened to it:

Jeremiah 36:20-24 (The Message)
20 The officials went to the court of the palace to report to the king, 
having put the scroll for safekeeping in the office of Elishama the 
secretary of state. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He brought it 
from the office of Elishama the secretary. Jehudi then read it to the king 
and the officials who were in the king’s service. 22 It was December. The 
king was sitting in his winter quarters in front of a charcoal fire. 23 
After Jehudi would read three or four columns, the king would cut them off 
the scroll with his pocketknife and throw them in the fire. He continued in 
this way until the entire scroll had been burned up in the fire. 24 Neither 
the king nor any of his officials showed the slightest twinge of conscience 
as they listened to the messages read.

I doubt there are any people today that actually cut parts of the Bible out 
but they do it in other ways. They don’t believe that some of the things 
really happened or that what is in the Bible doesn’t apply to them. Below 
are some examples of comments I have read or heard:

• “Moses didn’t lead the Israelites through the Red Sea, it was the Reed Sea 
which was just a few inches deep.”
• “I know Jesus told us to do…but he doesn’t know my circumstances.”
• “We’re under grace so we don’t have to obey any commandments.”
• “I know the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and that the apostles were given 
spiritual gifts but they all died so the gifts died with them. There are no 
gifts of the Spirit today.”
• “I know Jesus did miracles when he was on earth but he can’t do them now.”

People who say or think these types of things may as well cut all the 
references of them out of their Bibles. We cannot do that. Here is what the 
apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:16 (The Message)
16 Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or 
another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, 
training us to live God’s way.

So CUT IT OUT! Stop cutting out the parts of the Bible you don’t believe or 
don’t understand!

by Dean W. Masters

l Bible Study

How to Pray for the Toxic People in Your Life
by Jennifer O. White

Love gives. Loves goes the extra mile. Love endures.

That love is not always reciprocated.

As Christ followers, we strive to give love from a pure heart that doesn’t 
require a person to love us perfectly in return. We intentionally allow God
to be our source of perfect love, and we relinquish the right to demand it 
from others. In obedience to God and His Word, we set our hearts on being 
patient
and kind. We commit to modeling Jesus’ sacrificial love. But sometimes the 
person we give our love to consistently betrays and wounds us. How do we 
give
love in that situation?

Kuddos to Debbie McDaniel for her insight in "
How to Protect Yourself from these 10 Toxic People."
McDaniel wisely suggests we set boundaries and limit the control an 
unhealthy person might be placing on our life. She also notes when "we look 
deep into
the mirror of our souls, we may realize that we are the ones who have some 
unhealthy tendencies that God wants to change."

I’ve got a really strong mercy streak. For decades, I’ve looked for the best 
in everyone. I pursued relationships with very emotionally unhealthy people.
I was sure God loved them and I could, too, but I had no idea how to employ 
boundaries. I gave love no matter how much pain was delivered to me in 
return.
I was too timid to speak the truth in love.

I lived with a desperate fear of confrontation. My rational thinking dropped 
into a coma if I sensed any threat of an explosive reaction. Eventually 
resentment
wrestled mercy to the ground. Wounded and exhausted, I would just walk away 
from the relationship.

That is how I handled my first marriage. Years later, I was very close to 
repeating the pattern in my second marriage.

A major crisis in our marriage led me to intense
Bible study
and prayer counseling. God exposed many of my own toxic relationship 
patterns. I was addicted to the approval of others. I was a great blamer and 
gossiper.
If there had been a contest for arrogant victims, I would have won the 
crown.

I once was blind, but now I see.

Pride kept me from seeing these things about myself. It also kept me focused 
on how the “other person” needed to change so I could be ok. With amazing
grace, God revealed the truth for the purpose of restoring me to wholeness.

He sent His Word and healed me and delivered me from self-destruction.
(Psalm 107:20,
my paraphrase)

God offers healing and freedom to everyone.

He is waiting to transform the lives of everyone leaking nuclear emotions 
and throwing verbal grenades. The controller, the abuser, and the too-easily
angered are not immune to the power of God’s Word. We are promised that 
nothing is impossible with God (
Luke 1:37,
Mark 10:27).
There is hope for the bully, the addict, and the one whose mind is stuck in 
a negative gear. The blamer, the gossiper, the arrogant, and the victim are
all offered fresh doses of mercy from God each and every day.

God created those who hurt us. He has a good plan for their lives. He knows 
the “why” behind their destructive behaviors. He knows the lies they believe
about themselves. He knows what stands in the way of their wholeness. He is 
a Shepherd who pursues every sheep that wanders away from all He offers.

We are temples of God’s Holy Spirit, empowered by Him to believe in what we 
cannot yet see. We are vessels of His mercy, His wisdom, and His Word. His
mighty power is at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we can 
ask or imagine (
Ephesians 3:20).

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood (
Ephesians 6:12).

There is a dark force of evil behind every lethal personality disorder and 
self-defensive coping mechanism. Every casualty in a relationship war has 
fallen
prey to the one who steals, kills, and destroys.

The great news is... God has far more power than Satan. The God of angel 
armies makes us ready for battle with His truth, salvation, faith, 
righteousness,
peace, and the sword—the Word of God. His banner of victory flies over us. 
When we arm ourselves and pray, we salute His authority and partner with His
plan for the family of God.

What would delight our God more than for us to turn our minds away from the 
problems and focus on Him? He is our solution.

Praising God is a powerful first line of defense. We can worship and adore 
Him, our wonderful counselor and supreme relationship expert.

Holy God. You are full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and full of 
love. No one can measure Your greatness. You open your hand to satisfy the 
needs
of everyone.

You protected Daniel in the lion’s den. You provided an ark before the 
flood. You create streams in deserts. No situation is too dire for You. 
Everything
is possible because You are the Creator and Redeemer.

You love imperfect people extravagantly. Your perfect love drives out fear.

You are mighty to save!

We can choose to live prayerfully and humbly before God. He can help us love 
those who do not love us well with a pure heart.

Father, I may be blind to my own role in toxic relationships. Help me see 
the truth about myself. Apply the healing power of Your Word to my heart and
mind. Deliver me from any stronghold that causes me to harm people with my 
words and actions. Save me from self-destructive patterns.

I struggle in my relationship with ______. I need You to give me wisdom on 
how to love ____ well. You are my shield and defender. Show me how, when and
where to erect boundaries in our relationship. I believe You are my healer 
and I trust You to guard my heart and mind.

I need Your specific directions on how to interact with ______.

I want to love _____ with a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere 
faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Help me to love ______ courageously. Fill me with Your truth and compel me 
to fearlessly tell the truth with love. Let Your perfect love cast out all 
of
my fears related to our relationship.

I forgive ______ for hurting me. I ask You to forgive me for _______ and 
_______. I acknowledge my emotions: _______, _________, and _______. And I 
invite
You to steady my heart so my emotions do not rule my decisions

I surrender what I think our relationship should be. Please transform it so 
that it honors You.

In Jesus, I pray. Amen

The toxic person in your life may feel like an enemy. That is certainly how 
Satan wants you to feel about your husband, your family member, your church
leader, etc. But remember the real culprit is Satan.

God has given us clear instructions to bless those who curse us and pray for 
the people who mistreat us (
Luke 6:27–28).
Jesus modeled this pure love for us on the cross, and when He washed Judas’ 
feet knowing he was going to betray Him.

Praying for your enemy is like training for the Christian Olympics. The 
stakes are high. The requirements are intense. But the reward is far greater 
than
any gold medal. Your prayer can be used by God in a person’s life, their 
family, and the generations after them.

Use this prayer prompt to launch an ongoing conversation with God on behalf 
of the toxic person in your life.

God, I acknowledge You as _______’s provider. Thank You for providing all 
______ needs to live in peace and harmony with me and others.

Your Word is alive and a gift of healing to ______. I invite You to fill 
_____’s life with It. Let It be a salve to _____’s wounds. Use it to set 
______
free from the snare of the enemy.

You are the Good Shepherd. Please rescue _______ from paths of destruction.

You are the Wonderful Counselor. Break down the walls in _____’s heart and 
mind with Your battering ram of revelation. Give ____ spiritual wisdom and 
insight
to know You. Flood ______’s heart with Your light.

Where _____ has endured shame, pour double portions of honor into _____’s 
life.

Your Holy Spirit intercedes for _____ 24/7. Use me to do the same and raise 
up an army of intercessors on _______’s behalf. Let heaven and earth work in
tandem to deliver ____ from evil.

Make _____ ready to hear me and others speak Your truth in love. Help ____ 
to experience Your love and Your presence.

You are the One who can enable _____ to hunger for Your Word and obey Your 
commands. Let that be so for ________.

With faith in Jesus, I pray. Amen

Jennifer O. White is the author of
Prayers for New Brides: Putting on God’s Armor After the Wedding Dress
and
Marriage Armor for the #PrayingBride.
Jennifer is a natural encourager who offers hope from the truths of God’s 
Word at her blog,
Prayerfully Speaking.
With every blog post, Jennifer is exalts the one true God who can empower us 
to do more than we can ask or imagine.

Giving Is Godlike
by Charles R. Swindoll

John 3:16

Shortly after World War II, the saddest sight for American soldiers who were 
picking up the pieces in ravaged Europe, was that of little orphaned 
children
starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.

One soldier driving along in his jeep spotted a little lad with his nose 
pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough 
for
a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every 
move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb and got out to slip over to
the boy's side. Through the steamed-up window he could see the 
mouth-watering morsels as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. 
The boy salivated
and released a slight groan.

The soldier's heart went out to the orphan. "Son . . . would you like some 
of those?"

The boy was startled. "Oh, yes, would I!"

The American stepped into the shop, bought a dozen, put them in a bag and 
walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London 
morning.
He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are."

As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. The soldier looked 
back and heard the child ask quietly:

"Mister . . . are you God?"

We are never more like God than when we give.

Excerpted from
Day by Day with Charles Swindoll,
Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). 
All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Experiencing LIFE Today

There must be, in any complete revelation of God's mind and will and 
character and being, things hard for the beginner to understand; and the 
wisest and
best of us are but beginners.  R.A. Torrey

Familiarity.

A favorite pair of jeans. A friend from childhood. A song that takes us back 
to cherished days. There is something about the things we are comfortable
with, the stuff that we know well – like that old tattered leather Bible you 
have.

