Month: January 2020

SUGGESTED READING: ACTS 17:22-31

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “God… commandeth all men everywhere to repent” – Acts 17:30b

True repentance is keenly painful, but very beneficial in its results. Some people easily forget their period of repentance; others never do. I am referring to the period when a person fully feels what one has been. I do not believe the Spirit of God allows Christians to lose all memory of the horrible pit and miry clay of sins out of which God has delivered them. The apostle Paul never forgot what he was; and that memory reminded him that he became what he “now is” by the marvelous grace of God.

Repentance does not mean that you will never commit those sins again. It means that you have, by God’s grace, reached a place where you do positively the other things. The only truly repentant person, in the fullest analysis, is the person who allows God to deal with what was wrong – sin.

Set your heart and mind toward God and let the Holy light of Jesus Christ search through every crook and cranny. The result will be a marvelous readjustment of your whole life.

PRAYER THOUGHT: “Search me, Lord. Enable me to forsake all sin and live for you”. Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DEVOTIONS FOR DEEPER LIFE BY OSWALD CHAMBERS.

SUGGESTED READING: HEBREWS 2

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be merciful and faithful high priest in thins pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”- Hebrews 2:17

The greatest work in the world is the work of Christ’s reconciliation of mankind with God. Sin put each one of us at enmity with God and God at enmity with us.

We have too often forgotten God’s hatred for sin. The consequence is that our sense of salvation becomes merely sentiment; we presume that God,being love, will forgive any sinner at any time. But if we teach that people are saved by “simply looking to Jesus”, we are quite mistaken – unless we understand what the Bible mean by looking to Jesus. If we declare that “there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved,” all well and good; but if by that we mean looking to Jesus as a representative of God, if we are “lost in wonder, love, and praise” as we meditate upon that fact, and if we accept that sense of wonder as a sign of our salvation – then we are deceived.

Beware of any teaching that says “loving Jesus” means that your soul is saved. This simply is not true, either in Scripture or in the common experience of life. There are scores of men and women who love Jesus, but who loathe the doctrine of forgiveness of sins by shed blood of Jesus.

PRAYER THOUGHT: “Gracious Lord, the love You expressed toward us through Your death and resurrection gives me hope. I praise You for it”. Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DEVOTIONS FOR DEEPER LIFE BY OSWALD CHAMBERS.

SUGGESTED READING: LUKE 15:11-32

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee”- Luke 15:18

The word repentance is often misunderstood. This  word, as we know it in the English language, does not fully convey the idea that God wants us to understand.

Repentance does not simply mean sorrow for sin. No! The prodigal son had remorse and sorrow while he fed pigs. In despair, he said, “how many hired servants of my father have brad enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). But was that repentance? Obviously not. The prodigal left the pigs and husks, and went back to his father. He said, “I will say unto him, father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy  son: make me as one of thy hired servants” (Luke 15:18-19). Almost before he realized it, two strong arms of love embraced him, and the father clasped him to his bosom. That is repentance! The new testament meaning of repentance is “going back.”

Have you gone back? Have you returned to your Heavenly Father? Remorse is not complete repentance. Returning to God is repentance!

PRAYER THOUGHT: “Thank You, Heavenly Father, for outstretched arms of mercy as You 

SUGGESTED READING: ISAIAH 53

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”- Isaiah 53:4a

Beware of any teaching that makes repentance the ransom that persuades God to forgive sin. Repentance is only the avenue whereby God enables us to see that our sinful condition is hopeless unless God does a remarkable work of grace and redemption in our lives.

Just as I am without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
Oh, Lamb of God I come, I come.

Isaiah reminds us that Jesus was “wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and His stripes we are healed”(53:5). This is the only scriptural understanding of how our sin can be forgiven. It is the only way that God’s character is clearly vindicated and His utterly love exhibited: by making His only-begotten Son the scapegoat for every man, woman, and child.

PRAYER THOUGHT: “Lord of mercy, I bow humbly, confessing my personal need of Your grace and redemption”. Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DEVOTIONS FOR DEEPER LIFE BY OSWALD CHAMBERS.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” – John 14:27
MESSAGE

What is peace? You have seen a water puddle in the road, I’m sure. It is peaceful. There is not the slightest stirring in it. The water is smooth and unruffled. The colors of nature are reflected in it. That is not peace, but stagnant death!

Have you ever seen a child spinning a top? When the top is going its fastest, it is at perfect rest. The peace of God is perfection of energy; it is a healthy vigor of the soul.

The peace of God is not the peace of stoicism or passivity. It is the most intense activity. Some people say that they are tired of life; they mean to say that they are tired of dying. They are tired of spiritual death that stops activity. They are tired of life getting so sluggish.

What does Jesus say? “I have come that ye might have life and that ye might have it more abundantly; but ye will not come to Me that ye might have it” Everything in this natural world is pitted against you, unless you have His life you will never have real peace.

