Selflessness Is Love

Selflessness Is Love

SELFLESSNESS

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1

When was the last time you saw a commercial or advertisement expressing this idea: “You should not try to just please yourself, but should be concerned for the welfare and care of others?”

No, we are usually bombarded with messages that encourage us to get the latest gadget, or enjoy a vacation spot, or purchase a vehicle for ourselves because “you deserve it; you owe it to yourself.”

But Paul tells us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that the debt you ought to be concerned about is the debt you have to others. God has entrusted you with health, with money, with time, or with resources that others may not have; but these gifts are not meant to pool up in the reservoir of yourself. You have an obligation to God, as a steward of the blessings with which He has entrusted you, to be a conduit, a tributary of blessing to others.

A few verses later Paul tells us why this is so: “For even Christ pleased not himself…” (15:3). That is a big “even”, because Christ (unlike us) had every right to please Himself. And, yet, He was concerned rather to serve and to bear the infirmities and afflictions of the weak with them. We then that are strong, Paul says, ought to be doing the same.

What burdens have you helped bear today? What resources have you shared with others? Don’t seek to please yourself; seek to please the Lord by caring for others.

Prayer: Lord, give me the desire to lighten the burden of those around me.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 15:1-13

1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.

3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,

6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,

9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

” For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.”

10 And again he says:

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”

11 And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”

12 And again, Isaiah says:

“There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

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Selflessness Is Love

The Assembly Of The Saints

The Assembly Of The Saints

THE ASSEMBLY OF THE SAINTS

Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Hebrews 10:24-25

A church cannot exist without believers who are committed to meeting together for prayer, service, accountability, and biblical instruction. While this seems a self-evident truth, many Christians do not live with this in mind.

This was true even in the infancy of the church. Paul therefore admonishes that we faithfully assemble with others in the church, as often as possible. Otherwise, we are guilty of forsaking the church of Jesus Christ and, by extension, Christ.

The spiritual ignorance and apathy that many Christians experience today is chiefly due to a lack of commitment in this regard. They do not learn, mature, or benefit from the sound, practical preaching of God’s Word because they are not there to hear it, not present when it is being prayed for, or not dedicated to living it out through the body of Christ.

But there is another reason, just as important as personal growth, for us to be dedicated to meeting with other saints. We are to be provoking one another to love and good works. We cannot be a help to others in their Christian walk if we are not there to rub shoulders with them, pray with them, and reach out to them.

Consider the needs of others today, as well as yourself, and determine anew to find your place of joyful commitment and service in the body of Christ, for the glory of His name.

Prayer: Lord, I will not forsake the assembly of Your saints, because where two or three are gathered, there You are in their midst.

Scriptural Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

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The Assembly Of The Saints

Who Dares To Be Against You

Who Dares To Be Against You

WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU?

If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

It is comforting and encouraging to read that God is for us, but there are some people that God is against. We are told in the Bible that He is against the wicked, the proud and the false prophet. God is against those, in other words, who walk contrary to His Word and who reject his Son.

Conversely, there are certainly those who are against God and His people.  Satan is their great adversary and the world under his influence is against the true followers of Jesus Christ. We know from the closing chapters of the Bible that these enemies will rage against the kingdom of God until the very end of time.

But as we are reminded by Paul, though many may oppose, none can prevail against those who are the people of God. God is for them. He has taken sides and He is on the side of those who fear Him and trust in His Son Jesus Christ.

God the Father is for His people because He has chosen them, the Son is for them because He has redeemed them with His own blood, the Holy Spirit is for them because He calls them irresistibly to Himself by faith.

If God Himself is for us, who, indeed, can successfully oppose us? Dear believer, if omnipotence fights for you this day, none can overcome you; in fact, none can truly even harm you. Walk in the assurance of that truth.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for taking sides with me against those who are against me.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 8:31-39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Who Dares To Be Against You

The Lord Will Carry You

The Lord Will Carry You

HE WILL CARRY YOU

Even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:4

“Even to your old age I am He.” Even when you look in the mirror and see yourself changing—more wrinkles, less hair, fewer teeth—even then, I am still He. I am still the unchanging, unchangeable God.