Familiarity with the Bible has its drawbacks, though  particularly if you 
let a "Yeah, been there, read that" attitude creep in. Hebrews 4:12 says:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged 
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it 
judges
the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Now, freeze-frame your thoughts right here. Are you saying to yourself, 
"Yeah, been there, read that"?! Ha! Caught you! (Honestly, I catch myself 
doing
that a lot too!) When we become too "familiar" with Scripture, we forget 
that this book truly is "living and active." It's not a normal book. It 
doesn't
just inform, it transforms. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is living and 
active too.

Consider Paul's encouragement at the end of the spiritual armor section of 
Ephesians again:

Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the 
Spirit on all occasions ... (6:17-18).

Changing circumstances, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and a Bible that is 
living and active can make the eternal written words of God brand new again
today.

Holy Spirit, bring familiar passages from Your living Word to mind. By Your 
power, make them living and active in my soul! Oh Lord, break me of any 
know-it-all
attitude, so that I can experience You in fresh and new ways today. Amen.

Listen to Pete, Jill & Stuart Briscoe on the
Telling the Truth broadcast
at OnePlace.com

Headed in the Wrong Direction
LYNN COWELL

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."
Proverbs 14:12
(NIV)

I anxiously glanced at the clock thinking, If I leave now I'll still make it 
on time.

This wasn't a meeting I could comfortably slip into if I were late because 
I was the speaker!

Grabbing my purse, I headed for the garage door when I thought I heard 
bleating. Yes, bleating, as in a noise coming from a very small animal.

What in the world? I have no idea what that is, but I'm late! Trying to put 
the strange noise out of my mind, I kept heading toward my car. But try as
I might, my heart wouldn't let me ignore the sad sound, no matter how late 
it was going to make me.

I turned around and made my way closer to the tiny cry. There, next to our 
backyard gate, stood the tiniest of fawns. This precious little thing couldn't
have been more than a couple hours old, as it wavered on tiny legs.

On the other side of the fence stood the object of the baby's sorrow  his 
mother. They were separated by the fence, and the baby was trapped. He 
couldn't
get to her and she had no way of getting him out of our backyard.

This wasn't the first time a little one has been born in our yard. I believe 
deer spot the cool shade of our woods and decide our yard is the perfect 
place
to give birth. But our yard is not as it seems. When the baby is born and 
the mother hops back over the fence, her fawn is trapped, alone and without 
care and protection.

Our yard may appear safe and peaceful to an adult animal, but to an infant 
it is anything but. I wondered: How many times have I unknowingly jumped 
into
a situation I deemed safe only to get caught where I should not have 
been?Things like:

Entering benign conversations, where my speech takes a wrong turn and I 
find myself gossiping.

 Bored or stressed, as I make my way to my pantry only to indulge in foods 
that harm, rather than help, my body.

 Wanting to guide my child, when I speak words meant to bring discernment, 
but instead bring damage.

Today's key verse warns us, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in 
the end it leads to death"
(Proverbs 14:12).
Sometimes, we can feel like we're doing the right thing, like the mother 
deer, when in fact, we’re heading in a wrong direction. How can we know what's
right?

Jesus promised us in
John 16:13,
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the 
truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and 
he
will tell you what is yet to come" (NIV).

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide. We 
need Him. We need His guidance to make wise choices and not become trapped
by sin that hurts us and damages our relationship with Jesus. The Holy 
Spirit is with us, available all day long, with the wisdom we need to live 
the rich
and satisfying life Jesus wants for us. Our part is to listen for His 
direction.

After making a few phone calls to animal experts, I was instructed to pick 
up the fawn and lift him over the gate to safety. He didn't struggle as I 
gently
lifted him from the ground and delivered him back to his mother. I am so 
thankful that in my life, as I listen to the Holy Spirit, He too, lifts me 
up
and helps deliver me out of the traps I get myself in.

And yes, thankfully, I did make my speaking engagement just in time.

Holy Spirit, I invite You today, to guide and instruct me. Help me not 
simply choose what seems best to me, but teach me to listen for Your 
guidance so
I can make wise choices. In Jesus Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 10:10,
"The thiefs purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give 
them a rich and satisfying life." (NLT)

Isaiah 40:11,
"Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs 
and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes." (NASB)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Help a young woman discover how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and 
allow Him to create His fruit in her life with Lynn Cowell's book, Magnetic: 
Becoming
the Girl He Wants. Included in the book is a leader's guide, making this a 
great back-to-school study for a small group, Sunday School or mother and 
daughter
to do together!

Youre invited to stop by
Lynn's blog
today, where she shares more on listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. 
She is also giving away a copy of Magnetic: Becoming the Girl He Wants.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Reflect on the last month, week or even 24 hours. Have you gotten caught in 
a situation that was not as it seemed?

Make a point to continually ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Pay attention 
to how He leads your heart. It'll become easier and easier to "hear" His 
direction.

© 2015 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.

The Stories of Hope

The Bible tells us one story after another of God meeting people where they 
hurt. Tell me, why are these stories in the Bible? Why are the Gospels full
of such people? Such hopeless people? Though their situations vary, their 
conditions don't. They are trapped. Estranged. Rejected. They have nowhere 
to
turn. On their lips, a desperate prayer. In their hearts, desolate dreams. 
And in their hands, a broken rope. But before their eyes a never-say-die 
Galilean
who majors in stepping in when everyone else steps out.

Surprisingly simple, the actions of this man. Just words of mercy or touches 
of kindness. Fingers on sightless eyes. A hand on a weary shoulder. Words
for sad hearts ... all fulfilling the prophecy: "A bruised reed he will not 
break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."

Again I ask. Why are these portraits in the Bible? Why does this gallery 
exist? Why did God leave us one tale after another of wounded lives being 
restored?
So we could be grateful for the past? So we could look back with amazement 
at what Jesus did?

No. No. No. A thousand times no. The purpose of these stories is not to tell 
us what Jesus did. Their purpose is to tell us what Jesus does.

"Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us," Paul 
penned. "The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can 
have hope" (Rom. 15:4).

These are not just Sunday school stories. Not romantic fables. Not 
somewhere-over-the-rainbow illusions. They are historic moments in which a 
real God
met real pain so we could answer the question, "Where is God when I hurt?"

How does God react to dashed hopes? Read the story of Jairus. How does the 
Father feel about those who are ill? Stand with him at the pool of Bethesda.
Do you long for God to speak to your lonely heart? Then listen as he speaks 
to the Emmaus-bound disciples. What is God's word for the shameful? Watch as
his finger draws in the dirt of the Jerusalem courtyard.

He's not doing it just for them. He's doing it for me. He's doing it for you.

Copyright Information
Today's devotional is drawn from Max Lucado's
He Still Moves Stones.

Love Worth Finding Ministries

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand 
hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.”
Psalm 18:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you know what our churches could use a little bit more of? Courtesy among 
the brethren—love in the little things, love that says “please” and “thank
you,” love that steps back and gives the other person first place. The 
gentleness of our Lord.

It never ceases to amaze me how people so quickly lose their religion when 
they leave church on Sunday morning. They go to their cars in the parking 
lot,
then cut people off in traffic. And don’t ever take someone’s “regular” seat 
in church. You’re seen as stealing their “rightful” place in the worship 
service!

ACTION POINT:
May God cleanse our churches of self-righteousness and pride. May He purify 
us from anything that seeks to elevate self over others.

© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
Why God Slows You Down - #7476

It was Fall, and my wife and I were making our annual pilgrimage to go 
"Falling" in northwest New Jersey. We had our cider, we had our donuts and 
our eyes
were filled with God's great autumn art show. We were headed home, and of 
course, I wanted to make the return trip as short as possible. That's why I 
wasn't
very thrilled when I crested the hill and saw this long traffic jam. What is 
this bumper-to-bumper stuff doing in my country paradise?

I was forced to do something I can't ever remember doing on that little 
country highway. Drive slow! But it turned out that I did not drum my 
fingers on
the steering wheel once or even wish I could go faster. For the first time, 
I noticed this beautiful little lake I had never seen before with the 
colorful
trees all reflected in it. I saw animals and panoramas that I had missed all 
these years of traveling this road. Oh, they'd always been there, but I was
always moving too fast.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why God 
Slows You Down."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 46:10, "Be still 
and know that I am God." Well, those things really go together. "Be still", 
and
then while you're still you'll "know that I am God." It could be that God 
has been trying to get you to realize that He is God - for most of your 
life.
And once you do, your life takes on a peace and a beauty you've probably 
never known possible before. You might finally be ready for some of that.

I had missed so much all those years on that country road because I'd always 
been in such a hurry. You know, people miss a relationship with their 
Creator
the same way. The sad thing is that this is the relationship you've been 
looking for all your life; the one you've hoped every other person in your 
life
would be for you and they couldn't.

The Bible says, speaking of Jesus in Colossians 1:16, "All things were made 
by Him and for Him." Well, that includes you and me. He's the one you were
made by; He's the one you were made for, and it could be you've missed Him 
all these years. That's why the hole in your heart never goes away. We're 
traveling
at high speed, high stress, high impact, and low fulfillment.

Maybe God's suddenly slowed you down, just like I was slowed down that day 
in the country, so I could see what I'd never seen before. Maybe He slowed 
you
down with a change in your health, or your job, or your finances, or your 
marriage, or one of your children. Somehow God's forced you to hit the 
brakes,
and He's saying, "Would you be still and know that I am God." Don't miss 
this incredible opportunity to finally find what you've been looking for 
your
whole life.

The first step to experiencing God for yourself is realizing that you're not 
God in a sense of being boss of your own life. Most of us approach life like
this, "God, I've got this idea. Why don't you run the universe and I'll run 
me, thank you." The Bible has a word for that - sin. And it makes it clear,
"The soul that sins, it will die." We will never know God until we have 
faced the seriousness of us trying to be our own God. And then you've got to 
get
rid of the sin that has separated you from your Creator. And it will 
separate you for all eternity if it's not removed somehow.

That can only be done by One person; the One of whom the Bible says, "God 
demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ 
died
for us." The view God has slowed you down to see is the cross of His Son, 
Jesus Christ, so you can make your way to that cross to make your peace with
God. Maybe you've sped by it your whole life. This is your day to stop and 
see that it was for you.

