In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley

[Judy Harder]

October 18

Remembering God's Goodness

Joshua 3:14-4:7

Some individuals have an amazing capacity to remember images or facts. Sadly, however, it's all too common for people to fail to recall the Lord's goodness to them.

In light of the human tendency to forget, today's verses offer a good example for us to follow. God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt and safely through the divided Red Sea. Now, He miraculously provided another dry path by piling up the Jordan's waters in an enormous heap upstream. The Lord knew that the people were about to enter Jericho, and that by His power, they would overcome the city. How compassionate to encourage them with a tangible illustration of His strength prior to such a battle.

But God also knew how easily they had forgotten Him. We do the same today; when the Lord works in obvious ways, it is easy to trust Him. But as time goes on, we drift toward self-reliance until we are reminded of our need for Him and repent. So in His love, the Father had a plan to help His loved ones recall the miracle at the river. He asked them to create an altar of 12 stones, representing each tribe of Israel that had passed safely through the waters. This way, they would have a tangible reminder of divine rescue.

When it comes to blessings, do you tend to be forgetful? If so, try to create reminders of God's faithfulness. Some people journal; others write key words on stones and leave them in noticeable places. Whatever you do, make sure you have a way to remember the Lord's involvement in your life.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

[Judy Harder]

October 19

The Impact of Right Relationships

Exodus 17:8-13

The Lord laid out the plan for your life before the foundation of the world, and every day He guides you along the path marked with your name. He never intended that you walk it alone. Human beings are designed for relationship. By that, I certainly do mean that God Himself will help you. But in addition, He also provides men and women—fellow believers—to come alongside you as encouragers, mentors, friends, and co-laborers.

There isn't a single biblical saint for whom pursuit of God was a successful solo venture. Consider Moses, for example—the human hero of Israel's liberation, the recipient of the Ten Commandments, and the leader of the Israelites throughout their extended trip to the Promised Land. He sounds like a one-man show, but Moses had a network of friends and family providing wise counsel and necessary aid. He relied upon Aaron and Joshua in particular.

For the battle against Amalek, God designed a strategy that incorporated all three men. Moses sent Joshua to lead the troops while he raised his staff in honor to the Lord, who promised victory. When Moses' endurance waned, Aaron and Hur held his arms aloft, lending their strength to support his mission. What a beautiful symbol of godly friendship.

Self-sufficiency is prized in the world, but it isn't God's design for His children. A group of people rightly connected can do so much more than a man or woman acting alone. Moses proved that. He was a wise and formidable leader, in part because he had the support and counsel of loyal friends.

[Judy Harder]

October 20

The Wisdom of Right Relationships

Hebrews 10:23-24

The subject of positive relationships is near to my heart because God has provided me with such good friends. These are the people who challenge me to do more for the Lord. My friends love me, but they certainly aren't content to let me stay as I am! If they spot a sin in my life or see something I could do better, they say so.

Paul gave relationships a high priority too. The apostle surrounded himself with people who could help him achieve two things: fulfillment of his God-given mission and conformity to Christlikeness. While Paul was pouring himself into the lives of others, he was being built up and strengthened by his fellow believers. That, in brief, is the Lord's plan for every one of His children.

What about you? Do you have certain relationships that motivate you to pursue God more fervently? It does matter whom we allow to influence our lives. The Father equips your brothers and sisters to invest in you—to encourage you, to pray for you, and to prod you toward a more complete faith—so that you are prepared to devote yourself to serving others. Good relationships with people who build each other up can help believers fulfill God's plan for their lives.

The finest relationships are between people who want to see each other succeed in faith and therefore "spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24, niv). In other words, our best friends are those who love us as we are but never cease to challenge us to be better for the Lord.

[Judy Harder]

October 21

Obedience or Preference

Matthew 26:36-42

Every believer must choose whether he will live by the principle of obedience or follow his preferences. When a person commits to doing the Lord's will, then every situation and decision is sifted through the standard of "God said it, so I'm going to do it—and that's the end of it." He may complain, weep, or try to argue. But in the end he will be obedient, no matter what.

I recall being invited years ago to inter-view with a church in Atlanta. During the entire road trip, I told the Lord that I didn't want to move. I fussed and carried on a good while, but I knew Atlanta would be my new home. I didn't like the idea, but the alternative was unimaginable: there are few things more unpleasant than living with the nagging anxiety that you missed out on something good.