It was I, God says, Who carried you out of the womb in your infancy; and it is I, He reminds us, that will still be here for you when you grow old. Though your strength and energy may diminish, I am still able to bear you. Though your hair may become gray, I remain the same.

“I will carry, and will deliver you.” Rather than calling the end of our road death, God calls it deliverance. Why? Because when God is carrying you, death is only the doorway to an everlasting life.

Here is the summary of God’s promise: just as I made you to begin with, I am able and willing to carry you and bear your burdens, until I finally deliver you into a carefree, burden-free, never-ending life. Because I am unchanging, I will always have the strength to carry you, and because I am unchanging I will always fulfill all my promises.

Have you committed yourself to the everlasting, unchanging arms of your Creator and Lord? His arms are the only ones strong enough to last through this life, and long enough to deliver you to the next.

Prayer: Lord, You are my rock and my salvation. I will not be afraid.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 46:3-4

3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb:

4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

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The Lord Will Carry You

Give Me This Mountain

Give Me This Mountain

GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN

Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said. . . Now therefore give me this mountain. . . if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out. Joshua 14:6,12

Are there any challenges, or trials or ambitions in your life that seem to be insurmountable or unachievable? If so, then listen to the spirit & wisdom of Caleb’s words.

Understand, first, that Caleb is 85 years old when he makes this declaration. Secondly, “this mountain” is not some green pastured, undefended plot of land; it is positively swarming with enemy combatants. But God had promised this land to Caleb & so he courageously claims it: “Give me this mountain.”

Caleb’s courage was based upon the wise realization that “if the Lord is with me, then I will be successful.”

All my excuses and fears are wiped away by this aged man’s faithful example. Is there anything in my life that seems unachievable or insurmountable? Then may Caleb’s faithful battle cry become my own.

If it is a sin against which I am striving, then I have been promised victory, with the Lord’s help — give me this mountain! If it is a life endeavor that I am being led to undertake for the cause of Christ, then I have been promised success — give me this mountain! If it is a particular grief that threatens to overwhelm me, then I have been promised the comfort and strength to overcome it by God’s grace —

give me this mountain!

Prayer: Lord, give me the faith and courage of Caleb to conquer all the mountains in my life.

Scriptural Reading: Joshua 14:6-15

6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.

7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.

8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.

9 So Moses swore on that day, saying,’ Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’

10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.

11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.

12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of J…

Give Me This Mountain

Our God Is Faithful

Our God Is Faithful

THE FAITHFUL GOD

Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Genesis 21:6

Sarah did not have an easy life. Her husband Abraham traveled as a nomad, following God’s leadership, until his death. She therefore had no permanent place, plot, or structure where she could make a home and call it her own.

More difficult still, she had been unable to have children with her husband Abraham. After years and years of waiting and hoping and praying, they were still a barren couple. Finally, as she and her husband became very advanced in years, God did appear and promised Abraham that Sarah would conceive and bare him a son.

By this time, and especially at this age, the idea was so ludicrous and unthinkable to Sarah that she laughed in unbelief at the promise of the Lord, when it was delivered (Genesis 18:9-15). Yet, the book of Hebrews tells us that her settled conviction became one of trust in the Lord and in His promise:

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised” (11:11).

When God, in His own good timing, does eventually bless her to conceive, Sarah’s testimony is a sweet one: “God hath made me to laugh.” The laugh of unbelief had been turned into a laugh of overflowing, uncontainable joy. She determines that she will, in fact, tell others of her great deliverance so that they can rejoice with her.

May Sarah’s precious testimony be a reminder to us of the faithfulness of God that, in His own good time, He turns our sorrow and unbelief into joy and exultation. May His name be praised forever.

Prayer: I exult You, Father, for You are a faithful God.

Scriptural Reading: Genesis 21:1-7

1 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.

2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac.

4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 And Sarah said,” God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”

7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

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Our God Is Faithful

The Sinfulness Of Sin

The Sinfulness Of Sin

THE SINFULNESS OF SIN

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5

It was love that sent Jesus to the cross. It was “the joy set before Him” that kept Jesus on the cross. But it was our sins that necessitated the cross.

Why couldn’t Jesus simply come to earth and preach and call for repentance and then go back into heaven? Why was it not good enough for Him to live a perfect life and then return to his Father in heaven? It was because sins, before a holy and just and good God, require punishment.