Haven't you lived long enough without the relationship you were made for? 
Let this be the day you begin your personal relationship with the man who 
loved
you enough to die for you and was powerful enough to walk out of His grave 
and is ready to walk into your life this very day. You tell Him, "Jesus, I'm
yours."

Listen, if you are at that point and you want to get started with Jesus, 
that's why our website is there. I would invite you to meet us at 
ANewStory.com.
If you want to talk with someone text us at 442-244-WORD.

After years of running so fast, He's slowed you down so you can know His 
love and know His peace. Don't drive by Him again.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

Welcome to the Nugget
September 5, 2015
Mucking Stalls
By Answers2Prayer

I can tell you from firsthand experience that cleaning up after animals 
isn't the most pleasant job in the world.

When my boys were young, we all wanted to learn to ride. Horseback riding is 
expensive, however, so when we began taking riding lessons, we also began
cleaning stalls for the owner of the horse farm to support our hobby. You 
can believe me when I say that we used to come home reeking. In fact, we 
each
had special clothing we wore when we went to the stable, and we would take 
these off before entering the house and then head straight to the shower.

The job was also a thankless one. Horses don't care if their barn is clean 
or not, and though it would be "squeaky-clean" when we finished, it never 
stayed
that way long. As soon as the horses were brought back in, you couldn't tell 
we had ever been there.

So why did we persist in mucking stalls? Because it was the way we could 
take riding lessons.

Over time, as we got to know the owner of the riding stable, and she came to 
trust us to the point where we could take the horses out anytime we wanted
to. Bonus! All because we were willing to muck stalls!

This reminds me of a verse in Proverbs: "Where no oxen are, the trough is 
clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox." (Prov 14:4, NKJV)

Livestock was necessary for livelihood in Solomon's day; therefore, though 
your trough would stay clean without an ox, and though you wouldn't have the
unpleasant task of cleaning up after that ox, you also would not have had 
the tools you needed to cultivate your land and support your family!

What does this have to do with life today?

There is a lot of "stall mucking" that has to be done in each of our lives. 
In fact, we can't avoid the
"dirty troughs" at all, for things that "dirty" our "barns"--illness, 
financial difficulties, natural disasters, persecution, family problems, job 
problems,
abuse, etc.--arise all the time.

No, it isn't fun to deal with these problems. It's a dirty, stinky, 
thankless job that sometimes can take months and even years to resolve, if 
ever. But
let's remember that the unpleasant things in life are often necessary for 
the greater good. Without mucking stalls, there would have been no horseback
riding or riding lessons for my boys and I, and without the need to clean up 
the trough after the lifestock, there would have been no oxen to plow the
fields and earn a livelihood. In the same way, God can bring us blessing 
from the "stalls" we have to "muck" through our lives as well.

The Apostle Paul knew what I'm talking about, and it was with Heavenly 
wisdom that he wrote: "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, 
knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and 
character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has 
been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom 
5:3-5, NKJV).

But words are cheap. Did Paul practice what he preached?

Absolutely. The last two chapters of Acts are a prime example. Paul had lots 
of "stalls to muck". Though innocent of all charges, he was imprisoned by
the Jews. He endured shipwreck and many other hardships before arriving in 
Rome, where he was kept for at least two years in chains. But this was the 
vehicle
he needed to be able to reach Rome and the Roman people, and he used it to 
its maximum capacity. He spent the entire two years preaching and teaching,
and as a result, the Roman church was born. Without those "ox troughs" to be 
"cleaned", history would have been radically changed.

Got stalls to muck? Barns to clean? Problems to endure? Bring them on. Let's 
follow Paul's example and use these bad situations as tools for bringing 
glory
to God's name, for the real joy comes from the final reward.

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Wonder where evil came from? Join us on Thursdays for a new mini-series by 
Elizabeth Price: Tangle Untangled.

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - Abraham’s Sacrifice
----------------------------------------------------------
Abraham’s Sacrifice

Posted: 03 Sep 2015 09:55 PM PDT
from the devotional book,
PICTURES OF GOD

Read Genesis 22:1-19

I am deeply challenged by the faith of Abraham. What raced through his mind 
when God told him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering? What filled his 
thoughts
and emotions?

• Surely he thought of his son’s face, his eyes, his mannerisms; how he 
looked when he slept; his simple, unquestioning trust in his father.
• How could he possibly tell Sarah? She had endured so much for so long to 
finally get this child as a precious gift from God. How could he take Isaac
from her?
• Without Isaac, how could God ever fulfill His promise to make his 
descendants as the sands of the sea?
• How could he do it? How could he plunge the knife into his son’s chest? 
How could he light his body on fire?

But Abraham didn’t let his own fears or desires stop his obedience to God. 
He didn’t let the concerns of those around him affect his decision. Whether
he understood or not, He would obey Almighty God because he feared Him and 
trusted Him.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who 
had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even
though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be 
reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively
speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19, NIV)

For all of us, our greatest testing comes from those blessings that are 
dearest to us. In fact, it seems that every new blessing from God comes with 
new
challenges as well. Those challenges are part of the blessing, for they 
exercise our faith. That faith is the substance of our relationship with the 
unseen
God, and that relationship is the most precious gift in all creation. Our 
loving Father will do anything to strengthen His bond with us and draw us 
closer
to Himself.

God stopped Abraham’s sacrifice at the last moment. It became only a 
foreshadowing, a dress rehearsal for another Father who would sacrifice His 
only Son
on a nearby hill centuries later.


Read
Psalm 18:19

The psalmist tells us that our Father God must often rescue us from our good 
intentions.

God Delights in Me

When I was in my late 20s, I was the head of a community-based youth center 
and on the way to leading a major Christian youth movement in Sydney, 
Australia.
I was passionately serving God and so busy that my weeks literally felt like 
one long day with a series of naps (and these were rare). It was a very 
exciting
time for me. God had given me gifts of leadership and speaking, and many 
doors of opportunity were opening. I felt like I was living the dream, yet 
when
I would get home and lay my head on my pillow at night—well, actually, in 
the early hours of the morning—I felt like I was dying inside.

When everything was quiet and it was just God and me, the success from the 
day would fade away and all that would be left was what felt like a gaping 
chasm
in my heart. I was not a happy girl. No matter how much I accomplished or 
achieved, I just couldn’t seem to find contentment and joy. In order to fill
this void, I kept working harder and harder, keeping longer and longer 
hours, hoping sooner or later that my heart would feel fulfilled.

Eventually, the stress and intensity of my schedule took its toll on my 
body, and I collapsed. Quite literally, in fact. I threw my back out, and my 
life
came to a screeching halt. For the next three weeks (which felt like an 
eternity!), my days were spent lying on the couch, keeping very still to 
avoid
the pain of movement. I was forced to stop doing and simply be still.

As I lay there feeling like a completely useless Christian, I picked up my 
Bible. As I flipped through the pages, I came across a verse in Psalms that
I had probably read more than a hundred times, but that day these words came 
alive in a new way and arrested my heart: “He brought me out into a spacious
place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (
Ps. 18:19, NIV).
It was like God had a megaphone and was screaming to get my attention: 
“Christine, I delight in you. Not just the thousands of young people you 
minister
to, not just in all that you accomplish in my name, but in you, my own 
precious daughter.” God delighted in me—in me with all my faults, me with 
all my
failings, me with my broken past . . . me immobile on a couch!

Point to Ponder

Do you know that God delights in you, with all your faults and failings, 
just as you are? What you do for God will never be as important as who you 
are
to God—his precious child.
Copyright Information

Devotions by Christine Caine, Copyright © 2012 by Christine Caine and Equip & Empower Ministries

Mean What You Sing
by Charles R. Swindoll

Revelation 5:9-10

Nothing touches the human heart deeper than music. This is never more true 
than when a group of Christians sings heartily unto their Lord. Many a cold
heart on skid row has melted as the strains of some old hymn lingered in 
steamy streets and sleazy alleys surrounding a gospel mission. When 
congregations
sing the praises of the King, even the demonic hosts stand at attention. 
"The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear, May Jesus 
Christ
be praised!"

Such moving melodies hold out a warm welcome to strangers, comfort to the 
broken, refreshment to the lonely, and affirmation to the discouraged. Great
music from God's people instructs and reproves, blesses and relieves.

Charles Wesley, perhaps the most prolific hymnist of all time, realized the 
value of corporate singing as he wrote, "O for a thousand tongues to sing my
great Redeemer's praise." There is nothing to compare to that sound. 
Nothing.

But have you noticed the fly in our melodic ointment? It is not a lack of 
beauty or harmony, nor is it insufficient volume or intensity. It is, plain 
and
simple, the presence of words with an absence of meaning. We sing well, but 
we fail to heed the message hidden behind the bars.

Stop and think. There's a line in "Take My Life and Let It Be" that always 
makes me pause as the words stick in my throat: "Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold." Imagine! Not even "a mite"! We all sing that 
with such ease, yet I have known few who wouldn't withhold something. 
Including
me.

Last Sunday after the service our congregation sang "I Give All My Witness 
to You" . . . and then we left. We all got into our cars, drove away, and 
most
of us have not seen one another since. What's been happening? Has He had our 
witness? Have the days that passed been that much different than two weeks
earlier? A month? Those thoughts haunt me.

Think of each song or hymn as a promise to God, a binding statement of your 
commitment. Picture the results of this commitment as you sing it with 
gusto.
Then, after the song has ended, apply it with the same gusto.

God not only loves a cheerful giver, He honors a sincere singer.

This Sunday put yourself into the lyrics of each hymn, considering them your 
own personal credo. See what a difference it makes.

Excerpted from
Day by Day with Charles Swindoll,
Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). 
All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission

Are You Ready For Plan B? God Has Been Ready!
by Dean Masters
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, "God hath made me to laugh so that all that hear will laugh 
with me."

Sarah laughed because the miracle that God performed in her was so 
unbelievably out of the norm and she was just so happy! God gave her the 
child she
had waited for all her life after she had gone through menopause. She was 
old and beyond thinking about it anymore, I am sure. She probably figured 
since
she had messed up and gave her maid Hagar to Abraham to have a child with 
that there was no hope of God's blessing, the odds were all against her in 
her
mind! She had sinned and hadn't waited on God and took things into her own 
hands (which one of us ladies haven't done at least some of that?) so her 
hope
of blessing was suppressed by the lies of Satan telling her that it would 
never happen now.

