Suit Up! -Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Suit Up!

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. - (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

I have some friends who are police officers, and on occasion, I have asked them to tell me about the utility belt they wear. They have different equipment on their belt to do their jobs. And the same goes for soldiers.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Paul had a lot of time to research Roman armor, because he was chained to Roman guards while he was a prisoner in Rome.

The apostle was essentially saying, “Suit up! Put on the armor of God.” Why? Because life is not a playground; it is a battleground. As a Christian, you are in a battle—whether you like it or not.

You might be thinking, I am a spiritual pacifist, okay?

Okay. Then you are going to be defeated. You had better put your armor on. You had better learn how to use your sword and march forward. You had better wake up, sober up, and suit up.

I like the way the J. B. Phillips translation puts it in Romans 13:

Every day brings God’s salvation nearer. The night is nearly over, the day has almost dawned. Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark, let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day! Let us live cleanly, as in the daylight, not in the “delights” of getting drunk or playing with sex, nor yet in quarrelling or jealousies. Let us be Christ’s men from head to foot, and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling. (verses 11–14)

That is what God says to you and to me. This is how we are to live.

A Quiet Place to Rest- Karen Ehman @ Encouragement for Today

Encouragement for Today A Quiet Place to Rest Karen Ehman

"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" Mark 6:31 (NIV)

"I want honey in my tea! And a lemon slice too! Oh, and can I use great-grandma's teacup, pretty please? I'll be careful," my then five-year-old daughter sweetly begged.

We were enjoying our afternoon mother-daughter ritual while her two baby brothers napped. Each day we pulled out china teacups and saucers from my collection and slowly sipped herbal tea while I read a book out loud to her.

This afternoon, however, she was asking permission to use an heirloom piece that had been passed down through four generations in my mother's family. While I knew my baby girl was grown up enough to be careful with the antique pink and white china cradled in her little hands, something else made me deny her request. I tried explaining it to her.

"Sweetheart, I know you'll be careful, but we can't have hot tea in that cup. It has cracks. See?"

I showed her a few tiny, hairline fractures on the side near the handle. It wasn't cracked all the way through and could actually still hold water without leaking. However, if hot liquid were to be poured into it, the crack would give way, causing the petite cup to shatter. (Been there. Broke that!)

There was just no way for the fractured piece to withstand the stress of a steaming beverage.

Our emotional lives are much the same. When we do not allow time to rest and regroup from the stresses of life, we allow cracks in our spirit that make us emotionally and spiritually fragile. We keep going at break-neck speeds, rarely slowing down long enough to be refreshed.

Today's key verse highlights the fact that even Jesus Himself found it important to get away for a while; to slow down and cease activity. He urged His disciples to get to a quiet place. In doing so they would find rest. Being alone and quiet would help keep them whole.

In our fast-paced society we rarely get to sit in a quiet place. Televisions blare. Computers sound out webcasts. iPods and MP3s crank out music at times when we could be seeking solace.

As a result, stress chisels away, creating tiny cracks that although barely visible to the eye, could cause us to shatter under the heat and pressures of everyday life.

Let's purpose to take time this week to slow down, get away, and rest. To find solitude in a hushed and holy place alone with our Savior, even if only for an hour or two.

If we make time to answer Jesus' call to go away with Him to a quiet place, we can crack-proof our spirits, making them strong and rendering us ready to handle life. A few quiet moments spent with Him can help mend cracks, renewing and making us to be vessels strong enough to be used by Him.

Dear Lord, help me to intentionally carve out time this week to reconnect with You in a quiet spot. I know You are waiting. I want to seek Your face and find true rest. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Conduct yourself with wisdom, and let your speech be filled with grace. -Quiet Walk

Quiet Walk

Colossians 4

Conduct yourself with wisdom, and let your speech be filled with grace.

INSIGHT

"Out of the abundance of [a man's] heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). A man cannot claim his heart is kind if his words are unkind. He cannot claim his heart embraces heaven's values if his mouth speaks the values of the world. The heart is a reservoir and the mouth a faucet. When the faucet is turned on, whatever is in the reservoir comes out. Paul writes: "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6). Elsewhere he writes: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). Listen to your speech! Analyze your heart!