Because God is just, He will not allow us to go free without punishing our sins. That would be like a judge letting a convicted serial killer back onto the streets.

Because God is good, He will avenge every one of the countless wrongs in the world. He will not allow victims of violence and deceit to be victims forever.

Most importantly, because God is God He will not allow His holy character and position to be ignored and violated without consequence. Therefore, our sins must be paid for.

The great beauty and tragedy of the cross is that there the perfect Jesus received the wounds for our transgressions, there He was bruised because of our sins. He chose to take our place and receive our punishment.

How can we dare to willfully sin any more, knowing that precisely those sins were what caused the great wounds of our great Savior?

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see the sinfulness of my transgressions.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 53:1-5

53 Who has believed our report And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

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The Sinfulness Of Sin

We Will Give Account

We Will Give Account

Accountability

As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:11-12

Today there are many who are blatantly shaking their fists in the face of God, daring Him to judge them for their evil works, by either denying His existence or justifying their right to sin. But it will not always be so.

There is coming a day, says the all-powerful God, when every knee will bow and every tongue will be made to confess that I AM God. There will be no exceptions. No legs are strong enough to stand in His presence, no argument or will is forceful enough to deny the overpowering authority of the Creator.

There will be no place to hide when all the world is burning and there will be no excuse when everything is already known. Every one of us will give an account for every one of our actions before the just and holy God.

While this is a fearsome thought for any of us to consider, there are two possible responses to it: we can either be sobered by and submit to it, or we can reject it and be unaffected by it. What is your response?

Do you walk and think and act in the realization that we live our lives before the face of God, and that you will give an account one day to the Lord? Do you bow your knee voluntarily to Him now, knowing that one day ever knee will bow?

Prayer: Lord, help me to live my life here on earth with reverential fear.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 14:9-13

9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

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We Will Give Account

All Power Belongs To God

All Power Belongs To God

THE POWER OF GOD

Power belongs to God. Psalm 62:11

There is no power — past or present, spiritual or physical, heavenly or earthly — that does not come from God. The only autonomous, self-sufficient being is God Himself. All power belongs to Him, so He is omnipotent, all-powerful.

This is a great comfort to those who recognize their own frailty and face countless daily challenges that are above their own ability or strength to overcome. However, it is also convicting to every one of us that has entertained the notion that we can thrive, or even survive, without God’s strength.

Every other source of renewal, every other aid to which we might turn, will eventually fail us. But in the all-powerful God is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4). How wise is the one who therefore puts their “trust in the Lord forever.” How foolish is the fist that is shaken at this God, or the restless one who wanders away from Omnipotence!

It is this very attribute of God’s omnipotence which is given to us believers as inspiration to disciple the nations in the name of Christ. Jesus declares, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) and so commands “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (19).

Rest in the everlasting strength of your Father today. Go out this morning in the power of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, let Your omnipotent power be at work in me today and always.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 62:9-12

9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They are altogether lighter than vapor.

10 Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.

11 God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.

12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.

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All Power Belongs To God

Turn Away From Evil Ways

Turn Away From Evil Ways

REPENT

As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. Ezekiel 33:11

Many times people can misunderstand the sovereignty of God and assume that God is pleased with all that He allows to happen in the world. We might even presume that God condones some sin in which we are engaged, even though He expressly forbids it in His Word.

You may have been justifying to yourself a particular sin, or even a sinful way of life, by telling yourself that if God wanted you to change then He would let you know. But He has! He tells us in His Word: “turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.”

Have you been listening to God and to His Word or have you been following the dictates of your sinful nature, your corrupt conscience, your lustful desires? Know for a certainty that God is not for a moment pleased with your rationalized rebellion.

On the other hand, God delights to see wicked sinners turn from their rebellious ways and live. It is, of course, He who gives them the strength to do so in the first place.

Sinner, there are only two ways before you: the life that is found in pleasing God or the death that is found in your current way of wickedness. Turn from your way and live.

Prayer: Lord, guide me on the path of righteousness.

Scriptural Reading: Ezekiel 33:10-16

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”‘

11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God,’I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The Fairness of God’s Judgment

12 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’

13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.