I've been there, where I just thought I have made too many mistakes, it will 
never happen now. I knew I was suppose to do something for God, but figured
he had given up on me. God never gives up and He always has plan B just 
waiting for you when you are ready to move forward with His plan! Sometimes 
we
take a detour or get impatient, but God's plans and blessings are still 
there! It just might take a little longer because of the route we have 
chosen
to get there.

In Joshua chapter 1 verse 3 God tells Joshua that He will give him every 
piece of land he sets foot on. How much has God already given you that you 
are
afraid to take. What has God called you to do that you feel you are no 
longer qualified to do? Is there a blessing you have prayed and prayed for 
and
you have stopped because you gave up hope? In Genesis 18:14 when God told 
Abraham that Sarah would have a child she laughed then too (Sarah obviously
loved to laugh because she seemed to do it all the time)and God's response 
was, "Is anything too hard for the Lord"? No matter what it is
that you are thinking about right now that has a hold of your heart, do you 
really think it is too hard for the Lord?

I would encourage you today to start again, whatever it is; a prayer for 
something or someone you gave up on, something you felt you were suppose to 
do
for God with your life or whatever it might be. Don't give up now, the best 
is yet to come!

Quote: "Some people drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle." 
Anonymous


The Guidance of God

Our society seems to take one misstep after another. People around us are 
wandering aimlessly through life, not knowing what they truly believe or 
whom
they should follow. Politicians and community leaders have strayed off 
course as they have ignored the divine wisdom and guidance of God in order 
to follow
their own human principles.

God wants to show us how to live abundant and joyful lives. He desires to 
lead the way for us through life, steering us away from temptation and 
sheltering
us in the storms. He wants to give us guidance in our decisions. We are not 
to live as the world does, chasing after every new philosophical trend. 
Instead
we are to live confidently knowing that the only One we need to follow is 
God.

Sometimes as Christians
we allow ourselves to become obsessed with discerning God's will. We pour 
over the fine details, examining every possible option, worried that one 
wrong
step will send us out of God's favor. We doubt past decisions that did not 
turn out the way we had hoped. We doubt our ability to discern God's will. 
We
waste time regretting and worrying.

Instead of obsessing over our choices, we should focus on our complete 
willingness to obey the will of God when He shows it to us. We need to first 
be
in a place of submission before God, willing to follow wherever He leads. We 
build that type of obedience by spending regular time with God in prayer and
in His Word.

The psalmist declared, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches 
them his way" (Psalm 25:9). If we focus on humbly obeying God, we can trust 
that
He will guide us on the right paths. For many Christians, this is easier 
said than done. In theory, we all claim to want to be obedient to God, but 
in
reality we hold on to our own plans. We are willing to accept God's will for 
us when it suits us, but we balk when He points in a direction outside of
our comfort zones. We pray for Him to show us His will, secretly hoping it 
will be something we desire. We claim obedience, but remain latched on to 
our
own wants.

Sometimes God's plans for us do not make sense. Sometimes they are 
uncomfortable or even painful. But if we truly walk in obedience to God, we 
will find
contentment whatever circumstances He may bring. We can rejoice even in the 
times of teaching, training, and testing. We can trust that even if we make
a misstep, our sovereign God can lead us back into His will.

The psalmist discovered the joys and benefits of obedience to God: "Oh, how 
I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.…I have more understanding 
than
the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil 
path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for
you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter 
than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I
hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my 
path" (Psalm 119:97, 100-105).

Unlike the worldly culture around us, we are not rudderless. We have God's 
guiding Holy Spirit to show us the best course. But first we must surrender
completely to following His will and His commandments, even when they do not 
match our personal desires. We must spend regular time in prayer learning
His voice and His heart. The more we know God, the easier it will be to 
discern His voice from our own self-serving thoughts. If you are resistant 
to giving
God full control of your life, confess this to Him in prayer. Pray for His 
help in developing a humble and obedient heart in you. Pray that He will 
awaken
the hearts of Christians across the country so they will also seek to obey 
His guidance.

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands."--1 John 2:3

***
Jesus, Jihad and Peace

What does the threat of Islamic extremism mean in terms of Bible prophecy? 
In a world that cries out for peace, which will prevail”Jesus or jihad? In
Jesus, Jihad and Peace,
Dr. Michael Youssef provides answers that are concise, Biblically accurate, 
and targeted on the challenges that confront us in a world that is 
increasingly fraught with peril. Order your copy today through Leading The Way!
http://www.ltw.org/

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Friday, September 4, 2015

Today's Devotional

An Invitation To Worship

Luke 14:16 – A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many 
guests. (NIV)

There are many times when people are invited to attend certain functions, 
receptions, family reunions, weddings, etc. But not often do we get invited 
to
come to a certain church.

During my pipeline construction years, we lived in a mobile home, which was 
moved from place to place by the company that I worked for, as I was the 
office
manager. In 1963, we moved from Athens, Ohio, to Greenup, Kentucky, USA. We 
had rented some vacant land, and our office trailers, warehouse trailers, 
and
about a hundred trucks and various other pieces of equipment were parked 
there, as well as two house trailers: the superintendent's and ours. After 
our
trailer was parked, and while I was lying on my back underneath it hooking 
up the sewer, water, and electricity lines, I suddenly saw a man lying on 
the
ground beside the trailer. He introduced himself and said that he was the 
owner of the local ambulance service and a member of a certain church in 
that
small town. He offered his services and then invited us to attend the church 
that he belonged to.

I had never been asked so directly to attend a certain church. In those 
years, as we moved from place to place, we did look for a church to attend. 
As
a result, we attended a variety of Christian churches, but this was the 
first time that we actually received a direct invitation.

To be honest, I find inviting people to church to be such a daunting task, 
as many of us do. We wonder, if they did come, whether they would be happy,
whether the service would mean anything to them, whether they would come 
again, or whether it would really make a difference in their lives. We have 
all
gone through it, I'm sure.

I admired the man in Greenup. I was surprised and impressed that he would 
invite us to come to church, as he did not know us, and we had been there 
only
about an hour or so. It is indeed difficult to invite people to church. 
Perhaps, we need to go back further in the process. When we establish 
relationships
with people who are not yet Christians, we should seek ways to gain their 
trust and show them through our words and our way of life that we are 
different.
Hopefully, they will ask about the faith we have, because it works for us. 
And then, when we feel the time is right, we can ask them to come to church
and learn more about our faith.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, there are so many people who need to know 
about You and about Jesus, so many people who need to hear the good news of 
salvation.
We pray that You will give us the boldness and the ability to tell others 
about You, each one of us in our own way. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Joel Jongkind

5 Ways to be More Than a Sunday Christian
Anne Dahlhauser

About five years ago, my husband and I moved into a neighborhood with a 
whole lot of kids and not a lot of privilege. We meant to flip the house, 
but the
market flopped and we moved into the house out of necessity.

That temporary little change of plans changed everything, ourselves 
included. The mission field had
slipped in under our feet.
No longer could we talk about mission projects and ministry opportunities as 
a distant concept. No longer could we just go about our daily life unware.
Christian living started to look less and less like Sunday morning 
attendance with a topping of Bible studies on plush couches.

Our home became a neighborhood center that year, one that now has kids 
sprawled across our front porch with hot Cheetos and sticky juice boxes. 
Bikes and
candy wrappers and missing flip-flops tend to litter that front yard, the 
place where no grass dare grow for fear of being trampled.

And here, with a front yard for a sanctuary and a muddied porch for a 
pulpit, God began teaching us to live out our
faith
in the everyday.

Here, He’s been showing us how Christian living means integrating our daily 
life with divine purposes. It calls us to no longer compartmentalize the 
sacred
and the secular, but to usher in God’s authority to the mundane and mess of 
our everydays. It prompts us to believe that “being used by God” isn’t so 
much
about what we do. No, thankfully, it’s about our identity in Jesus Christ 
and the degree to which we surrender our everything to His purposes – the 
car
pool, the play dates, the front porches, our homes, our families, our 
schedules and everything in between.

Certainly, it’s common, even easy, to talk about God among pews and worship 
music. It’s acceptable to pray quietly. It’s natural to share our faith and
quote Scripture with Bibles in our hands and stained glass at our backs. 
Then Monday morning buzzes in with the 6:00am alarm, and the music and the 
prayers
and the sermon notes start to fade slightly. How can a sacred mission be 
part of the mundane of Monday mornings? Where is a holy purpose in the dirt 
and
the daily routine? Here are 5 suggestions for finding and embracing the 
everyday divine, every single day:

1. Embrace your identity – Living with a divine mission isn’t just for the
pastors
or the missionaries. Instead, begin to accept your day job and your career 
as a means by which God can engage your world. Maybe you are a child of God
who teaches or a Christian who does taxes for people or a Jesus-follower who 
is raising kids. Your job description is a gateway to loving and blessing
a unique blend of people, all close to God’s heart. Lay those work hours out 
before Him and see how He moves in your day.

2. Pray for people – It sounds simple but it requires your heart. When you 
are sitting at the park or wandering through the produce section or prepping
for a meeting at work, spend time intentionally praying for the people in 
your path. After all, of all the people in the world, those individuals are 
crossing
paths with you today. Talk to God about that. What may be going on in their 
lives? How can you open your life to them? Pray for God to give you eyes to
see them as He does.

3. Change your perspective on home – Our homes are the most natural 
extension of ourselves. May you see your home as a place of gathering and 
blessing,
a resource that God can use to minister to others in the everyday of living. 
Often in Western mindsets, our homes are seen only as our own and our 
private
sanctuaries. While a place to rest is necessary at times, this mentality 
keeps ministry and living out our faith at arm’s length, rather than in the 
casual,
common places of our daily life. Open your door. Don’t apologize for the 
mess – just welcome people and share the life God’s given you.

4. Practice empathy everyday – Life can be complex with daily headlines and 
news stories that make us want to scroll and stroll by rather than choosing
to enter into someone’s pain. But integrating our faith with our everyday 
means caring deeply about our present world and the people in it, letting 
reality
settle in a bit and affect our prayers, our routine, our priorities. Be 
aware and care. May your prayers be fueled with God’s perspective and your 
heart
be willing to
weep over your Lazaruses.