PRAYER

Out of the abundance of your heart, offer to the Lord the praise of your lips:
Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested (Revelation 15:3-4).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise (Psalm 51:14-15).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
your growth as you pursue your full potential as a child of God,
fulfillment of the Great Commission,
whatever else is on your heart.

Close with this prayer to the Lord:
We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

(Hebrews 2:9) 

Be Loving

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Self-Talk- Daily New Life

Daily New Life

Self-Talk

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. - 1 Peter 2:1-2

Go ahead and admit it, you talk to yourself. It’s not something to be embarrassed about—self-talk can be used to your benefit in order to greatly improve your success in controlling your desires.

One way to use it is to constructively direct the anger you feel when you’re tempted by an unhealthy or inappropriate desire. Instead of getting angry with yourself, get angry at the offense, and at the stumbling block it poses. This will help you resist it.

Another way self-talk can be used is to confront yourself and your appetites in order to bring rationality back into play when temptation threatens to confuse and disorient you.  When you actively engage your mind by talking to yourself, you’ll be less likely to act without thinking, and you’ll reinforce what you believe to be true, right, and good.

Make no mistake about it. Self-talk can be a very spiritually wise thing to do. Listen to what the master theologian, J. I. Packer says on this topic in his book, A Quest For Godliness: “Richard Baxter convinced me long ago that regular discursive meditation, in which as he quaintly put it you ‘imitate the most powerful preacher you ever heard’ in applying spiritual truth to yourself, as well as turning that truth into praise, is a vital discipline for spiritual health. This unanimous Puritan view is now mine too.”

“If you hear a voice within you saying you are a painter, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” - Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Self-Monitoring -Daily New Life

Daily New Life                                                 

 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? - 1 Corinthians 2:16

Our contemporary culture desires things to happen as quickly and conveniently as possible.  Yet when it comes to knowing others, and knowing ourselves, “quick and convenient” breeds superficiality.  Our love for expediency is making us strangers to one another, and strangers to ourselves. 

A wise man long ago said that an unexamined life is not worth living. I would add: an unexamined life is impossible to live faithfully and well.  One reason for this is that controlling our desires has everything to do with getting to know ourselves better—that is, understanding what people, situations, and substances give us problems, and what responses are effective in countering them.

A good way to begin practicing the examined life is to ask yourself what you’re feeling before you indulge your cravings.  Our cravings are often the result of—and a superficial way of dealing with—some negative emotion. . . anger, depression, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, etc.  Once you’ve identified the feeling behind the drive, you can more appropriately express or deal with it, instead of engaging in some appetite you think will make the feeling disappear.

When you learn to know yourself and express your feelings appropriately, your appetites can stop being emotional buffers and once again serve the purposes God intended them to serve.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” -William James (1842-1910)

What We Need

His Word Changes Lives

24/7/365 God Works For Our Good

We all thought since God, is so powerful, He just sits on His throne waiting for our adoration. God is never like that, and neither He is dominant, demanding obedience from us, all for His end . He does not need our accolade, because He is not insecure for recognition. The reason why He longs for our attention is all for love just like how our biological father would miss us and look for us the moment He arrives from work. His presence is indeed awesome and overwhelming yet, He doesn't allow that to overshadow us. Instead He uses it to umbrella us, for protection from the glaring heat of the sun and to keep us from torrential rains of life. The Lord Jesus had shown to us how God conveys His deity to us, that is by serving, working and doing all  for our good- "...your leader must be like a servant."Luke 22:26-. "The greatest love you can show is to give your life for your friends."-John 15:13 In their perfect unity, the LORD work hand in hand to get us through life onward victory. When we keep ourselves obedient to Him at all times, He can turn even our worst circumstance for our good and thereby carry out His wonderful purpose through us.

HIS WORD IS IMPECCABLE

The Work of the Believer- In Touch Daily Devotional

In Touch Daily Devotional

Romans 12:5-7

The world's definition of success differs greatly from God's. Take the role of a pastor, for example--it would be easy to accept accolades for church growth, as many people equate high attendance numbers with a minister's effectiveness. But the Lord desires that we obey Him with humility. Whether we draw a crowd or not, success is measured by obedience.

This looks different for each believer. Some Christians have very visible jobs, so their efforts are public and obvious. Others serve Christ in quiet, less noticeable ways.