PRAYER THOUGHT: “Lord, thank You for inner peace in the midst of a troubled world. Amen”

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from OSWALD CHAMBERS’ DEVOTIONS FOR A DEEPER.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world” – Corinthians 7:23
MESSAGE

Have people ever stuck a label on you based on your name, origins, family, or level of education? Sometimes, just being different from others can have an enormous impact on our lives.
So, we may pretend, like others, to be useless or good for nothing…In those areas where some may disregard you, you put yourself down…
If you’re a victim of labeling, I’d like to encourage you with these thoughts. I pray that they change your life and help you put on your true identity from today forward!
Hold onto these 3 truths:

You are not what others say you are. If you’re a child of God, you are also His heir, and you’re a co-heir with Christ. “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”   – Romans 8:17(NLT)

You have inestimable value. “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.” (Read 1 Corinthians 7:23) God redeemed you at a very high price: the life of His only Son, Jesus! You are precious in His eyes!

Your past does not determine your future. God has delivered you from your old life. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:17) And He’s inviting you now to do the good works that He prepared in advance for you.                                                                                                                                                                             I encourage you now to tear this false label from your forehead and allow God to put His seal there. You’re a child   …declare it! He loves you! 

Prayer Thought: … “Lord, I ask You to forgive me for letting others condemn me when You redeemed me at such a great price, the price of Your Son’s life, and for believing lies like these. Thank You for making me Your heir and for preparing a future full of hope for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen”.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from JESUS.NET.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate” – Ephesians 6:14
MESSAGE

The apostle Paul says the first thing to do in spiritual warfare is to wear truth like a belt around your waist. Truth is the foundation for your fight against the Enemy. Without it, you’re likely to fall apart when temptations and turmoil hit your life.

The belt of truth is integrity. It means you not only know the truth, but you also act on it. If I know the truth but don’t act on it, then I don’t have integrity. In fact, that is hypocrisy. God says that if we are hypocrites, we have no defense against Satan.

Maintaining integrity doesn’t mean you’re perfect, but it does mean you’re authentic. You don’t wear masks: “What you see is what you get.”

The word “integrity” comes from the word “integer,” which means a unit of one. In other words, you don’t slice and dice your life like pieces of a pie. Integrity means all parts of your life are integrated together. You act the same no matter where you go. You let truth rule in every area of your life.

Unfortunately, Satan doesn’t have to work hard against some believers, because their lack of integrity makes them pushovers for his temptations. They don’t have the belt of truth wrapped around them, so they become easy prey.

God wants you wrapped in the truth. Confess your sins to him, and he will be quick to forgive you. Ask him to strengthen your ability to live transparently before others and then watch how he transforms your relationships.

Talk About It

Are there ways you’ve compartmentalized your life, publicly presenting integrity in some areas while hiding your lack of integrity in others?

Where are you most vulnerable to temptations? Where is Satan most likely to get a foothold in your life? What can you do to protect yourself in those areas?

In your life, what does it mean to walk in integrity? What does (or would) that look like?

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DAILY HOPE  BY PASTOR RICK.

SCRIPTURE TEXT: “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God” -2 Corinthians 4:2

So how do you live without faking it?

You do it by caring more about God’s approval than the approval of others. That’s the only way you’ll ever become a person of integrity. Sometimes God’s way is unpopular or difficult. If you care about what God thinks, you’ll do what’s right. If you care about what other people think, you’ll often do what’s wrong.

One way to live authentically is to read your Bible regularly. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young person live a pure life? By obeying your word” (NCV).

You can’t obey God’s Word if you don’t know it. If you don’t spend time reading and studying and memorizing the Bible, you won’t have the strength and stamina to be real and honest with the people around you.

God created you to be you. Trust him, and be authentic.

Talk About It

Where and when are you most tempted to wear a mask? Why?

Whose approval is most important to you? Why? How is seeking that person’s approval good or bad for you?

How do reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible help you live authentically?

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DAILY HOPE  BY PASTOR RICK.

SCRIPTURE TEXT:

“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish and you shall have it “-John  15:7 (GNT)
MESSAGE

same God who created this earth, this universe – who is bigger than your mind could ever fathom – looks at you in your strongest moments and your weakest moments and says gently to you, “You’re known.” Your name is written on the palm of His hand. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He knows your dreams. He knows your good days and your bad days. And most of all, He knows your heart. You’re known.

He knows the number of hairs on your head! Never fear, you are far more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows. Luke 12:7 (TLB)

He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:27

You know when I sit or stand. When far away You know my every thought. Psalm 139:2 (TLB)

Prayer Thought: “Thank You, Jesus, for knowing every little intricate piece of my heart. Thank You for chasing after me”. Amen.

STAY BLESSED
SOURCE: Culled from DAYSPRING BY KATY FULTS.