14 Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right,

15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

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Turn Away From Evil Ways

By His Grace

By His Grace

THE GRACE OF GOD

When we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved). Ephesians 2:5

If you are saved, how were you saved? Why were you saved? Was it because you were more spiritually sensitive, morally disciplined, or personally worthy than your unsaved neighbor?

Paul reminds us here that it was God who gave life to us, when we were still spiritually dead in our sins. It was not we who loved God, but God who first loved us. It was not we who reached out for God, but God who reached out for us. It was not we who took hold of God, but God who took hold of us.

But Why did He do it? What was His motivation for saving us when we were still enemies of Him and of His Son? Paul  gives us that answer: by grace you are saved.

Not by works, not by wisdom, not by worth, it’s by grace you are saved. The use of the word “grace” tells us that the motivation for salvation was not in us, but in God himself. Grace is unmerited favour.

Not only do we not deserve salvation, we deserve hell because of our sins. But God dealt graciously with us, reached out to us, gave life to our dead souls, and saved us from the powerful prison of sin.

The question you have to ask yourself is, “What can I do to deserve salvation?” but rather “What response does this free and gracious salvation deserve?”

Prayer: Thank You Father for Your grace and mercy that has brought me such a great salvation.

Scriptural Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

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

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By His Grace

The Cross Of Christ

The Cross Of Christ

CROSS OF CHRIST

Christ sent me. . . to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 1 Corinthians 1:17

Preachers sent from Christ are sent to preach the gospel, the good news of Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

The fact that they are sent to preach the gospel reveals that there is a need for declaration and explanation of the cross of Christ. This was not a self-explanatory event. It is only because of the inspired commentary on the crucifixion — including the commentary of Jesus himself — that we are able to understand the majesty of this tragedy.

To the bystanders at Calvary (including Christ’s disciples) this was the deepest grief imaginable, the death of all their joys, the end of all hope. But through the resurrection, ascension, and explanation of Jesus Christ we come to see that the cross is in fact our highest consolation, the death of all our sorrows, and the consummation of all hope.

Through Jesus’ death sinners are reconciled to God and given eternal life. How could such an astounding display of love and mercy possibly be rendered ineffective? Paul says the cross is made of none effect when we get in the way.

It was therefore Paul’s determination not to let the message of the cross be obscured behind his own personality or his own talents or his own shortcomings. May we likewise resolve to hold up the cross, to point to the cross, with as little of ourselves showing as possible.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see the glory of the cross and carry its message to the world.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

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The Cross Of Christ

If You Love Me, Obey My Commandments.

If You Love Me, Obey My Commandments.

LOVE DEFINED

If you love Me, obey My commandments. John 14:15

What is love? The Beatles recorded the classic song on the subject, “All You Need Is Love,” and then they broke up and sued each other. Various philosophers have expressed opinions on love as well. Plato said that love is a serious mental disease. Oliver Wendall Holmes, who was more optimistic on the subject, said, “Love is the master key which opens the gates to happiness.” Another said, “Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.”

We are given probably the greatest definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

The Bible clearly tells us that God is love. We don’t have a greater example of love than what we have in God showing His love for us. And we find the definitive statement on love in John 3:16: “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” So how should we respond? We ought to love Him back.

We can talk all day about love and how much we love God. We can sing about our love for God. We can speak about our love for God. But probably the best way to show our love for Him is by what we do. Jesus said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments” (John 14:15). Demonstrate your love for God by your obedience, inspired by your faith in Him.

Prayer: Lord, give me the spirit of obedience.

Scriptural Reading: John 14:15-21

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Indwelling of the Father and the Son

19 A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

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If You Love Me, Obey My Commandments.

Zealous Love

Zealous Love

A ZEALOUS LOVE

They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. Psalm 115:6-8

We tend to equate jealousy to pettiness and selfishness. We see it as a vice, not a virtue. But when God was giving Moses the Ten Commandments and said He was a jealous God, this is not the type of jealousy He was speaking of. If we were to substitute the term “zealous” for “jealous,” it would help in our understanding of it.