The Lord certainly understands our need to question, cry out, and petition Him for the strength to do what He asks. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Jesus wasn't excited or happy about the cross. He grieved over the coming separation from His Father. Nevertheless, He was committed to following God's will (Matt. 26:39). No one took Christ's life from Him; He laid it down (John 10:18).

Our lives are about fulfilling God's purpose. Many people miss His awesome plan for them because they choose to follow their preferences. Obedience is sometimes hard, but the struggle and sacrifice are worth it. There is joy and peace for the believer who pleases the Lord and lives by His principles.

[Judy Harder]

October 22/23

Forsaking Anger

Ephesians 4:30-32

A righteous life has no room for lingering anger, whether in the form of rage or resentment. Fury that hardens in our hearts becomes a stronghold for Satan.

The fleshly method for "curing" wrath is to either let it out (rage) or suppress it (resentment). Neither is effective for solving problems or making an angry person feel better. God's way of dealing with this dangerous emotion dissolves it and sets the believer free. As today's passage reminds us, we are to "let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from [us], along with all malice" (v. 31). But to do so requires that we recognize it's there.

Whether we are annoyed at ourselves, another person, or God, we have to own that feeling. Pretending that the emotion doesn't exist or that we've somehow risen above anger is useless. If you're angry, admit it and then identify the source. Knowing who or what ignited the initial fury can prevent people from misdirecting irritation onto the innocent.

Here are some questions to help in identifying a source of anger:

• Why am I angry?

• At whom am I angry?

• What caused me to feel/act this way?

• Where or when did this feeling start?

• Have I been angry a long time?

Once we know the source of our anger, it's time to forgive, no matter what. Fury and unforgiveness often go together, and they're heavy baggage that will drag you down. God calls us to set them aside and take up love and kindness instead. Forsaking anger means walking in His will with a light step.

[Judy Harder]

October 24

The Danger of Anger

Ephesians 4:26-27

Yesterday we learned how to deal with lingering anger in our lives. Today we'll discover God's principle for preventing long-term resentment. The key is to deal with this dangerous emotion promptly.

It's important to realize that believers can have moments of anger and still remain right with God. Yet anger that is allowed to linger and fester is an opportunity for Satan. He quickly plants justifications in our mind: That person deserves to be yelled at. You shouldn't be treated that way! God understands that you're frustrated. By handing people excuses to build a defense for harboring fury, Satan creates a stronghold in their lives. It is a foolish man or woman who hides behind that wall (Eccl. 7:9).

We are not to lay even one brick for the Devil's stronghold. Instead, believers must respond to provocation by forgiving others as God forgives. His mercy is unconditional; there's no wrong that He does not pardon. Believers cannot stand before God and justify harboring long-term anger. So we must release it at once through forgiveness.

We can further protect ourselves by identifying frequent irritants. When those situations (or people) loom, we should pray that God makes us quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19). That is the spiritual fruit of self-control in action.

Anger produces only rotten fruit—sour relationships, a poor witness, etc. The wise believer takes a two-fold approach to dealing with it. First, heed the Bible's 300-plus warnings about this dangerous emotion and be vigilant against it. And second, forsake your anger in favor of forgiveness.

[Judy Harder]

October 25

Defend against Temptation

James 1:12-16

To build a defense against temptation, we must understand how it works. Every sin originates as a thought, often the result of a flaming arrow the Evil One shoots our way (Eph. 6:16). If a believer holds on to the thought, it becomes a fantasy—the chance to imagine what it would be like to pursue that notion without actually doing so. The problem with fantasies is that they can easily become entangled with a person's emotions. This creates a desire, which brings the believer to the point where a choice must be made: he or she must either consent to the sin or refuse. This process is quite dangerous, as the progression from thought to choice can be almost instantaneous.

Wise believers determine ahead of time to resist temptation—before it enters their consciousness. There are two cornerstones to a good defense: the commitment to obey God, and the recognition that He is in control and has limited what Satan can do (1 Cor. 10:13).