God bestows upon His followers gifts tailored to each one's ordained assignments. The Holy Spirit reveals our calling, and we're to give our best effort. Of course, no matter what the task may be, the result will be worthless unless the Father breathes life into it. In other words, we are entrusted with God-appointed work. He assigns the duty, provides the skills, and causes growth. The Lord deserves all of the glory. We are blessed simply to be a part of His plan.

As mere vessels that God uses, we should be thankful for anything He accomplishes through us. And by giving Him all the credit, we need never feel defeated with disappointment. Rather, in spite of how things may appear, we trust Him to achieve His good purpose.

Honor is misplaced unless it goes directly to the One who creates, sanctifies, and sustains. God created you for specific tasks to further His kingdom. He wants to use your life--and will allow you to watch His powerful hand at work. Listen for His leading, and praise Him for all He accomplishes.

Time Will Tell -Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

And they heard the sound of the LordGod walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8–9)

When I play hide-and-seek with my granddaughters, I like to show them a new hiding place. Then, when it is my turn to find them, they will go to the place I just showed them. There have been times when I have been looking for them (or pretending to), and I can hear them giggling and see their feet sticking out from where they are hiding.

That is what it is like when we try to hide from God. When Adam and Eve hid from God in the Garden, God called out to them, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). I don’t think God asked this because He was bewildered; I think God asked this because He wanted Adam and Eve to confess what they had done so they could set it right. God cannot forgive a sin that has not been confessed.

God wasn’t looking for information; He was looking for a confession. He knew exactly where they were. He knew exactly what they had done.

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To “confess” means “to agree with.” So when we confess our sin, we are agreeing with God.

Often we will try to rationalize sin, however. We might even try to convince ourselves that God is okay with it, because we haven’t been caught or faced the repercussions of what we have done.

But know this: God is never okay with sin. And God says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). It will surface—maybe today . . . maybe tomorrow . . . maybe a month from now . . . maybe 10 years from now. Because time will tell. It always does.

Wisdom and Stupidity

Proverbs 9

Good News Translation (GNT)

9 Wisdom has built her house and made seven columns for it. ² She has had an animal killed for a feast, mixed spices in the wine, and set the table. ³ She has sent her servant women to call out from the highest place in town: ⁴ “Come in, ignorant people!” And to the foolish she says, ⁵ “Come, eat my food and drink the wine that I have mixed. ⁶ Leave the company of ignorant people, and live. Follow the way of knowledge.”

⁷ If you correct conceited people, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand evil people, you will only get hurt. ⁸ Never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you. ⁹ Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge.
¹⁰ To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding. ¹¹ Wisdom will add years to your life. ¹² You are the one who will profit if you have wisdom, and if you reject it, you are the one who will suffer.
¹³ Stupidity is like a loud, ignorant, shameless woman. ¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the highest part of town, ¹⁵ and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business: ¹⁶ “Come in, ignorant people!” To the foolish she says, ¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweeter. Stolen bread tastes better.” ¹⁸ Her victims do not know that the people die who go to her house, that those who have already entered are now deep in the world of the dead.

Dealing With Anger - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

  Dealing With Anger - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Who among us has never been angry before? Anger is an emotion that all of us can identify with. It’s described as the feeling of displeasure at events or at the behavior of other people that causes tension and often an attitude of hostility toward the offender.

Not all anger is bad. It’s possible to be angry and not sin. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry, and yet do not sin…” God’s anger is righteous anger. The Old Testament mentions God’s anger 370 times. The New Testament tells of instances when Jesus became angry, like when money changers crowded the temple, and when the Pharisees disapproved of Jesus’ healing of the man with the withered hand during Sabbath. God’s righteous anger is roused when we go against His original design of having fellowship with Him. His anger is bound in love.

On the other hand, our anger is often far from being righteous or being bound in love. Whether we spew out anger like a volcano, or let ourselves stew in bitterness, or spray small amounts of anger at intervals, most of the time, our anger is sinful and destructive.

This anger can lead to manipulation and violence. While anger can tear relationships apart, it inflicts the most destruction on the self. Anger can actually lead to gastric ulcers, heart failure and stroke. According to a London University study, anger causes “emotional stress that can interfere with signals from the brain to the heart. This disruption triggers abnormal heart rhythms which account for well over 400,000 sudden deaths a year.” But anger’s effects go beyond the physical. Mark Twain says, “Anger is the only acid that does more damage to the vessel in which it’s stored, than on objects on which it is poured.” Take Saul for instance. Saul became angry at David because of jealousy. When he saw that the Lord was with David, Saul also became afraid of him. Saul tried to manipulate things to harm David but to no avail. His pursuit of David culminated in his own death.