God is zealous in His love for you, and He wants you to be zealous in your love for Him. God loves you and wants an exclusive relationship with you. For example, doesn’t a wife want her husband to be faithful to her? Doesn’t a husband want his wife to be loyal to him? Doesn’t a parent look out for his or her children and care about their welfare? Of course.

This is essentially what God was saying when He told Moses, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods” (Exodus 20:5). In other words, “I want your complete love. I don’t want you to bow down before other gods.”

When the Israelites worshipped the golden calf while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, they rationalized their behavior by saying it was a “festival to the Lord” (Exodus 32:5). Call it whatever you like, but it was blatant idolatry. And a person who really knows God, who has experienced a new birth, and is living in fellowship with Him cannot love anything more than God. To value anything more than God is idolatry. To love anything more than God is idolatry. God wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul and body.

Prayer: Lord, I love You with everything that is within me.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 115:1-8

1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.

2 Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?”

3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.

5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;

6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell;

7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.

8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

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Zealous Love

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

DON’T LIE

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19

God hates lying. In fact, God thinks so much of truth that He uses the very word to describe His character. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). And we are told in Scripture that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). Lying is not in God’s nature; He cares a lot about truth.

When we lie, we are behaving more like a child of the devil than a child of God, because the Bible describes Satan as “the father of lies” (John 8:44). And we all lie a little more than we think. A study was done in which people were asked why they lie. Ninety-eight per cent of the respondents said they lie to keep from offending someone else. I can understand that to a certain degree, because telling the truth isn’t always easy—especially when you are asked a difficult question like, “How do I look in my new dress?” Or “Do you like my new hair style?”

There are subtle ways in which we tell lies, such as through flattery and exaggeration. We also lie when we say things like, “Oh, I forgot” (when we didn’t), or “It’s good to see you” (when it isn’t), or “I was just getting ready to call you” (when we weren’t). We also lie through gossiping and backbiting. We love to dispense gossip, and unfortunately, we love to hear it far too often.

Have you ever had someone gossip about you? Lie about you? Lie to you? Then you know how destructive it is. God hates lying—and He wants us to hate it too. He wants us to stick to the truth no matter the cost. In the end the truth always prevails.

Prayer: Confess and ask for forgiveness for any lie you’ve told in the past; ask the Holy Spirit to help you speak the truth at all times.

*Scriptural Reading Proverbs 6:12-19

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;

13 He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers;

14 Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.

15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,

19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

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Thou Shalt Not Lie

God"s Word On Parenting

God’s Word On Parenting

GOD’S WORD FOR A CULTURE

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Colossians 3:20

It is interesting to note that before a word is spoken in the Ten Commandments about how to treat others, God starts with the family. I don’t think anything can bring greater pleasure than our families, and few things can give us as much pain. Children have problems with parents. Parents have problems with kids. Sometimes people say, “Well, I came from a dysfunctional family.” Welcome to humanity. Who doesn’t come from a dysfunctional family?

Yet our very existence as a society depends on the success of the family. It has been said that a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family. Yet there is such an attack on the family today. In fact, the Bible tells us that one of the signs of the last days will be a breakdown in the family and a disrespect for parents in particular: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy . . . ” (2 Timothy 3:1-2).

So here is God’s word for a culture. Here is God’s word for a society. Here is God’s word for us: “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). The Hebrew word for “honour” means to be heavy or to give weight to something. In other words, we put value on our parents. Their value should be weighty to us. We must put weight on their value.

So whether our parents are Christians or not, the Bible tells us that we are to honour them. We are to give them the recognition they deserve for their God-given authority. We are to respect and esteem and value and prize them as gifts from God.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for blessing me with my parents.

Scriptural Reading: Colossians 3:18-25

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

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God"s Word On Parenting

Run Away From Sexual Sin

Run Away From Sexual Sin

FLEE

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

The argument has been made that illicit sex doesn’t hurt anyone. I disagree. I think it hurts a lot of people. It damages a person spiritually, and according to one study, it can even cause depression. Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that in young women, there seems to be a direct correlation between illicit sexual behavior and serious emotional problems.