5. Love people – I’ve come to understand in greater depths the cost of 
really loving someone while living here in this neighborhood. Relationships 
do not
come with manuals or easy exits. They get unbelievably messy. But God loves 
relationships, and He created a beautifully mind-blowing relationship within
His own person – the Trinity. He routinely uses people to speak into my 
life, and He especially uses
the black-eyed, band-aid-begging kids on this street
to shape my heart. That’s divine, and it can happen everyday. So, share life 
with others in meaningful ways in the mundane as well as the special 
moments.
Take risks and be vulnerable with those closest to you. Make new friends. 
Choose to make your richest investments of time, energy, attention, and 
resources
into the eternal souls around you.

May your days be divine, filled with glimpse of His purpose and plans for 
your life. May He be near on this day and everyday.

Anne Dahlhauser blogs at
Front Porch, Inspired

Watchman

Once I read of a terrible accident in which several youth were killed when 
their car was struck by a train. At the trial the watchman was questioned: 
“Were you at the crossing the night of the accident?”
“Yes, your Honor.”
“Were you waving your lantern to warn of the danger.”
“Yes, your Honor,” the man told the judge.
But after the trial had ended, the watchman walked away mumbling to himself, 
“I’m glad they didn’t ask me about the light in the lantern, because the 
light had gone out.”

God sees it, when our light has gone out.
—Selected

Loving the Neighbor We Didn’t Choose
Jon Bloom / August 27, 2015
Loving the Neighbor We Didn’t Choose

“Who is my neighbor?” a lawyer asked Jesus (Luke 10:29).

The lawyer had made the mistake of trying to catch the law’s author 
contradicting the law by asking how he should inherit eternal life. The 
author turned
the tables by asking the lawyer what he thought the law said.

The lawyer then summarized the law in these two commands: we must love God 
with all we are (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love our neighbor as ourselves 
(Leviticus
19:18). The author agreed and said, “Do this and you will live” (Luke 
10:28).

But the author’s agreement pricked the lawyer’s conscience. So the lawyer 
sought to “justify himself” by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). 
The
author answered with the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37).

The Neighbor We Wouldn’t Choose

One observation from this application-rich parable is this: the neighbor we’re 
called to love is often not one we choose but one God chooses for us. In
fact, this neighbor is often not one we would have chosen had not God done 
the choosing.

The Jew and the Samaritan wouldn’t have chosen the other as his neighbor. 
What made them neighbors was one man’s unchosen calamity and another man’s 
chosen
compassion, but only in response to an unchosen, inconvenient, 
time-consuming, work-delaying, expensive need of another.

The shock of the parable is that God expects us to love needy strangers, 
even foreigners, as neighbors. But if this is true, how much more does he 
want
us to love our actual, immediate neighbors, the ones we have to put up with 
regularly? Sometimes it is these neighbors we find most difficult to love.
As G.K. Chesterton said,

We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door 
neighbor . . . . [T]he old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when 
[it]
spoke, not of one's duty towards humanity, but one's duty towards one’s 
neighbor. The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice 
which
is personal or even pleasurable. . . . But we have to love our neighbor 
because he is there — a much more alarming reason for a much more serious 
operation.
He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us. (
Heretics,
chapter 14)

The idea of loving our neighbor is beautiful to think about so long as it 
remains an idealized, abstract concept. But the concrete reality loving of 
our
neighbor, that all-too-real, exasperating person that we would not have 
chosen and might prefer to escape, strips the beauty away — or so we’re 
tempted
to think. In truth, the beauty of idealized love is imaginary and the beauty 
of real love is revealed in the self-dying, unchosen call to love the sinner
who “is actually given us.”

The Family We Didn’t Choose

Our very first neighbors are in our family. We don’t choose them; they are 
given to us. We are thrown together with them, warts and all, and called to
love them, often with the kind of neighbor-love Jesus had in mind. 
Chesterton again:

It is exactly because our brother George is not interested in our religious 
difficulties, but is interested in the Trocadero Restaurant . . . [and] 
precisely
because our uncle Henry does not approve of the theatrical ambitions of our 
sister Sarah that the family is like humanity. . . . Aunt Elizabeth is 
unreasonable,
like mankind. Papa is excitable, like mankind. Our youngest brother is 
mischievous, like mankind. Grandpapa is stupid, like the world. (Ibid.)

Many wouldn’t have chosen their families if the choice had been theirs. That’s 
why families are laboratories of neighbor-love, because families are a 
microcosm
of the world.

The Community We’d Like to Un-Choose

If we are old enough and live in a region where we have options, we do 
choose our church community. But we don’t get to choose who else joins that 
community.

Invariably, after some time, our church community takes on similarities to 
our family. We must live with leaders who disappoint us and fellow members 
who
see the world differently. Besides their irritating temperamental 
idiosyncrasies, they have different interests, ministry priorities, 
educational philosophies,
and musical preferences than we do.

“Doing life” with them doesn’t end up looking or feeling like the community 
of our dreams — our idealized abstract concept. Perhaps we need a change, to
find a different church where we can really thrive.

Perhaps. If the defects of the church community include things like ethical 
or doctrinal unfaithfulness, a change may be exactly what is needed for us
to thrive.

But if our restlessness is due to the disillusionment of having to dealing 
with difficult, different people and defective programs, then perhaps the 
change
we need is not in church community but in our willingness to love our 
neighbors, the ones God has given us to love.

This has always been God’s call on Christians. The early church was not all 
Acts 2:42–47. It was also Acts 6:1 and 1 Corinthians 11:17–22. Those 
first-generation
churches were comprised of Jews and Gentiles, masters and slaves, rich and 
poor, people who preferred different leaders, people who strongly disagreed
over nonessentials — people very much like the people in our church. It was 
hard doing life together then, like it is now (most likely it was harder 
then).
That’s why we have 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 12.

The distinguishing mark of the church has never been its utopic society but 
its members’ love for each other (John 13:35). And according to the Parable
of the Good Samaritan, the glory of this love shines when it is costly and 
inconvenient.

”Go and Do Likewise”

If we ask with the lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?” we may not like Jesus’s 
answer. It may explode our dreams of love and community. Because instead of 
loving
the neighbor we wanted, the soul-mate we would have chosen, Jesus may point 
us to the needy, different, mess of a person in front of us, the one we feel
like passing by, and say, “There is your neighbor.”

Perhaps he or she will be a stranger. But most likely he or she lives in our 
house, or on our street, or is a member of our church.

The parabolic Samaritan loved the wounded Jew as himself. And Jesus says to 
us what he said to the lawyer: “You go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

This watchman was found not guilty but he is responsible for the death of 
the youth that were in the car that were killed by the train. Read what God 
said to Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 3:16-21 (GNB)
16 After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me. 17 “Mortal man,” 
he said, “I am making you a watchman for the nation of Israel. You will pass 
on to them the warnings I give you. 18 If I announce that an evil person is 
going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save 
his life, he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for 
his death. 19 If you do warn an evil man and he doesn’t stop sinning, he 
will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared. 20 “If a truly good 
person starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die 
if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember 
the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 If you do 
warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn’t sin, he will 
stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”

Christian, you are called by Jesus Christ to be a watchman. Too many 
Christians believe that if they just live a good life then others will see 
Jesus Christ in their daily living. That is like the watchman waving his 
lantern without a light in it. Jesus calls each of us to be His witnesses to 
this dying world. WE are to warn everyone He tells us to warn about what 
their future might be. This may not be easy. The Greek word for “witness” is 
the word from which we get the English word “martyr”. Martyrs are the 
Christian men and women who have given their lives as witnesses to others 
for Jesus Christ.

Jesus expects each of us to go make disciples even if it isn’t easy for us 
to do it . He promised He will be with us when we step out in His name. The 
Holy Spirit will empower us and give us the words to say.

The blood of the youth was on the hands of the railroad watchman. Don’t let 
other peoples’ blood be on your hands. Stand up and be the watchman Jesus 
calls you to be.

by Dean W. Masters

Remember Your Baptism

by Liz Kanoy, Crosswalk.com Editor

"And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive 
the
gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children 
and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to 
himself.”'" -
Acts 2:38-39

On Pentecost, I attended my godson’s baptism. The pastor encouraged parents 
and godparents to remind their children and godchildren of their baptisms 
often.
He also encouraged all believers to continually remember their own baptism 
and to remember what baptism means for those in the body of Christ.

When I was baptized at 23, the pastor prefaced my baptism by saying “there 
is nothing magical about this water,” and he was right. There is no magic in
the water and the water itself will not change you, but there is 
extraordinary power and hope in the One who makes baptism possible - the One 
who baptizes
in the Spirit and transforms the heart.

Whether you lean toward infant baptism or believer’s baptism theologically, 
Christians can all agree that baptism is a symbol of eternal hope in Christ.
For Christian parents their baby’s baptism is a symbol of their promise to 
raise the child to know and love God. For believers, baptism is a symbol of
the lasting hope they possess and a reminder of the promise that has been 
Maybe We Should Stop Encouraging People to Get out of Their Comfort Zones
Stephen Altrogge

We Christians love to encourage people to get out of their comfort zones. In 
church we tell everyone to greet someone they don’t know. If someone is 
nervous about doing
evangelism we become the Jesus version of a head coach, trying to get them 
psyched up and out of their comfort zones. Worship leaders are always 
exhorting
people to get up and move and dance and clap and shout and be happy. If 
someone doesn’t like going to small group we slap them cheerily on the back 
and
tell them it will be good for them.

How do I know these things? Because I’ve said and done them all. I’ve been 
the Jesus head coach and the worship cheerleader and the back slapper.

But lately I’ve been thinking that maybe we need to stop encouraging people 
to get out of their comfort zones. In fact, maybe we need to encourage 
people
to operate within their comfort zones more. I realize that to some this may 
sound like selfish heresy so let me explain.

I’m an introvert. This doesn’t mean I don’t like people, but it does mean I 
am refreshed by solitude and drained by extended times with people. It also
means I’m more prone to quiet reflection, wrestling with ideas, reading good 
books, and spending time with a few close friends. There is nothing morally
superior or inferior about being introverted. My friends Erich and Dom are 
classic extroverts. They have a big capacity for people, are awesome about 
making
everyone feel included and welcome, and are always cheerful. I love those 
guys.