We need to deal with our anger – and we have to do it immediately. Ephesians 4:26 continues, “Do not to let the sun go down on your anger” When we give free reign to anger, we give the enemy a foothold, an entry point into our hearts
and lives.

The good news is, we can control our anger! Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.” And Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” To control anger, first we must find out where it’s coming from. We must identify and acknowledge the root of our anger so that we can put a stop to it. Next, we need to confess our anger to the Lord. Yes, we tell Him how we feel, but more importantly, we surrender our anger to Him. After making things right with the Lord, we need to make things right with the offended. This is an essential part of worshiping God. Matthew 5:23-24 says, ”Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

Anger is a very powerful emotion. But it has an antidote: forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31-32). If you’re harboring any anger or bitterness in your heart today, let go, and let God. God’s love and strength are enough to enable you to forgive and live a life free of anger.

The Secrets of Real Joy Part 1 - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

The Secrets of Real Joy Part 1 - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

At a time when soaring fuel and food prices and news of calamities are upon us, can people wake up in the morning and still say: “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)? It's hard to put on a sunny disposition when the weather is bad. It's hard to wear a smile on your face when the outlook is gloomy.

But Paul exhorts in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Can that be done in a world that seems to be spinning out of control? If that's the way we view it, it's a difficult thing to do. If, however, we believe that God is in control, it can be done.

If there's one piece of advice we can pay heed to in a world full of problems that can put us down, it's to BEWARE OF JOY ROBBERS! What are these joy robbers?

1. NEGATIVE THINKING. As Clement Stone opines: “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” Chuck Swindoll submits: “...life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” There is mind power that controls behavior. Positive thinking projects into positive disposition dictating positive behavior. Vice-versa, negative thinking projects into negative disposition dictating negative behavior.

2. PEOPLE. God allows people to disrupt or interrupt our lives. People's quirks and peculiarities could spoil our fun. Some people can be unnerving. How they affect us is up to us. They can either get to us or we can remain unaffected. Whether we consider them friends or foes depends on whether or not we welcome and accept them as God's tools to refine our rough edges for character development.

3. CIRCUMSTANCES. There are circumstances beyond our control. But when they come along, there is one thing we can control – ourselves. As Epictetus said, “It is not your problems that are bothering you. It is the way you are looking at them.”

God has a message in every circumstance that comes our way. He is always at work in and through them. We just have to dig into the heart and mind of God for us to have an overview of what's going on. “When Christ is the center of your focus all else will come into proper perspective.” That's a great piece of wisdom to live by. So, if we see disastrous global events as God's way of turning people's hearts to Himself, we can be still and know that He is God.

Real joy is independent of people or circumstances. Its Source is God. REAL JOY IS CENTERED ON CHRIST, who said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11).

Unless we've heard the bad news, we will never appreciate the good news. Joy comes from knowing that we were doomed for hell because of sin, but Jesus paid the wages of sin. There is joy in salvation found in Christ alone.

Jesus appeals: "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24). If we will only listen and turn to Christ, we will know that growing in love for God and others more than ourselves will increase our joy. Then we will realize that JOY is spelled J-JESUS, O-OTHERS, and Y-OU.

This became very real in Paul's life after learning the secret: THE SECRET OF REAL JOY IS A CHRIST-CENTERED MINDSET, having: (1) CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S GOODNESS and (2) CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S POWER.

Paul shows us the divine way to pure joy, positive attitude and proper perspective. Paul's letter exhorting the Philippian church to rejoice at all times was written while he was in prison. He did not allow the circumstance he was in to dampen his spirit, for his joy was in the Lord. In Paul's turf, there was no room for joy robbers to steal what he had or frustrate the sharing of the Gospel.

Believers and unbelievers alike were encouraged because of the way Paul handled life's crises. His eyes were on the Lord. His confidence was therefore in the goodness and power of God. This confidence Paul had in God kept him from grumbling or questioning God, but instead made him cooperate with God's plans. His adversity became God's opportunity to bring others to salvation, and later be used to spark a spiritual revival in Philippi and eventually the whole of Europe.