Then there is the issue of teenage pregnancy. Every year, one million teens become pregnant. Many of these pregnancies never make it to term because one in every five abortions is performed on a woman under the age of 20. And 400,000 of the 1.6 million abortions occurring annually are done on teenage mothers. Does illicit sex hurt anyone? What about the baby who is never given the privilege of living out his or her life? What about the mother who carries the lifelong shame of aborting her baby? Who knows what some of these children could have done in our world today—the difference they could have made?

There is no such thing as a “one-night stand.” Sex is not some casual toy; it is a gift from God to be saved for marriage. When you engage in sexual contact with another person, you become one. The Bible says, “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one”” (1 Corinthians 6:15-16).

So does illicit sex hurt anyone? Yes, it does hurt. It hurts physically, emotionally, and spiritually. That is why the Bible warns against it.

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify you and set you apart from all forms of sexual sins.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outs…

Run Away From Sexual Sin

In All His Ways

In All His Ways

IN HIS WAYS

For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11

The angels of God are nearer than you may think. They are all around us all the time, taking care of us and ministering to us, even when we are not aware of their presence. That is fine with them, because essentially they are God’s secret agents, doing His bidding and the work He has called them to do. Many times, they have intervened in our lives and we didn’t even know they were doing so.

According to Psam 91 and other passages of Scripture, angels are actively involved in the life of the Christian. Hebrews 1:14 says they are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Hebrews 13:2 tells us not to be forgetful to entertain strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without even knowing it. There are so many stories in the Bible of angels who delivered the people of God, such as Daniel from the lion’s den and Peter in prison.

But as wonderful as the promise of angelic involvement in our lives is, we must first recognize what the conditions are for this promise to be activated in our lives: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Recognize the fact that the phrase “to keep you in all your ways” is not referring to whatever path you choose, but to God’s ways. There is a difference between trusting the Lord and testing Him by taking unnecessary chances with your life or even endangering your spiritual safety by doing stupid things and expecting God to bail you out. God will keep you in all your ways—but your ways must be His ways.

Prayer: Ask the Lord for angelic protection for yourself and your family.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 91:1-16

1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

3. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.

4. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.

8. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.

9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10. No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

12. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample unde…

In All His Ways

Conditional Promises

Conditional Promises

PROMISES WITH A CONDITION

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Without question, Psalm 91 is a real gem among the psalms. Next to Psalm 23, it probably has brought more encouragement and comfort throughout the centuries than any other psalm.

But it’s worth noting that the blessings promised in Psalm 91 are not for just anyone. They are specifically given to believers—and not just to believers in general. These benefits are targeted toward believers who specifically meet the requirements found in it. Psalm 91 is full of what we call conditional promises. That is, God promises to do certain things for us, hinging on our doing certain things that are required.

Verse 1 begins, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High . . .” The word “dwells” could be translated as “quiet and resting, enduring and remaining with consistency.” It is very similar to the word abide, which we see often in the New Testament. Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). That word abide means “to stay in a given place, to maintain unbroken fellowship and communion with another.”

Here’s what God is saying: If you want to experience the promises of Psalm 91 – protection, provision, victory, long life, and prosperity—you must dwell in the secret place of the Most High. You must remain in constant fellowship with Him. We have relationship with God because we have put our faith in Jesus Christ and have turned from our sin. But are we living in constant fellowship with God? Many believers are not.

Prayer: God is interested in a relationship with you, not just on Sundays, but throughout the week. He wants you to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 91:1-16

1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

3. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.

4. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.

8. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.

9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10. No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

12. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, Th…

Conditional Promises

Watch The Words You Speak

Watch The Words You Speak

WATCH YOUR WORDS

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:26

Your mouth can cause you to make your faith useless. You can go to church every week and pay your tithe every month, but if your mouth is speaking unbelief, envy, strife, or hatred, your mouth will render your faith worthless. You do not access the spirit realm and the throne of God with your religion. You access the spirit realm and the throne of God with your words of faith. Second Corinthians 4:13 says, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.” The spirit of faith operates this way. You believe it, and you speak it. You are going to speak what you really believe. That is why it is so important to watch the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart.

A Christian lady approached another Christian lady for prayer. She prayed what appeared to be a prayer of faith. A few moments later I heard the lady who prayed tell another person that the lady she had just prayed for was in great pain and needed to be healed. She also told that person to continue praying so that the lady would be healed.

