Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
Our Careful Unbelief
 
. . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on -Matthew 6:25

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of a disciple as unbelief. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will squeeze right through our lives, as if to ask, "Now where do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these new books you want to read?" And He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

". . . do not worry about your life . . . ." Don't take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No- "the cares of this world" (MatthewMatthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, "I will not trust when I cannot see"- and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.

The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.

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Understanding Faith

In the last two devotionals, we have been talking about faith and the importance of both the proper diet of God's Word, and exercising our faith if we are to see it grow.

The natural question is, "What is faith?"  Most Christians probably know the technical definition for faith from Hebrews 11:1,

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The New International Version says, Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  That is pretty clear.  But it becomes even more clear when you plug that definition into 1 Timothy 6:12,

Fight the good fight of [the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Fight the good fight of being sure of what you hope for and being convinced of what you do not see.]

When the answer to your prayers is not on the horizon, when you don't feel differently, you need to fight the good fight and say, "You know what?  God's Word says it and that's all the evidence I need.  It is the evidence of things not seen, and I'm going to stand on that truth.  I don't care what the world says, I don't care what circumstances say, I am going to fight the good fight of the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of what I do not see."

And you stay with it until, as they say, "Faith turns to sight."

What are you struggling with today? What challenge is testing your faith? Stand firm on the truth of God's Word.  Trust Him, no matter what others may say.

Real faith is standing firm in the midst of the storm. So stand firm!


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Living in Gratitude

In His Presence: Acts 16:16-34

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

In even the worst situations there's always a reason to give thanks. There was a man who needed his dress pants ironed. While his wife was ironing them she burned them. The man began to get angry, but then he paused a moment to think about it. He realized he could thank the Lord that his leg wasn't in that pair of pants when they were burned!

The apostles Paul and Silas were falsely accused, arrested, and put into jail. They were beaten with rods and thrown into the inner prison, their feet placed in stocks. "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:25). Even in pain, they were singing and praising God. Later, because of their testimony the jailor was saved.

Job was a righteous man. He prayed and offered sacrifices not only for himself but also for his children. One day, disaster struck his family and possessions, and he lost everything. Job grieved and mourned, but he also fell down in worship of God and said these words: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

One Minute Please

"The Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalms 84:11). How diligent are you in giving thanks to God?

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
The Delight of Despair
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead -Revelation 1:17
It may be that, like the apostle John, you know Jesus Christ intimately. Yet when He suddenly appears to you with totally unfamiliar characteristics, the only thing you can do is fall "at His feet as dead." There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awesomeness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair. You experience this joy in hopelessness, realizing that if you are ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God.

"He laid His right hand on me . . ." (Revelation 1:17). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength. And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory, the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, saying, "Do not be afraid" (Revelation 1:17). His tenderness is inexpressibly sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Take a look at some of the things that cause despair. There is despair which has no delight, no limits whatsoever, and no hope of anything brighter. But the delight of despair comes when "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells . . ." (Romans 7:18). I delight in knowing that there is something in me which must fall prostrate before God when He reveals Himself to me, and also in knowing that if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.

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Your Professional Trainer

As we continue to look at faith, I want you to read Hebrews 12:1-2,

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What this passage teaches about faith is vital for you to understand if you are to progress in your faith.  That truth is simply this:  Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  He not only authors it, He is the One who is the developer of our faith.

Remember the analogy of the body builder from the last two devotionals?  Well, if your faith is like a body builder, Jesus is your weight trainer.  Many of the people who are seriously into body building have a professional trainer who will work with them to be more effective in building muscle mass and sculpting their body.

Just like the professional weight trainer for a body builder, Jesus is your professional faith trainer.  No one knows more about faith than Jesus.  If you want to learn about faith, you need to listen to Jesus.  You need to follow His guidance on how to build your faith.

Over the next few devotionals, I will show you three levels of faith Jesus talks about.  Through that process, I pray you will discover where you are at, and see where you need to go and what you need to pursue in order for your faith to grow.


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Satan's Lies

In His Presence: John 17:17

Satan convinced Eve that he was harmless, not a creature to fear or be wary of. Today, he wants us to believe that we don't need to fear him and to think that he may not even exist. Second, Satan convinced Eve that God was holding out on her. Satan wants us to focus on our misfortunes.

"The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die." ' The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die!' ''(Genesis 3:2-3). He was saying that God's word could not be trusted.