Paul saw how God began this good work in the lives of Lydia, the slave girl and the jailer (Acts 16:12-34). He was therefore confident that He who opens the hearts of people and causes them to believe, will also transform and continue the work until completion when Jesus appears. Hence, Paul wrote: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

If we are centered on Christ, our confidence will be in God's goodness and power. In which case, joy robbers will not have any chance of breaking into our lives. And as we see the day of Christ approaching, we can work heartily at breaking the Good News to others in the middle of all the bad news. In any circumstance, in sickness or in health, in good or bad weather, in robust or glum economy, around people of all types, we can, like Paul, be joyful always.

Our Constant Companion

All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you.- 

John 16:15 (Good News Translation)

There comes a time when we wonder if we could ever latch on the promises of God. We ask ourselves how can we apply them in our lives, how to maintain a life worthy of the Lord. Being anxious about them has no place in the mind of the Lord. He is discouraging us from being so in the first place-“God loves you, so don't let anything worry you or frighten you.” -Daniel 10:19 . And  Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.-Philippians 4:6


God understands our limitation and imperfection. He has anticipated already the trepidation we will encounter as we begin in our relationship with Him. Thereby, He did not just leave the Bible to us to be read and grope for ourselves for possible wisdom. He sent the Holy Spirit according to their supreme plan of salvation.   The Holy Spirit connects us to the Lord. He actually inspires and directs our way of thinking and manner of speaking through faith -"...the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit."-Mark 13:11 He reminds us of the words of the Lord, putting in our hearts the promises of God and sealing in us that God is committed to fulfill them. -“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you..."Luke 1:35

Right Word, Right Time

Bitter Or Better? - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Ephesians 4:31

American Standard Version (ASV)

³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice:

Bitter Or Better? - Christ’s Commission Fellowship

Given a set of circumstances, any person can choose to go through life either as a victim or as a victor. God grants us the grace to make this choice of either becoming bitter or better. And apart from the wisdom coming from God, we will be unable to choose wisely.

Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” God commands us to remove roots of bitterness. We are to grow roots of betterness instead.

Bitterness begins as a root. Roots, by nature, grow underground. We can look all right on the outside and yet allow bitterness to take root in our life. When we nurse negative emotions, they will eventually take root as bitterness.

The Bible teaches that bitterness will eventually grow and cause trouble. That’s why we are to get rid of it right away. Bitterness causes damage not just to the person who is bitter, but also to the people around him or her. Most of the time, we try to get people to side with us and convince them to take offense for us even if they have nothing to do with the issue.

If we don’t deal with bitterness, it will get the better out of us. It will affect the way we view people, circumstances, and God Himself. We need God’s grace to deal with bitterness. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” We are to ‘make a clean sweep.’ No leftover bitterness. Only by the grace of God will this be possible.

God gives us a choice. Instead of becoming bitter, we can become better. Like a tree planted by the water, we need to send out our roots by the source of life, Jesus Christ. When we are deeply soaked and anchored in Him, we will not fear when trouble comes because we are certain that the grace of God will sustain us. Jeremiah says such a tree has leaves that are always fresh and always bears fruit in season (Jer 17:7-8).

To grow roots of betterness, we must confess our bitterness, surrender to God’s sovereignty, and forgive. In doing so, we acknowledge that God is the One in charge—that He has the best plans for us. When we forgive the offender, we set him or her and ourselves free.

Sold by his jealous brothers into slavery and imprisoned on false accusations, Joseph had all the reasons to be bitter. But Joseph surrendered to the sovereignty of God (Gen 50:19-20). He forgave his offenders, embraced them, wept with them, and restored his relationship with them.

1 Peter 2:23 shows us the perfect example of dealing with bitterness: “While being reviled, Jesus did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Jesus forgave and entrusted Himself to Him to judge justly even in the midst of an extremely painful situation. In His dying breath, He uttered these words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34)

To overcome bitterness, confess to God that you have allowed bitterness to take root in your heart. Receive God’s forgiveness and surrender your life to His sovereignty. Be assured that He is wise and in control and He has your best interest at heart. The evidence of faith is obedience to God’s Word and alignment to His will. When we trust God, we are allowing ourselves to be enabled by His grace to forgive those who have offended us. It is by God’s grace alone that we can remove the roots of bitterness in our lives and grow roots of betterness.

Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16 (New International Version)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.4There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.8This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ?10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

We Overcome through Christ

If we commit our ways to the Lord, and trust Him at all times, not relying on our understanding, no matter the size of our circumstances may be, or how worst the mistakes we'd committed in the past or shall be in the future, and how murky our shortcomings perhaps, we can always get up on our feet and walk on our life, renewed and sustained, because God's faithfulness will constantly strengthen us from within, refreshing us always with a breath of hope and a shower of  His grace in the abundance of His glory ,-"In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. -John 16:33

GOD RESTORES AND SUSTAINS

God wants you to have a deep knowledge of Him and His plan for your life!- Time with God

  Time with God by John North

Ephesians 1:15-19

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

God wants you to have a deep knowledge of Him and His plan for your life!

He desires that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. He wants you to know the hope of His calling, to understand what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and to know the surpassing greatness of His power toward you. But how will this spiritual understanding come to you? By snapping your fingers? By saying “Amen” at the end of your prayer?

No. You will come to understand these things as you meditate on God and His word with an open, receptive heart to the Spirit of God. Linger with Him now.

We are Just a Vapor

"The key to investing in eternity is following God's plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His Messianic ministry. To us that seems like a waste of time. Yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That's why on the cross He could say, "It is finished" (John 19:30

Scripture compares earthly life to "a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14), but eternal life never ends. It's foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God's will for your time here. Each day is an opportunity to choose."

 - In Touch Daily Devotion

Meditation is different from prayer!- Time with God

Time with God

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Meditation is different from prayer!

Notice that the psalmist talks about two things: first there are “the words of my mouth”, and then there is a second thing—“the meditation of my heart”. Meditation is distinct from my words. Both prayer and meditation are crucial to our walk with God. In spite of this we pray little and meditate almost not at all.

Because of the nature of meditation, it’s really important that we set aside a special time for it, and a secluded place where the world won’t intrude. And it’s also important to get quiet. In this peaceful place we come to God and ask Him to guide our thoughts. You may have a particular Scripture or issue to meditate on, or you may simply focus on God Himself.

Biblical meditation is different from mystical meditation, because it doesn’t involve the emptying of the mind, but rather the filling of the mind with Scripture and the things of God, while inviting God to direct our thoughts about it.

As you meditate, it’s really good to close your meditation time by jotting down the key thoughts that came out of it in your journal. Can you take some time right now for meditation? 

Unforgivable Sin

He was there alone... to pray -Time with God

Time with God

Matthew 14:22-23

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

You must get alone with God!

The Lord Jesus’ own life teaches us this lesson so powerfully today. If we are going to learn to meditate on the things of God, we need to follow Jesus’ example and often get alone with God. Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness, or go up on a mountain. He would find a secluded place to focus on His heavenly Father.

Get away from the Internet, from your magazines, from the TV. Turn your phone off, and your mobile too. Do what it takes to truly have time alone with God. He is looking forward to that special time with you, alone together up on His“mountain”.

You may even have to shut yourself in the bathroom to find that secluded space, if you have small children. (You’ll emerge a calmer, happier parent! They’ll wonder what happened…)

You want to be greatly used by God in other people’s lives. But as Leonard Ravenhill put it, “To be much for God, we must be much with God.” He was right. Your inner spiritual life determines your usefulness to God.

One with Christ Jesus - Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon

Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon

Jesus has made the life of believers in Him as certain as His own. As sure as the Head lives the members live also. If Jesus has not risen from the dead, then are we dead in our sins; but since He has risen, all believers are risen in Him. His death has put away our transgressions and loosed the bonds which held us under the death sentence. His resurrection proves our justification: we are absolved, and mercy saith, "The LORD hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die." Jesus has made the life of His people as eternal as His own. How can they die as long as He lives, seeing they are one with Him? Because He dieth no more, and death hath no more dominion over Him, so they shall no more return to the graves of their old sins but shall live unto the LORD in newness of life. O believer, when, under great temptation, thou fearest that thou shalt one day fall by the hand of the enemy, let this reassure thee. Thou shalt never lose thy spiritual life, for it is hid with Christ in God. Thou dost not doubt the immortality of thy LORD; therefore, do not think that He will let thee die, since thou art one with Him. The argument for thy life is His life, and of that thou canst have no fear; wherefore rest in thy living LORD.