There are some things in scripture that are crystal clear. God must be 
worshiped. Fellowship is a necessity. Evangelism must take place. These are 
non-negotiable
principles. Every Christian must do these things. What is negotiable, 
however, is how these principles are practiced.

I would humbly suggest that many activities that take place in church tend 
to be biased toward extroverts. Talking to lots of people on a Sunday, cold
contact evangelism with complete strangers, loud worship, and small groups 
are all activities that are much better suited for someone with an 
extroverted
personality. And these things aren’t necessarily wrong, but I think we need 
to make sure we don’t assume someone is more spiritual based on their 
participation
in these things.

The beauty of the body of Christ is that it is made up of all sorts of 
people with all sorts of personalities. Introverted people and extroverted 
people
both need to worship God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. An 
extroverted person may gravitate toward loud, outward expressions of worship
while and introverted person may gravitate toward quiet, humble reverence. 
Both are appropriate, God-honoring, and necessary in the church. Both types
of worship are commended in scripture.

Introverts and extroverts both need to evangelize. An extrovert may excel at 
sharing the gospel with lots of complete strangers while an introvert may
excel at developing deep relationships with a few unbelievers and sharing 
the gospel with them over time. Both are good, God-honoring, and necessary 
in
the church. Both types of evangelism are commended in scripture.

Introverts and extroverts both need fellowship. An extrovert can thrive in 
large group fellowship where everyone is speaking up, sharing their thoughts
and prayer requests and needs. An introvert will probably thrive in small 
group fellowship with one or two other people. Both are good, God-honoring, 
and
necessary in the church. Both types of fellowship are commended in 
scripture.

We need to encourage one another to pursue God within the boundaries of our 
God-given personalities. Extroverts, don’t assume that someone doesn’t love
Jesus because they don’t jump and down in worship or give hugs to everyone 
they meet. Introverts, don’t assume someone doesn’t love Jesus because they
don’t like solitude or reading.

Extroverts, don’t try to make everyone like you. Introverts, don’t try to 
make everyone like you. All of us have areas to grow, but God isn’t 
interested
in making millions of spiritual clones. Sometimes extroverts sing melody and 
introverts sing harmony, and vice versa. The differences in personality 
types
point to our wonderfully creative God.

The power of the gospel is demonstrated when people of wildly different 
personality types come together to serve, worship, and honor the Lord. Let’s 
make
room for everyone in the church.fulfilled.

Remember your baptism, but don’t just remember the day or the act - remember 
the gospel, which gives purpose to all baptisms. Remember that the Lord 
called
you to Himself, and He chose you by name - not by any merit of your own but 
by His free gift of grace.

Throughout the Bible, we can see that God chose people whom we might 
consider not so deserving - polytheists, murderers, adulterers, harlots, 
liars, and
all other sorts of sinners and sins combined. His point in showing us the 
flaws of the people He chose is to remind us that no one is deserving. He 
can
give mercy to anyone He chooses because all have fallen short of His glory, 
and no one can be justified and sanctified apart from Jesus Christ.

When you remember your baptism, remember that you were nothing and God made 
you new. You were without hope, but He called you His own. He has adopted 
you
as child and heir. Remember the sin that caused the world to fall, 
understand the consequence of sin for every human being, and realize your 
continual
need for the perfect Savior who lived and died and rose for all who would 
believe.

Intersecting
Faith
and Life: Thank your Savior Jesus Christ for your baptism today, thank Him 
for the baptism of all those in the body of Christ and those in the covenant
family, and pray for the baptism of many more for no one is without need of 
grace and no one is beyond God’s reach.

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 12:13
;
1 Peter 3:21
;
Colossians 2:12
;
Galatians 3:27;
Mark 16:16

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The God Who Can’t Be Figured Out

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 
To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure.”
Job 28:24-25

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are certain things God is not going to reveal. And that is good news. 
Who wants to believe in a God that they can put in a box and completely 
understand?
Not me.

You can take a bucket down to the ocean and dip out a bucket full of water. 
Everything in that bucket is ocean, but not all the ocean is in the bucket.
Amen? And with our bucket-size minds, we are never going to know all there 
is about God. I’m not. You’re not. Nobody is.

ACTION POINT:
Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but 
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,
that we may do all the words of this law.”
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries

Life in the Underground - A message from Dan McNerney.

For anything to last well and bear much fruit, it must grow strongly 
underground first. The roots of our lives are the most important elements of 
our beings.
Too many people try to change the aboveground or exterior things of their 
lives first - the location of their home, lifestyle, job, or even the size 
or
shape of their bodies, before looking inward and changing the dispositions 
of their hearts. God cares most about our inner thoughts and desires - the 
Bible
talks constantly about these matters. It is not important how much money we 
make, the amount of land we possess, or the number of times we appear on the
tube or in the local newspaper. You are going nowhere until the inner 
workings of your life are in alignment with the Spirit of God.

In the past half-year, numerous people have sent me articles describing the 
decimation of Christianity in the Middle East or Arab world. Often panic or
dismay characterizes their worrisome notes to me. Indeed, there is nothing 
more awful, evil or troublesome than reading a report on what ISIS is 
currently
doing to innocent people. Ten years ago, the world was shocked when it began 
to learn what fundamental Islam looked like when the Taliban successfully
took over Afghanistan. But now, ISIS and affiliate groups have taken it to 
new extremes. They not only want to eliminate all other religions; they are
murdering all other Muslims who do not believe in their vision of 
reestablishing the Caliphate in the Middle East. As a result of these 
radical and other
Islamic fundamentalist movements, the aboveground church in the Arab world 
has indeed been shrinking greatly in the last 50 years. However, at the same
time, as unbelievable as it may sound, the underground Church in the Middle 
East has been exploding with a force and growth that will eventually change
the face of the Arab and Persian worlds.

Sadly, many very sincere American Christians allow themselves too often to 
be captive of the American media for information related to world events. As
modern consumers, they have gotten farther away from what used to be the 
most vital source of information for Christians and churches - live reports 
from
missionaries living and breathing on the ground in foreign countries around 
the world. Today, we must be careful to not allow a secular-leaning American
media interpret reality for us. The true state of the Kingdom of God, and 
therefore the world which he created, can only be properly understood and 
described
by people of faith who are fighting first-hand the forces of darkness in the 
places and countries where they have been sent.

In this regard, I encourage you to read a very important new book, A Wind in 
the House of Islam by David Garrison. In excruciating detail, Dr. Garrison
describes how more Muslims worldwide have come to faith in Jesus Christ as 
Lord and Savior in the last 40 years than in the previous 1,400 years 
combined,
leading back to the time of Muhammad. Years and years of missionary 
activities are finally bearing phenomenal fruit throughout the Muslim world. 
The fastest
growing church in the world right now is in Iran. In my own recent trips to 
the Middle East, I have been face-to-face with new Iranian believers, who 
are
leaders in the underground church in Iran. Experts estimate there are now 
over a million Iranian Muslims who have given their lives to the Lord. They 
worship,
have fellowship and study the Bible in their homes as a part of a vast 
network of cells, which together comprise one of the largest Jesus movements 
in
the Middle East. Egypt, too, has over a million members in its underground, 
Muslim-background church.

So, what is going on? A number of factors are causing waves of Muslims to 
leave Islam altogether. Chief among them is modernity itself. Muslims in 
Saudi
Arabia, Iran, and Indonesia, can now boot up computers, turn on satellite 
televisions or radios, and be instantly connected to religious information 
previously
closed to them. As you know, Christianity promotes freedom, freethinking, 
and unrestricted criticism, which now is very attractive to Muslims, 
especially
younger Muslims. The Muslim mind is exploding with new ways to look at the 
world; they now seriously question if Islam is capable of meeting the 
current
demands of modernity. In addition, Osama Bin Laden, the harsh rule of the 
Ayatollahs in Iran, the Taliban and now ISIS have driven millions of Muslims
to leave Islam to become followers of Jesus, agnostics or atheists. Millions 
of moderate Muslims believe these radically militant Muslim movements 
rampant
in the world today, are exposing the true and more ugly side of Islam, and 
its tendency towards violence. The Prince of Peace, Jesus of Nazareth, has 
become
more attractive to many who see him as their Savior.

The same thing happened in the First Century. Many of the original followers 
of Jesus were of Jewish background. To put it mildly, it was not easy for
them to publically declare their belief in and allegiance to Jesus. In the 
initial years of Christianity, the Church was driven underground by harsh 
oppression
from Roman and Jewish authorities. As a result, Christians worshipped and 
had fellowship in catacombs and hidden areas underground. There the Holy 
Spirit
dwelled in the hearts of sincere seekers of the Messiah and the seeds of a 
powerful movement were sown, which eventually turned the world upside down.

Perhaps the most famous of underground seekers, and eventual followers of 
Jesus, was a leading Pharisee named, Nicodemus. He purposely chose the 
middle
of the night, when darkness had fallen on the earth, to approach Jesus, 
alone. He did not want to be seen by his peers or the authorities of the 
day. The
book of John records this conversation: "There was a man named Nicodemus, a 
Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came
to speak with Jesus. 'Rabbi,' he said, 'we all know that God has sent you to 
teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.' Jesus
replied, 'I tell you the truth, unless you are born from above, you cannot 
see the Kingdom of God.'" What Jesus was saying to Nicodemus was that unless
your heart is renewed, born again through faith in the Messiah, you will not 
be able to please God and bear fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven. This 
statement
is as true today as it was back then.

The next time you read the daily newspaper or turn on the nightly news, ask 
yourself how much you think the Wall Street Journal or CNN knows about the
underground church in Iran, Egypt, or Algeria. Ask your local church, too, 
if it is supporting mission work in the Muslim world. Few times in history,
in my opinion, has it been more important to put tithing, prayers and 
support into frontier missions, especially in the Middle East. Encourage and 
support
the flourishing underground Church in the Arab and Persian worlds; there are 
few more strategic things an American Christian can do right now. It puts
all other diplomatic and military exercises of our government in proper 
perspective, as important as they may be.