Satan discovered that Eve had lost sight of what God actually said. First, she minimized God's goodness by leaving out the word "freely" in God's command to Adam. He had said: "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely" (Genesis 2:16). Second, she made God look stricter than He was by saying they could not touch the fruit of the restricted tree. God had not said anything about touching it. Third, she lessened God's judgment by saying "lest you die." She was implying an uncertainty. Instead, God had said: "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17).

One Minute Please

When Eve distorted God's word, she was receptive to Satan's lie that God's word could not be trusted.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
Unquestion Revelation
In that day you will ask Me nothing -John 16:23
When is "that day"? It is when the ascended Lord makes you one with the Father. "In that day" you will be one with the Father just as Jesus is, and He said, "In that day you will ask Me nothing." Until the resurrection life of Jesus is fully exhibited in you, you have questions about many things. Then after a while you find that all your questions are gone- you don't seem to have any left to ask. You have come to the point of total reliance on the resurrection life of Jesus, which brings you into complete oneness with the purpose of God. Are you living that life now? If not, why aren't you?

"In that day" there may be any number of things still hidden to your understanding, but they will not come between your heart and God. "In that day you will ask Me nothing"- you will not need to ask, because you will be certain that God will reveal things in accordance with His will. The faith and peace of John 14:1 has become the real attitude of your heart, and there are no more questions to be asked. If anything is a mystery to you and is coming between you and God, never look for the explanation in your mind, but look for it in your spirit, your true inner nature- that is where the problem is. Once your inner spiritual nature is willing to submit to the life of Jesus, your understanding will be perfectly clear, and you will come to the place where there is no distance between the Father and you, His child, because the Lord has made you one. "In that day you will ask Me nothing."

 

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Your Purpose

Today I want to speak to you about your destiny and purpose. First, read Ephesians 2:10,

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The word beforehand refers to before the foundation of the world. What the apostle Paul is saying in this verse is that before we were ever born, God prepared good works for us to walk in them.  God decided that we would be doing certain things.

Listen to that same verse from the Knox Translation, We are His design. God has created us in Christ Jesus, pledged to such good actions as He has prepared beforehand to be the employment of our lives. I like that.

Paraphrased, "You were designed with a unique purpose, and that is what you should be doing with your life."

In Philippians 3:12, Paul also states,

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

The phrase "I press on" literally means "I pursue." What is it that Paul states he is pursuing? He is pursuing his purpose.

On that Damascus road, Jesus laid hold of Saul of Tarsus, and He did it for a reason. There was a purpose involved. From the day that Jesus Christ laid hold of him, Paul's life became a progressive search to lay hold of the answer to the question, "God, why have You laid hold of me?  What is my purpose?"

My point? You have a God-designed purpose in life! There is something that you are wired up to do as the employment of your life.


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Do You Believe God's Word?

In his Presence: Psalm 1:1-2

"Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior"(Titus 1:1-3).

Satan calls into question the integrity of God. But as we see in the above verse, it is impossible for God to lie-it's against His nature. While it is impossible for God to tell a lie, it is nearly impossible for Satan to tell the truth. In the Garden of Eden, he pulled Eve away from God using a lie that looked good to her.

This is every Christian's battle. Satan starts by introducing a little lie and casting doubt. The reason we believe the Bible is the Word of God is because Jesus said it was the Word of God. If Jesus was wrong about that, then He was not Jesus. Jesus would be in error, so He could not be the Son of God. We know Jesus could not be in error and be God as well. So then the Bible is the Word of God.

Satan wants us to doubt God's Word. Whether we'll admit it or not, we've all failed to act on His Word. We often turn to other sources of assistance in dealing with money, family, life, priorities, and choices.

One Minute Please

Which of your decisions indicate that you don't believe God's Word?

[Judy Harder]

 
Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
Untroubled Relationship
 
In that day you will ask in My name . . . for the Father Himself loves you . . . -John 16:26-27

In that day you will ask in My name . . . ," that is, in My nature. Not "You will use My name as some magic word," but-"You will be so intimate with Me that you will be one with Me." "That day" is not a day in the next life, but a day meant for here and now. ". . . for the Father Himself loves you . . ."- the Father's love is evidence that our union with Jesus is complete and absolute. Our Lord does not mean that our lives will be free from external difficulties and uncertainties, but that just as He knew the Father's heart and mind, we too can be lifted by Him into heavenly places through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that He can reveal the teachings of God to us.