We can further fortify our defense when temptation actually comes. Satan has a way of spotlighting the pleasure of sin until that's all we see. But with conscious effort, we can retrain our focus to take in the bigger picture: Is this choice a violation of God's Word? What are the consequences? Am I prepared to pay that price?

No defense against temptation is complete without Scripture and prayer. Every moment spent meditating on the Word and communicating with God builds our faith. As the bulwark around our mind and heart strengthens, we are ever more prepared to douse Satan's flaming arrows.

[Judy Harder]

October 26

Spiritually Shortsighted

Luke 16:19-31

In Luke 16, Jesus told a story about a rich man who lived for himself and ignored God. After death, he experienced the consequences of his choices—eternal separation from the Lord.

Jesus described him as one who lived in luxury every day (v. 19), providing for himself the best that money could buy but giving little to the poor at his gate. It is important to realize that this man wasn't judged harshly by God because of his wealth. The heavenly Father is not opposed to our success. Nor was the man separated from the Lord because of his lack of charity toward others. He did not deliberately harm others but, rather, overlooked those in need and focused on himself.

The rich man's mistake was that he prepared everything for the body but nothing for the soul. Our culture practices a similar style of living. Acquiring material riches and satisfying self is the primary pursuit of many in our world. Having what one wants seems to be the goal whether it's a struggle to make ends meet or the bank account is overflowing.

Scripture says we were created to be in a relationship with the Father through faith in His Son. The rich man ignored God and paid the ultimate price. Our eternal destiny depends on our decision about Christ.

Despite what our culture thinks, life is not about us. It's about having a relationship with the Lord. Whoever accepts Christ's gift of salvation will live eternally with Him in heaven. Those who reject God will suffer. If you know any spiritually shortsighted people, pray that they will trust in Jesus.
 

[Judy Harder]

October 27

Paying Attention to How We Live

Luke 12:16-21

One day we'll give an account of ourselves to the Lord (Rom. 14:12). We must, then, pay attention to how we live.

The rich man in Luke 16:19-31 made the tragic choice of living for himself without regard for the Lord. He also made two other mistakes.

First, he invested everything for himself and nothing for the life to come. When we are blinded by our own desires and personal satisfaction, it is easy to become lukewarm about spiritual matters. We forget that this life is not all there is. Scripture tells us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth. Where our treasure is reflects where our heart is (Matt. 6:19-21).

The rich man's other mistake was to prepare everything for himself and nothing for others. Crumbs falling from his table (v. 21) were the only form of assistance he gave a poor man named Lazarus. The one who had much wealth did not share it with the one who had little. Jesus explained what our priorities should be to love the Lord wholeheartedly and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27).

We see the rich man's mistakes repeated in another parable. This time a wealthy man builds bigger barns to store crops so he will have plenty for the future. God calls him a fool for such shortsightedness (Luke 12:20).

The Bible repeatedly warns us to pay attention to spiritual matters—the Lord is to have first place in our lives and be the center of our affections. He urges us to store up heavenly treasure by caring for the lost and hurting people around us. On whom is your attention focused?

[Judy Harder]

October 28

Understanding Your Call

Mark 8:34-35

I like to use the word believer when talking about God's children, as it specifically refers to those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. That is a much smaller population than those who label themselves Christian. But did you know that even fewer people could rightly be called "followers"? These are the folks who passionately pursue the Lord's will in all things.

Are you a believer or a follower? Trusting in Jesus Christ is fundamental, but doing so is the first step, not the culmination, of a person's faith. Our primary purpose is to take a life-long journey following in the Lord's footsteps, honoring Him with our actions and speech, and always increasing in biblical wisdom.

A follower's life is summed up in the phrase complete obedience. In fact, Jesus defined true Christians as those who prove their love for Him by keeping His word (John 14:23). When it comes to obeying God, there are really only two responses—"I will" or "I won't." It's tempting to say, "I will, but . . ." as some of Jesus' would-be disciples did, but that's a roundabout way of saying no (Luke 9:59). Followers remain faithful to the Lord's plan whether doing so is easy or hard. Not only that, but they proclaim Him in both blessing and calamity, and go even when they don't like where He leads.

Followers pursue the Lord because they know that the reward is a deeper, more passionate relationship with Him. They are not just waiting to spend eternity with God in heaven. They realize that eternity begins now, as they accompany Him on the righteous path He has set before them.