True change in our lives is the result of being transformed from the inside 
out. The Berlin wall eventually fell, not because of bombs dropped on it, 
but
because the hearts of the Soviets eventually grew tired of chasing the dream 
of a "utopia" that excluded God. Many fundamentalist Muslims are discovering
the same thing today - that the letter of the law without the grace of Jesus 
will always produce a constant whirlwind of anger, brutality and death, and
that dreams of an Islamic utopia will never be realized.

It is fruitless to try and effect real change in our lives apart from the 
workings of the Holy Spirit. Give God your most important treasures - your 
time
and attention. Seek a sincere, daily and vibrant relationship with the 
Creator of the world. He will change you from the inside out; and these 
changes
will be everlasting and joyful. They may not make the headlines of the daily 
newspaper, but they will be written in the Book of Life; and you will become
a member of the greatest underground movement the world has ever known.

6 Things It Means to Be in Jesus

[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but 
because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus 
before
the ages began.
(2 Timothy 1:9)

Being “in Christ Jesus” is a stupendous reality. It is breathtaking what it 
means to be in Christ. United to Christ. Bound to Christ.

If you are “in Christ” listen to what it means for you:

1. In Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created.
2 Timothy 1:9,
“He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”
2. In Christ Jesus you were chosen by God before creation.
Ephesians 1:4,
“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
3. In Christ Jesus you are loved by God with an inseparable love.
Romans 8:38–39,
“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things 
present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything 
else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ 
Jesus our Lord.”
4. In Christ Jesus you were redeemed and forgiven for all your sins.
Ephesians 1:7,
“In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our 
trespasses.”
5. In Christ Jesus you are justified before God and the righteousness of God 
in Christ is imputed to you.
2 Corinthians 5:21,
“For our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we 
might become the righteousness of God.”
6. In Christ Jesus you have become a new creation and a son of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17,
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; 
behold, the new has come.”
Galatians 3:26,
“In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
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This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

Global Prayer Digest People of the Day
Global Recordings Network (GRN) Team in India
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Global Recordings Network (GRN) Team in India
Aug 30, 2015 01:00 am

Today's Devotional

Revelation 1:8, NIV "“I am the Alpha and Omega,” says the Lord, “who is, and 
who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”"

Regardless of what happens in our world, it is helpful to be reminded that 
the same God who created the universe, who conquered death and ascended into
heaven, is with us now in great power and authority. Our risen Savior is 
seated on the throne, He is sovereign and He reigns over all. His purposes 
will
be accomplished, and his mission fulfilled. We are going to win because God 
is going to win, and He is with us. Even if we may go through the darkest 
hour
of human history, true followers of Jesus can be at peace, for they know 
without a doubt that His Kingdom will prevail.

Thank God that He will prevail, and the kingdoms of this earth will become 
the Kingdom of our Lord!—DT

Today's People Group

Lok was sad and frustrated about the small Meyor tribe. Sad, because there 
has never been a known follower of Christ among this Buddhist group, and 
frustrated
because they are isolated near the border of India and China, with little or 
no access to a gospel witness.
They are oral learners with no literature or Bible of their own. Global 
Recordings has the technical knowhow to make audio recordings in their 
language.
Grace Church in California has the financial resources and prayer backing. 
They joined forces to reach the Meyor people.
Lok made the two-day journey to the area and found a Buddhist man named 
Pemba who was amazingly fluent in English and willing to speak on the 
recordings.
Before he could help, he died of cancer. It took Lok several years to find a 
replacement. Meanwhile Grace Church continued to pray. In answer, God led
Lok to a man bilingual in Meyor and Lok’s heart language. He recently helped 
a small recording team record two hours of Bible stories and teaching.
After years of being shut off from the gospel, the Meyor can now listen to 
the good news in their own language on CDs.

Pray that God will open the hearts of these Buddhist people as they listen 
to the messages. Ask the Lord to help a national worker who is trying to 
raise
support to move his family close to the people and to plant a church.

Learn more at
Joshua Project.


You and Your Promised Land

Sometimes life has a way of taking the life out of us.

The Book of Joshua is in the Bible for such seasons. It dares us to believe 
our best days are ahead of us. God has a Promised Land for us to take.

The Promised Land was the third stop on the Hebrews’ iconic itinerary. Their 
pilgrimage began in Egypt, continued through the wilderness, and concluded
in Canaan. Each land represents a different condition of life. Geography is 
theology. In Egypt the Hebrews were enslaved to Pharaoh. In the wilderness
they were free from Pharaoh but still enslaved to fear. They refused to 
enter the Promised Land and languished in the desert. Only in Canaan did 
they discover
victory. Egypt, the wilderness, and Canaan. Slaves to Pharaoh, slaves to 
fear, and, finally, people of the promise.

Pull quote

We too have traveled this itinerary. Egypt represents our days before 
salvation. We were in bondage to sin. We wore the leg irons of guilt and 
death. But
then came our Deliverer, Jesus Christ. By His grace and in His power, we 
crossed the Red Sea. He liberated us from the old life and offered a 
brand-new
life in Canaan.

Our Promised Land isn’t a physical territory; it is a spiritual reality. It’s 
not real estate but a real state of the heart and mind.

A Promised Land life in which “we are more than conquerors through [Christ] 
who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

A life in which “we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:16).

A life in which “[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything 
we do” (2 Cor. 5:14).

A life in which we are “exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 
7:4).

A life in which we are “anxious for nothing” (Phil. 4:6), in which we are 
“praying always” (Eph. 6:18), in which we “do all in the name of the Lord 
Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).

Canaan is a life defined by grace, refined by challenge, and aligned with a 
heavenly call. In God’s plan, in God’s land, we win more often than we lose,
forgive as quickly as we are offended, and give as abundantly as we receive. 
We serve out of our giftedness and delight in our assignments. We may 
stumble,
but we do not collapse. We may struggle, but we defy despair. We boast only 
in Christ, trust only in God, lean wholly on His power. We enjoy abundant 
fruit
and increasing faith.

Canaan symbolizes the victory we can have today. In spite of what the hymn 
suggests—“To Canaan’s land I’m on my way, where the soul of man never 
dies”—Canaan
is not a metaphor for heaven. The idea is beautiful, but the symbolism doesn’t 
work. Heaven will have no enemies; Canaan had at least seven enemy nations.
Heaven will have no battles. Joshua and his men fought at least thirty-one 
(Josh. 12:9–24). Heaven will be free of stumbles and struggle. Joshua’s men
weren’t. They stumbled and struggled, but their victories far outnumbered 
their defeats.

Canaan, then, does not represent the life to come. Canaan represents the 
life we can have now!

God invites us to enter Canaan. There is only one condition. We must turn 
our backs on the wilderness.

This is God’s vision for your life. You at full throttle. You as you were 
intended. You as victor over the Jerichos and giants.

You and your Promised Land life.

It is yours for the taking.

Expect to be challenged. The enemy won’t go down without a fight. But expect 
great progress. Life is different on the west side of the Jordan. 
Breakthroughs
outnumber breakdowns. God’s promises outweigh personal problems. Victory 
becomes, dare we imagine, a way of life. Isn’t it time for you to change 
your
mailing address from the wilderness to the Promised Land? Your Glory Days 
await you.

Ready to march?
--------------------------------------------------
Glory Days
Excerpted from
Glory Days
by Max Lucado
©2015. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Used by permission.

In You, the Orphan Finds Mercy

Last month, I boarded a plane to Africa--together with my wife and three 
kids. We did so in order to become the parents of four kids. Early in our 
marriage,
my wife and I felt a desire to see our family grow through adoption. 
Circumstances being what they were, we waited several years before 
initiating the
adoption process. Other circumstances being what they were, we waited 
another three years for the process to work itself out. Years of waiting, 
thousands
of dollars, countless tears shed, and reams of paperwork filed, re-filed, 
notarized, authenticated, and submitted for review by multiply layers of 
state,
national, and international bureaucratic agencies and finally we finally 
left to adopt our soon-to-be son.

Why would we subject ourselves, our marriage, and our family to the rigors 
of adoption? I was asked this question the other night by a sweet family who
was curious about this adoption process. I told them that I read in 
Galatians 4:1-7 and Romans 8:12-17 were I discovered that, in Christ, God 
had adopted
me. Spiritually speaking, we are born “enslaved to the elementary principles 
of the world” (Gal 4:3). But God in his mercy provided redemption for the
spiritual orphan through Jesus Christ, “God sent forth his Son, born of 
woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that 
we might
receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4, 5). Additionally, I read throughout the 
Old Testament where God calls his people to provide for the most vulnerable
in society, specifically “the widow, the fatherless, and the sojourner” (Ex 
22:22, Deut 10:18, and 30+ other places). Quite simply, I believe that when
God said this, he meant it. God loves to show mercy to the needy (see
Westminster Confession of Faith,
ch. 12).

However, this opens the door for another question--namely, "What compels us 
to adopt?" When I get past the sappy and saccharine sentimentality of 
thinking
I’m rescuing some poor child from poverty and realize that, theologically 
speaking, I am the orphan, it compels me to love the orphan as God has loved
me. It is for the simple reason that when we were orphans God showed us 
mercy. Think about the beauty of this doctrine. God takes an orphan and puts 
his
name upon him, gives him access to the throne of grace with boldness, loves 
him as his own child, and makes him an heir of heaven. When we were the 
orphan,
lacking in the basic relationships and necessities of life, God showed us 
mercy. “In [God} the orphan finds mercy” (Hos 14:3). That which was lacking 
and
missing in your life was fulfilled and met by God in his mercy. This is 
where our doctrine should lead to doxology, which should--in turn--lead to 
action.
After I explained that this is the reason for our adoption, one of the 
family members looked at me and said, “Wow, you get to explain the Gospel 
every
time someone asks you about adoption, don’t you?” I replied, “That’s exactly 
the point.”