This is a great example of how a prayer can appear to be in faith, but not be. Faith is in the heart and the mouth. A confession or prayer without belief in the heart is not a faith confession or a prayer of faith. A positive confession is good, but a confession of faith is where the power is. The Word says, if we pray in faith, we are to believe we have received what we prayed for. Always, watch what you say.

Prayer: Boldy declare that what God says you are, you are; what God says you have, you have; what God says you can do, you can do.

Scriptural Reading: James 1:21-27

22. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;

24. for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

26. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

27. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

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Watch The Words You Speak

Abide Faith, Hope, Love

Abide Faith, Hope, Love

HOPE

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13

Hope is a living thing. Peter wrote that God has given us a new birth into a ‘living hope’. Paul also says hope “abides.” To abide means “to live.” Only living things abide, so hope is a living thing and you have to feed it with the Word so it can grow.

If you’ll do that, hope will paint a picture of God’s promise fulfilled in your life. It will give you an inner image of yourself healed and prosperous, with your loved ones saved, your marriage restored or whatever else you’ve been hoping for. Hope will paint that picture so clearly inside you and make it so real; you will become blind to what you see on the outside.

As you meditate on those inner pictures hope has painted with God’s Word, you’ll begin to believe you are what the Word of God says you are. You’ll begin to realize you’re not what the world or your parents or your friends say you are. You’re not even what you think you are. You are what GOD says you are! You’re the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

Let me give you an example: You have a condition that doctors are finding hard to handle. So you go on your knees and pray to God for your healing. You begin to locate and memorize all verses on healing in the Bible. You meditate constantly on these verses till you begin to get a clear picture of yourself healed. This picture in your heart becomes your confession. You’ll actually get to the point where you don’t pay any attention to how you feel anymore, because you’ve seen yourself healed in Jesus with the eyes of your spirit.

If you’ll continue to look at yourself healed and not let the devil shake you, if you’ll refuse to complain and tell everybody how terrible you feel, one of these days you see on the inside will become what how you feel on the outside. He’ll be healed! That’s what hope does. It creates a miracle working atmosphere.

Prayer: Bind and cast out the spirit of hopelessness; ask the Lord to fill you with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cea…

Abide Faith, Hope, Love

It Is The Lord Christ You Are Serving

It Is The Lord Christ You Are Serving

TAKE HEART

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Sooner or later all of us will experience the pain and disappointment of having our efforts ignored, minimized, or criticized by others. I believe that how we respond in times like these not only indicates our level of spiritual maturity, but also determines our outcome. One thing that helps me is remembering that whatever we do should be done “unto the Lord.” The verses above clearly convey the perspective we should have in all we do. If we focus on pleasing God and doing our best in everything, we won’t be so resentful, hurt, or discouraged when others don’t appreciate or reward our efforts.

Instead, we can rest secure in the knowledge that God is fully aware of all we do, and He will see that we get the recognition and reward we deserve in His perfect way and timing. Even if those we are working for are continually unreasonable or unfair, we can take heart from God’s reassurance that nothing can hinder the Lord from doing what He has planned to do in our lives.

There may be times when it looks like others are succeeding in delaying or preventing our progress, but the truth is that when God decides to bless and promote His people, no person on earth and no devil in hell can stop Him. If you can relate to this message today, let me encourage you to get your eyes off other people and get them squarely on God.

Work hard and do your best in all you do, trusting that the Lord Himself will honour you for it, even if others don’t. The Lord is faithful. His Word is trustworthy.

Prayer: Thank the Lord for His faithfulness; declare that your labor in the Lord will never be in vain.

Scriptural Reading: Colossians 3:22-25

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

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It Is The Lord Christ You Are Serving

Only Be Strong And Very Courageous

Only Be Strong And Very Courageous

FIGHT!

Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Joshua 1:7

Living a life of consistent confidence in the promises of God’s Word takes courage. Most people don’t realize it, but it does! It takes courage to stand up in the face of sickness and declare you’re healed by the stripes of Jesus. It takes courage to believe for prosperity and put your last cedi in the offering bowl when you don’t know where the next meal will come from. There are going to be some days when you’d rather pull the covers over your head and hide than take another faith stand against the devil. The faith walk is a tough walk, and if we want to keep living in victory, we have to be ready to fight again and again.