". . . whatever you ask the Father in My name . . ." (John 16:23). "That day" is a day of peace and an untroubled relationship between God and His saint. Just as Jesus stood unblemished and pure in the presence of His Father, we too by the mighty power and effectiveness of the baptism of the Holy Spirit can be lifted into that relationship-". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22).

". . . He will give you" (John 16:23). Jesus said that because of His name God will recognize and respond to our prayers. What a great challenge and invitation-to pray in His name! Through the resurrection and ascension power of Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit He has sent, we can be lifted into such a relationship. Once in that wonderful position, having been placed there by Jesus Christ, we can pray to God in Jesus' name-in His nature. This is a gift granted to us through the Holy Spirit, and Jesus said, ". . . whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." The sovereign character of Jesus Christ is tested and proved by His own statements

 

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The Place of Blessing

In Genesis 12:1-3 we read,

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Notice how God says to Abram, "Abram, I'm going to bless you, and you will be a blessing."  But here is what I want you to see:  Abram's being a blessing was tied to being in God's purpose.  He could only become a great blessing if he followed God's calling.

You will never be the blessing God intends for you to be if you are not flowing in your purpose.

Was there risk involved for Abram?  You bet!  He had to leave everything that was familiar to him, all of his security, everything that was comfortable and familiar.

He left Ur of the Chaldeans, which history tells us was one of the most highly developed cities of the ancient world.  They had cobblestone streets, an underground sewage system, and it was a place of world trade.

Abram left all of that and went out on an adventure by faith, pursuing the purpose that God had for his life.  And in pursuing that purpose, God blessed him, and he became a blessing.

But think about this. What if he had stayed back? What if he had said, "I'm secure here; I have it made; I have a nice house and everything I need.  I think I will stay put."  We would not even know his name.

Pursue your purpose. That is the place of God's blessing.


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Demonstrating Our Faith

In His Presence: Psalm 100:4-5

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1-2).

Biblical faith is not amorphous. We don't believe in Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy-they have no substance or reality to them. Faith believes in the character and the promises of a very real God. We demonstrate our faith by acting on His Word.

Have you ever turned on your radio to listen to the traffic reports? We believe these reports because someone is up in a helicopter and can see much more from the air than we can from the ground. They have a different perspective than we have. We demonstrate our trust in their word by taking a different route to our destination.

Doppler radar makes weather patterns visible, enabling scientists to see something that is invisible to the eye. Doppler radar provides a measure of safety, especially at airports where wind shears could make the ride pretty rough for planes about to take off or land. Occasionally, a burst of invisible wind could drive a commercial airliner to the ground like a toy.

In the spiritual realm, we are limited in our perspective. We cannot see what is happening in that realm unless we believe God, who gives us the details. Fire is hot; the sky is blue; water is wet; and God tells the truth. "If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar" (Romans 3:3-4).

One Minute Please

Faith has substance because God has substance.

 

[Judy Harder]

May 30 2013

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
"Yes- But . . .!"
Lord, I will follow You, but . . . -Luke 9:61
Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, "Yes, but- suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?" Or we say, "Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn't go against my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark."

Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.

By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis- only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.

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The Signpost of a Provoked Heart

Without a doubt, God has plans for you. Your life is no accident. You have a purpose. In today's devotional, we will discover an important key to help you understand your calling.       

Let's look first at Acts 17:16-17,

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.  Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

The word provoked literally means that his spirit was deeply troubled, his spirit was grieved within him.

That gives us the first step in understanding your purpose.  What grieves your heart?  Paul was grieved about this city wholly given over to idols.  And the next verse begins with the word therefore.  He did something about it.

Generally, the things that grieve you in your heart are things that God has gifted you to change.  They point you to your purpose.

For instance, in Job 30:25, Job said, "Has not my soul grieved for the poor?"  If you read Job's story, a big part of his ministry had to do with helping the poor.  It was tied to what caused his heart to grieve.

Then there was David who was grieved and provoked as Goliath was taunting the Israelites.  Why?  David was called to be a leader and a warrior in Israel.  It was a signpost pointing to his calling.

What is it that provokes you in your heart?  Whatever it is, do something about it.


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God Said So

In His Presence: Matthew 4:1-11

"The tempter came and said to [Jesus], 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" ' ''(Matthew 4:3-4).

What should we do when we face Satan's lies, especially the lie that God's Word cannot be true? Jesus was faced with a legitimate need-the need to eat to sustain Himself. His need wasn't wrong. Jesus had the power to do what was suggested, but to do it at the demand of Satan would have been satisfying Himself apart from God.