Has God been merciful to you? Has God supplied your every need? Then you 
should seek to mirror the grace and mercy of your Heavenly Father by showing 
the
same mercy to the fatherless. In commenting on Hosea 14:3, the Puritan 
Richard Sibbes gives us this exhortation,

Let us learn how we are to respond to God’s dealing with us. We are to show 
mercy to the fatherless and those who stand in need, as the apostle Paul 
exhorts
in Colossians 3:12, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, 
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” as if he should 
say,
as you would prove yourselves to be elect members of Christ and children of 
God, so show your likeness in this particular, “show compassion.” This has
ever been, and yet is at all times, a character of God’s children, and shall 
be to the end of the world. It is a sign such a one has [experienced] mercy,
that is ready upon all occasions to pour forth compassion upon others, as 
hard-heartedness shows a disposition which has not rightly tasted of mercy. 
As
we say in another case, those that are appeased in their consciences, in the 
sense of the forgiveness of sins, they are peaceable to others, because they
feel peace. So here, those that feel mercy will be merciful, those that have 
felt love will be loving to others… If God has stamped his image upon you,
then you will pour out your hearts and be merciful to the orphan, the widow, 
and the distressed persons… Therefore, let us labor to express the image of
our Heavenly Father in this. (Sibbes, Richard, and Alexander Balloch 
Grosart.
Works of Richard Sibbes:
Volume 2. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1983. 296-297.)

Around the world, there are an estimated 153 million orphans who have lost 
at least one parent. There are nearly 18 million children who have lost both
parents and are living in orphanages or on the street (statistics provided 
by Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute). These are children who 
lack
those family relationships which we would consider basic and essential. 
These are children who lack the care and attention of a mom and dad. These 
are
children who, at best, will receive their basic nurturing not from parents 
but from an institution. These are children who are at constant risk of 
disease,
malnutrition, exploitation, and death. 18,000,000 children waiting to 
experience the mercy of a father. 18,000,000. Let that number sink in. These 
are
the most vulnerable of society and the very ones for whom God has called the 
Church to provide.

What if instead of thinking, “Isn’t it nice that God cares for the orphans,” 
we thought, “Isn’t it amazing that God cared for me!” And then, what if we
thought, “God showed mercy to me when I was an orphan. Now I will show mercy 
to the orphan.” What would happen if the Church would reflect the image of
a Heavenly Father who has shown us mercy? What if we cared more about 
showing mercy to the fatherless than we feared entering into the financially 
and
emotionally draining mess and chaos of adoption? The Church MUST rise up as 
the answer to the crisis of 18 million orphans; 18 million kids who are in
desperate need of a father’s mercy.

There are numerous ways in which the Church can show mercy to the 
fatherless. I will not be so presumptuous as to say every Christian must 
adopt. Though,
I will add that many will use any wiggle room whatsoever to avoid the Lord’s 
call to adopt. I neither want to bind your conscience in an unbiblical 
manner
nor justify your flight from God’s command. But there are other ways to show 
mercy to the orphan. Adoption is financially draining on a family. You can
financially support families who are adopting. You can pray for the orphan. 
You can advocate on behalf of orphans and raise awareness of the plight of
the orphan. You can support your local crisis pregnancy center. If you are 
not called to adopt, you can still sponsor an orphan to help provide his 
basic
needs. There are many ways to help and many great organizations that can 
connect you with ways to show mercy to the orphan.

I am well aware of the mess and chaos of adoption. Adoption is a process 
borne out of the trauma of a child being orphaned. It is messy. And our 
process
isn’t over yet. There are many more emotional, financial, and physical 
twists and turns ahead for us. But I am also well aware of the humiliation 
Christ
faced in the incarnation. It was a messy process. He was born into poverty. 
He was subjected to the Law. He underwent the miseries of this life. He 
endured
the wrath of God. He died a horrific death on the cross. He was buried and 
was held by the power of death for a time (WSC 27). What an ignoble journey
for the Son of God. But the Son willingly submitted to the will of the 
Father so that we would experience the mercy of that same Father. If I am 
called
to live a Christ-like life, then I must show mercy to the orphan. Beyond the 
orphan’s need to receive mercy, if I am to be faithful, I must show him 
mercy.

Related Resources
Dan Cruver
Reclaiming Adoption
Russel Moore
Adopted for Life
Trevor Burke
Adopted into God's Family
Contact Us
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
600 Eden Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Alliance@AllianceNet.org


Love Worth Finding Ministries

Two Days that Will Steal Your Joy

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, 
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those 
things
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are two days that can steal your joy and the fulfillment of today. One 
is tomorrow and the other is yesterday. Both are days in which we as 
Christians
should refuse to live.

So many of us have never learned how to separate ourselves from yesterday. 
We are still dragging it around with us and it is stealing our joy. Paul 
could
have lived there in the realm of guilt, but he refused.

ACTION POINT:
Maybe you, like Paul and countless others, have committed some horrible 
sins. But friend, what God has called cleaned, let no man call unclean. If 
you
have confessed that sin and given it to God, it is buried in the depths. Don’t 
let it contaminate your day. Learn to live in the present.
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
© 2014 Love Worth Finding Ministries | PO Box 38300 - Memphis, TN 38183-0300

A Note of Encouragement
from Ciloa

Send this Note of Encouragement to a Friend

Chuck and Henry sitting on the porch
How great the heart within us burns
When love we give...to us returns

Three Little Words
Volume XV, Issue 34
August 24, 2015
----------------------------------------------------------
Recently something special happened.
One evening our son-in-law and daughter came over. Mallory carried Baby 
Violet, who looked about with wide-eyed amazement, and Jon had our 
2½-year-old
grandson, Henry. After dinner, we talked a while---well, not Violet---and 
Henry and I watched Cars (for the million-eth time).

As they prepared to head home, Henry made his rounds to say, Goodbye. He ran 
to Beverly where he got lots of kisses, then hurried to me for his great 
bear
hug. I wrapped him in my arms and held him tight. His duty to Gigi and 
Seanair now complete, he bounded off to Mommy and Daddy.

Then Henry stopped, turned to me, and said, "I love you."

It is difficult to describe how I felt at that moment. There was surprise, 
of course, in large part because he's still learning how to speak. I've been
thrilled with his attempts at Seanair (Scot Gaelic for Granddaddy). But 
there was much more than merely being surprised.

Every now and then Henry and I walk together, play together, and watch 
movies together. I listen as he tells me about his day, the latest boo-boo, 
and
many things I almost understand. He's grown to trust me. Does he always do 
what I say? Noooo. But I love him and have great hope for him.

To see him look at me and say, "I love you,"---well, it's just an amazing 
rush of emotion.

That got me thinking. How does God react when we sincerely tell Him, "I love 
you"?

God cares for His people and over time has revealed more of His nature and 
character. When He chose to express Himself in human form as 
Jesus---Immanuel,
"God with us"---He opened up even more as to who He is...who He has always 
been.

God is Lord and Master, but He is also our Heavenly Father. His desire is 
not to sit around making rules, but to share His love. He wants a deep 
relationship
with each of us. Not with this group or that country. But with you and with 
me.

Jesus revealed this side of God's nature and character. He spoke of God not 
as a distant, divine ruler to be feared by His subjects, but as a caring 
Father
to be loved by His children.

So, how does our Heavenly Father react when we sincerely tell Him, "I love 
you"?

Since we are created in His image, He reacts in a way similar to how we 
react. His heart fills with joy and peace, patience and kindness, goodness 
and
faithfulness, gentleness and grace. Sound familiar? It is the fruit of His 
own Spirit who lives within us. (see Galatians 5:22-23)

When Henry said, "I love you," my heart reacted in much the same way and I 
wanted to shower him with my love. As great as that made me feel, I can only
imagine how much greater and deeper our Heavenly Father feels when we stop, 
turn to Him, and say, "I love you."

Have you told God lately that you love Him? Do it right now. Trust me. It 
will make His day...and yours.

Take care & be God's,
Chuck
Ciloa is a registered trademark of Ciloa, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) 
organization.
chuckgraham@ciloa.org|

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
So Big, So Far, So Do-able - #7470

Each winter certain parts of America get hammered, of course, with monster 
snow storms. And when it's our turn, we all have stories about how we 
survived
the winter of whatever year.

But no one has a story like a Norwegian explorer Børge Ousland. I never met 
him, so I hope I got it right. But for 64 days he saw little more than 
white.
He was the first person to cross the continent of Antarctica alone and 
unaided. It took him 64 days to cover a frozen 1,675 miles. He actually 
harnessed
Antarctica's fierce winds by strapping himself to a parachute-like sail. Get 
this! And with the winds in his favor, he could ski as much as 140 miles a
day. All the while, he towed a sled carrying more than 300 pounds of 
supplies; enduring monotony and temperatures that dipped under 40 below.

After his incredible journey, Ousland talked about the huge mental challenge 
of facing seemingly endless fields of snow. You know how he did it? In his
own words, "It's so big and so far, you have to keep concentrating on the 
near future and make every day a victory." Wow!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "So Big, 
So Far, So Do-able."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:25 and 
following. "Do not worry about your life" Jesus said, "Look at the birds of 
the air.
They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father 
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life? Do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat? 
What shall we drink? What shall we wear?' Your Heavenly Father knows you 
need
them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things 
will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry, for tomorrow will 
worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Jesus' orders here are pretty clear; He says them three times. Did you get 
them? "Do not worry." What makes us worry? Things that are, I guess in the 
words
of that Antarctica explorer, "So big, so far." In fact right now you might 
be facing a situation like that, maybe several of them. They look as huge as
the vast expanse of Antarctica must have looked to that explorer.

You're looking at and maybe worrying about an overwhelming challenge in your 
finances, or your family, it could be your health, or huge responsibilities
you have right now, or a relationship. But your anxiety is contributing 
absolutely nothing to managing the situation. If anything, worry is actually 
paralyzing
you or distorting your judgment or robbing you of the energy that you need 
for this challenge.

Listen to the teaching of your Master, "Don't keep dragging your tomorrows 
into today." Worry is trying to live your tomorrow before you get there; 
before
you have the grace for that day that God only issues in 24-hour increments. 
Jesus is saying, "Just do today."

Now, that's how one man handled the seemingly endless winter of his 
Antarctic journey. He said, "You have to keep concentrating on the near 
future" - like
today. He said, "Make every day a victory." That's how you deal with 
parenting when it's taking everything you've got. It's how you beat a sin 
that has
beaten you for a long time. It's how you dig your way out of a mountain of 
debt. It's how you manage the unmanageable. Make every day a victory.

And on those days that don't exactly turn out to be victorious, put that day 
behind you and start fresh on that next new day. Remember, the Bible says,
"His mercies are new every morning." When you stop worrying about tomorrow 
and you focus on today, and you focus on your Heavenly Father who knows 
everything
you need, what seems so big and so far becomes so do-able.