There’s no way around it. This is why it is called “the fight of faith.” The children of Israel tried to find a way around it but they failed. They thought their battles should be over when they crossed the Red Sea. So when they heard reports of giants living in the Promised Land, they decided they couldn’t face the fight. Their courage failed them. So they took a 40-year diversion through the wilderness.

But you know what? They still couldn’t avoid that fight. When the time came for the next generation to enter the Promised Land, the giants were still there! This time, however, they found the courage to face them. Where did they find it? In the Word of God. Their leader, Joshua, had obeyed the instruction of the Lord and kept that Word on his mind and in his heart day and night. He’d meditated on it and constantly reminded himself that God was on their side.

If you’re going to fight the good fight of faith to the finish, you’ll have to do just like Joshua did. You’ll have to continually draw courage from the Word of God and let it change you from a coward to an overcomer.

Prayer: Ask the Lord for courage to fight and overcome the challenges and the forces of darkness that confront you.

Scriptural Reading: Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:

2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them — the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give the…

Only Be Strong And Very Courageous

The God Of Peace Will Crush Satan

The God Of Peace Will Crush Satan

CRUSHING THE ENEMY

The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Romans 16:20

The two key words here are: crush and shortly. One tells how thoroughly powerless our enemy has been since his defeat at Calvary; crush indicates total destruction. The other tells us how soon we can expect to see this destruction; shortly indicates that we do not have long to wait.

In the original Greek text, the word translated crush is suntribo (soon-tree’bo), which is a verb meaning “to crush completely; to shatter; to break in pieces; to pulverize, disintegrate, torpedo, annihilate.” The word represents an image of all the works of the enemy being thoroughly taken apart. What a promise of victory for the Christian.

In the original, shortly is an expression made up of two Greek words: en (en) and tachos (tahk’-os). It is defined as “in haste, as soon as possible, without delay, suddenly, swiftly, with all speed.” This too is encouraging to the believer. The challenges you may be going through won’t last forever. If you don’t give up, in a little while, the enemy will be under your feet.

Do you have problems? Make this confession of faith: The God of peace is going to shatter the enemy under my feet without delay. In Luke 10:19 my Lord has promised that I will tread on Satan and his demons. In Psalm 91:13 the Bible says I will tread upon the lion and the cobra.

The young lion and the serpent I will trample underfoot. My feet are shod with the gospel of peace. I am ready for the imminent victory — right now in Jesus’ name!

Prayer: Thank You Lord for victory over the enemy.

Scriptural Reading: Romans 16:17-20

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.

18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.

20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

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The God Of Peace Will Crush Satan

His Stripes We Are Healed.

His Stripes We Are Healed.

HEALING

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

When Jesus was raised from the dead, was He still carrying sicknesses and diseases? No, He was raised with a perfect, glorified body. So where did He leave our sicknesses and diseases He took in His body? He left them in hell. Jesus died and descended to the depths of hell, carrying our sicknesses and diseases. But when He was raised from the dead, He came forth a glorious man. Therefore, when we are born again, healing is ours to claim!

When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are declaring that His work of redemption was done on our behalf. We affirm that the punishment of our peace was laid upon Him. He died for our sins; by His stripes we were healed. When we believe that He was raised from the dead in glory, we are declared innocent and therefore free from all the penalties of sin. If, as the Bible says, as He is in heaven, so are we, then we must also walk in divine health.

Here’s another question: If God didn’t want us healed, why did Jesus bear those stripes before He went to the Cross? That was one part of His suffering He could have bypassed. But He did it by choice. He received those stripes for a purpose. And that purpose is clearly stated in the scriptures: By His stripes we were healed.

Healing is a firmly established fact. Now we just need to get the revelation in our own spirits that healing is God’s will for us. When we do, we will start walking in the divine health Jesus purchased for us with those stripes on His back.

Make the following confession: Jesus willingly paid the price for me. He took my sickness; He gave me His health. I appropriate what the Lord did for me and receive my healing now.

Prayer: Command every sickness and disease to depart from your body in Jesus’ name and declare divine health for yourself and your family.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 53:1-12

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

His Stripes We Are Healed.