What proceeds out of God's mouth must be our foundation for everything. It must be the foundation for counseling, for work, for our families, and for our finances. God has given us His definitive Word, and His Word addresses everything that is relevant to us today. Christians who do not believe His Word and obey it do not see His power demonstrated today. God does not want us to pay homage to Him; He wants us to believe Him and act on faith. Faith believes God in the absence of empirical evidence.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve stumbled over this type of faith. She failed the test because she did not believe something she had never seen-death. When it's difficult to believe God but we place our faith in Him anyway, that's faith.

One Minute Please

Faith is believing something is so, even when it is not visibly so, that it might be so simply because God said so.

 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
Put God First
Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . .for He knew what was in man -John 2:24-25
Put Trust in God First. Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be- absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God.

Put God's Will First. "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:9).

A person's obedience is to what he sees to be a need- our Lord's obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, "We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him." But we must first make sure that God's "needs" and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, ". . . tarry . . . until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the "needs" of God and His will. Once God's "needs" in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His "needs" elsewhere.

Put God's Son First. "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" (Matthew 18:5).

God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a "Bethlehem." Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God's ultimate purpose is that His Son might be exhibited in me.

 

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Intimacy with God

Paul, in Philippians 3:10-12, gives us the other principle for discovering your purpose,

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Paul said, "I am pursuing my purpose," but it was a purpose based on knowing God.  Look at what he said in verse 10,  That I may know Him.

The understanding of his purpose came out of that primary desire and pursuit of knowing God Himself and living in intimacy with Him.

Perhaps the most important thing you could do in your life right now is to just lock yourself away, grab your Bible, and go sit at the beach.  Find that place of communion with God.  As you get to know Him, you will also discover your own heart and the dreams and desires that God put within you.

They are there. They may be covered with debris, they may be covered with dust, but they are there.  You can find out what they are if you will develop that intimate relationship with God.

It is in closeness with God that His breath blows the dust off of undiscerned and unrecognized purposes and dreams.


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Know God's Written Word

In His Presence: 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

"The devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, "He will command His angels concerning You"; and "On their hands they will bear You up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." ' Jesus said to him, 'On the other hand, it is written, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test" ' ''(Matthew 4:5-7).

We can be certain that Satan knows the Bible. He knows what it says and how to twist it into half-truths when it serves his purposes. Satan pulled a portion of Scripture out of context to serve his purposes. It isn't enough for us to know the words in the Bible; we need to know the context. We need to understand the basic principle that the Word of God never violates: God does not contradict Himself.

"Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." ' Then the devil left Him"(vv. 8-11).

One Minute Please

If the Living Word, who wrote the written Word, needed to use the written Word to get Satan off His back, then think how much more we need to use the written Word of God to fend off the devil!

 

[Judy Harder]

June 3, 2013
 
Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
"The Secret of the Lord"
 
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . -Psalm 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself- to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ's idea of prayer- "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10)- that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us- He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.

"Him shall He teach in the way He chooses" (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, "I wonder why I shouldn't do this?" God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, "Now, Lord, what is Your will?

 

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Strengthen Yourself

For today's devotional, I would like you to read 1 Samuel 30:6 again as it contains another truth I want you to see,

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters.  But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

Notice that this verse begins by saying, David was greatly distressed, but it ends this way,  But David strengthened himself in the Lord.

It is all right to weep, but when you are done, you need to strengthen yourself.  It is all right to grieve, it is all right to express those emotions, but when you are done, you need to strengthen yourself in the Lord.

You need to connect with God in whatever way you find is best for you.  If it is lifting your hands and worshiping Him, then that is what you should do.

If it is getting into His Word (which I would suggest for everyone) and spending time feeding your spirit, then do that.  If it is reminding yourself about how God has helped you in the past, you need to do that.

Personally I believe that is what David was doing when the Bible says he "strengthened himself in the Lord."  I think David was reminding himself about:

·        How God delivered him from the lion and the bear;

·        How God delivered Goliath into his hands; and

·        How God delivered him when Saul tried to kill him.

I am confident David was thinking, "You know, God hasn't delivered me so miraculously in my past to get to this point and to let go of my hand and abandon me.  I know He is going to help me now."

David was strengthening himself in the Lord, and you need to learn to do the same thing.


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Does Sin Have Consequences?

In His Presence: 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

"From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die"(Genesis 2:17).

When Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden that she would not die from eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he emphasized his lie: "You surely will not die!" (Genesis 3:4). By telling her this, he was implying two things: God's Word could not be trusted, and there would be no consequences to her disobedience to God. Satan's fourth lie in this passage was that you can rebel against God and get away with it.

Sin is a violation of the law of God. Just like "No trespassing" signs say we are subject to prosecution if we violate the trespassing laws, God said to Adam and Eve and the rest of the world that when we have violated His law we will suffer the consequences. God's law is a reflection of His character. He doesn't make rules just to make rules. His guidelines and regulations reflect what He is like.

One of the chief definitions of sin is that which is contrary to the holiness of God. At the root of the word holy is the word separate. At the root of the word separate is the concept that God and sin cannot inhabit the same environment. He is wholly separate.

One Minute Please

Because of God's purity and holiness, God never gets used to filth. We may get used to it, but according to His nature, God cannot.
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
The Never-forsaking God
 
He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you' -Hebrews 13:5
What line of thinking do my thoughts take? Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears? Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says? "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?' " (Hebrews 13:5-6).

"I will never leave you . . ."- not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.

"I will never . . . forsake you." Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful- just the everyday activities of life- do I hear God's assurance even in these?

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing- that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God's assurance behind us, the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.


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Inquire of the Lord

1 Samuel 30:8 tells us what David did next as He sought to deal with the troubles that besieged him.  After grieving and strengthening himself in the Lord, here is what he did,

So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop?  Shall I overtake them?"  And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

David inquired of the Lord.

There is a story in the book of Joshua that shows the importance of inquiring of God, of seeking His guidance, no matter how things may seem.

The nation of Israel had entered the Promised Land and they were gaining great victories.  One day a group of Gibeonites showed up.  They had bags full of old moldy bread, their sandals were worn out, their water skins were cracked and old, and their clothing was old and worn.

They told Joshua and the leaders that they had come from a country far, far away.  They went on to tell them they had heard about the great things God was doing through Israel, and they wanted to make sure they would not be attacked.  So they had traveled from afar to make a covenant so that when Israel eventually reached them in the future, they wouldn't attack the Gibeonites.

The Bible says specifically that Joshua and the men did not inquire of the Lord.  Rather, they looked at the people's provisions...the moldy bread, the old sandals, the old water skins...and they made a covenant with them.

It turns out they were the next door neighbors and Israel had been deceived. And it caused huge problems in Israel's future.

I am telling you, things are not always as they appear. It pays to inquire of the Lord when you are going through difficult times. He will lead you.


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Running From God

In His Presence: 1 Peter 2:15-16

"They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden"(Genesis 3:.

God told Adam and Eve that the day they eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they would die. Obviously their physical bodies didn't die, as they lived for centuries (see Genesis 5:5) after the moment of their disobedience to God. In the Bible the word death means separation. God told Adam and Eve they would be separated from Him.  A barrier came between God and His creation.

Before the day they disobeyed, Adam and Eve walked with God in close fellowship: "The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). After they ate the fruit, they began running from God. Adam said: "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself" (3:10).

When someone hides from his Creator rather than enjoying Him, a spiritual death has taken place. Adam and Eve were suddenly full of guilt, shame, and fear. They hid from God and were frightened of Him. We can call that emotional death. They were suffering the consequences of death. When they were not alienated from sharing a life with God, there was peace in their minds about themselves and their world.

One Minute Please

Today, we are separated from God by our inherited death sentence. Only God's grace sets us free.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
God's Assurance
 
He Himself has said . . . . So we may boldly say . . . -Hebrews 13:5-6
My assurance is to be built upon God's assurance to me. God says, "I will never leave you," so that then I "may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear' " (Hebrews 13:5-6). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God's words of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking, and they forget the meaning of God's assurance- they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God's assurance to us.

What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it- you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. When it seems that there is nothing and no one to help you, say to yourself, "But 'The Lord is my helper' this very moment, even in my present circumstance." Are you learning to listen to God before you speak, or are you saying things and then trying to make God's Word fit what you have said? Take hold of the Father's assurance, and then say with strong courage, "I will not fear." It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you . . . .' "

Human frailty is another thing that gets between God's words of assurance and our own words and thoughts. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God seems to be nonexistent. But remember God's assurance to us- "I will never. . . forsake you." Have we learned to sing after hearing God's keynote? Are we continually filled with enough courage to say, "The Lord is my helper," or are we yielding to fear?


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Global Harvest

In Mark 16:15 Jesus said,

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

In Matthew 13:38 He said,

"The field is the world..."

We need to lift up our eyes upon the harvest field "of the world."

It may sound crazy, but God is expecting us to do something about the salvation of the whole world!

In James chapter five, we are told that God is like a farmer waiting patiently for the precious fruit "of the earth."  The implication there is that the Lord is coming, but there is a great global harvest coming first.

Here are some things you can do to be a part of reaching the world for Christ:

Pray - Matthew 9:37-38 says, Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Give - Generously support ministries that are reaching the lost.  Make the mission outreaches of your own church a priority.

Go - Jesus' command to go is to all believers.  At the very least, take a short term missions trip to share the Good News with others.

Remember, the only things we will take to heaven with us are the precious souls we have brought to Christ.


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The Death of the Family

In His Presence: Colossians 1:9

"I will put enmity between [the serpent] and the woman"(Genesis 3:15).

When Satan wanted to instigate mankind's rebellion against God, he went to the woman to undermine the man's God-given authority. He approached Eve rather than Adam at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to discuss what God said about the tree.

Eve responded to Satan's prompts by taking up the position of the spiritual guide for her family. Eve made the decision about the direction the family would move. Adam became the follower. Eve ate the fruit and gave it to her husband. We know that Adam was with her; he heard the conversation Eve had with the serpent and did not interpose God's viewpoint. Eve became the initiator and Adam became the responder. Their roles were reversed.

When a man gives up the biblical headship of his family, especially in the spiritual realm, there is a death in the relationship. Satan has become an expert in getting men to forsake their biblical roles because he knows if he can get the man out of his leadership role, the family will be weakened. We think conflict in the family is about differing personalities, or about finances, or how to rear our children. But the underlying cause is the death of the spiritual state in the home. The roles have been reversed, and man has forsaken the spiritual mantle God gave to all men.

One Minute Please

When the husband and/or wife have rebelled against God in some way, death takes hold of family relationships.

 

[Judy Harder]

 Devotion by Oswald Chambers
 
 
"Work Out" What God "Works in" You
 
. . . work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who works in you . . . -Philippians 2:12-13

Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, "But I don't know if my will is in agreement with God." Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say "I will not obey" is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.

The will is the essential element in God's creation of human beings- sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. ". . . for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." With focused attention and great care, you have to "work out" what God "works in" you- not work to accomplish or earn "your own salvation," but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God's will- God's will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God's will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with "dynamite," and the "dynamite" is obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.


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Two Voices that Cry Out

Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire.  You have heaped up treasure in the last days.  Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5:3-4).

These words are written to believers, to Christians who are hoarding up wealth rather than giving to support the spread of the gospel.

The reapers in verse 4 are those preaching and working out in the harvest fields of the world.  Notice it says that the Lord has heard their cry.  But if you read carefully, you will find that another cry has entered the Lord's ears as well.

"The wages" of the laborers cry out to God as well!  The tithes and offerings that have been withheld cry out.  Monies that should have been sown into the cause of Christ are raising their voices in a mighty chorus to heaven!

Large amounts of undesignated and unused funds that sit in bank vaults cry out.  Funds God has graciously given to His people that have been withheld from their purpose-to bring a living Jesus to a dying world-cry out and cry out and cry out!

Are you sitting on a talking wallet today?  Is your purse crying out to God?  If you could hear their voice, what would they cry?  "China!  Europe!  Africa!  The Middle East!"??

Are you generously supporting the work of your own local church?  Do not let your money testify against you!  Give where, when, and how much God directs- consistently-into the work of His Kingdom.

If the precious fruit of the earth is going to be reaped, we have to support those who labor in the field. 


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Respect for God's Laws

In His Presence: Hebrews 12:1-12

"To Adam [God] said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat from it," cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to the dust you shall return' ''(Genesis 3:17-19).

There are definitely consequences to sin. Sometimes we don't connect the problem with the cause. In this case, when Adam sinned, he affected the world of work. Even the ground was cursed. Though Satan denied that there would be death upon eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, a lot of the dying wasn't immediately evident. Economy was affected. Adam and Eve's family felt the results of death in the discord within. Their bodies began to die. Ultimately, they died physically as well.

We can cut a flower from its stem. It dies right away because it is separated from the source of life, but it doesn't appear dead immediately. The longer it is unattached, the more evident death becomes. One thing we must realize about sin and consequences is that we can choose the sin, but we cannot choose the consequences.

One Minute Please

We must respect God's laws.