DEVOTION - TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

DEVOTION – TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012

“Salvation” by Being a Good Person?”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4

The world thinks that sin is being bad and righteousness is being good. They say, “If I am just a good person, then I will go to heaven.” God seems like a Santa Claus, making a list and checking it twice, trying to find out if we are naughty or nice. That is just not so.

Righteousness lies only in Jesus Christ. He left heaven, came to earth, lived a perfect, righteous life. Then He suffered, bled, and died on a cross to atone for our sins. He was buried and raised to life by the power of God and has ascended into glory. His blood was applied to the mercy seat of God. That is righteousness.

Galatians 2:21 tells us, “If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Do you know what that means? If you could be saved by being good, then Calvary was a blunder. If there were some other way for you to be saved, God would not have let His Son die upon a cross.

Are you depending on your own good works to “get you into heaven”? What will enable you to stand before a holy God? “Not by worksof righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Titus 3:5

DEVOTION - MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012

DEVOTION – MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012

“Cain”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:8 (NKJV)

You’ll have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t know the story of Cain and Abel. Embedded in most of our memory banks is the knowledge that Cain murdered his innocent brother Abel. Even the very name of “Cain” has become synonymous with something bad and evil. When was the last time you heard of a newborn baby being named Cain?

Granted, what Cain did was incredibly evil, but it’s interesting how God responds to Cain after murdering Abel. He doesn’t just write him off or destroy the man. Incredibly, God goes so far as to protect Cain from anyone who would try to do the same thing to him that he did to his brother:

And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. (Genesis 4:15 NKJV)

The Lord sets a mark of protection on Cain, despite his guilt. And in doing so, He’s setting a precedent for mankind, a precedent of His grace abounding in the presence of man’s sin.

Such is the case when it comes to all sin. To a certain extent, all of us are as guilty as Cain was. Maybe not when it comes to murdering a fellow human being, but when it comes to meeting God’s perfect standards, all of us have fallen short…which means we all fall into the category of “sinners.”

But in the presence of our sin, the grace of God has abounded in the form of His Son, who was punished on the cross in our place. God graciously protected Cain even though he didn’t deserve it, and it’s a good thing for us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more… (Romans 5:20 NKJV)

DEVOTION - SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2012

DEVOTION – SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2012

“WINNNG WALK”

WITH

DR ED YOUNG

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. - Colossians 3:3

“Hide-and-seek” is a fun game for children, but it’s shockingly real. The devil constantly searches for someone to rob, kill, destroy and devour (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8). Like the kid who is “It,” the destroyer and his demons shake every bush and look behind every tree for prey. But whatever is in Christ doesn’t even exist in the place where Satan searches. The individual whose life resides in Jesus Christ is concealed in Him. The demons tremble in His presence; therefore all you place in Christ is impregnable.

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012

“Open the Door’

WITH

AISTAIR BEGG

Revelation 3:20

What is your desire this evening? Is it focused on heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights and depths and lengths and breadths of His love? Then you must draw near to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of Him in His preciousness and completeness: you must view Him in His work—in His role as prophet, friend, and king—and in His person. He who understands Christ, receives an anointing from the Holy One, by which He knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers of God: There is no treasure-house of God that will not open and yield up all its wealth to the soul that lives near to Jesus.

Are you saying, "I wish that He would live in my heart and make it His dwelling-place forever"? Open the door, beloved, and He will come into your soul. He has been knocking continually in order that you and He may break bread together. He eats with you because you provide the house or the heart, and you with Him because He brings the meal. He could not eat with you if it were not in your heart, you finding the house; nor could you eat with Him, for you would have an empty table if He did not bring the food with Him.

Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love that you long to feel; He will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring the peace that now you do not have; He will come with His flagons of wine and sweet apples of love and will cheer you until you have no other sickness but that of overpowering, divine love. Only open the door to Him, drive out His enemies, give Him the keys of your heart, and He will live there forever. What wondrous love that brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart!

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

DEVOTION – FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

“THE JOURNEY”

BY

RON MOORE
Ziklag: Double Life | Genesis 20:1-2 | Devotional

Genesis 20:1-2 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

A double life is simply a person living two lives. The particular context and circumstance dictates which life will be lived at the moment. The life that portrays the desired image will be chosen. A double life allows me to choose the most advantageous mask and costume.

The double life is not an abnormal spiritual schizophrenia; it is one decision away from the most mature and determined follower of Jesus. It begins when I protect myself with a “little” lie. It is planted when the secret sin seems to work for me. It becomes rooted when I cleverly alter my calendar or schedule to make time for my secret sin. And it blossoms when my sin is not checked, and the “other me” becomes a part of normal routine.

But sooner or later the double life is exposed. Someone (or someone’s) sees through the desired image and gets a view of the real substance. And then the question is asked, “Who is he/she…really?” That’s a great question for self-evaluation, isn’t it? “Who are you…really?” Hey, if you are going to try to fool others, at least be honest with yourself…and God.

Lord, life is too short to try to live two lives. Please, give us the strength to live one life all-out for you. In Jesus name. Amen.

DEVOTION - THURDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

DEVOTION – THURSDAY,  APRIL 26, 2012

“Fear of Success”

BY

GREG LAURIE

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - (Matthew 28:18–20)

One reason we don’t evangelize is because of a fear of failure. We don’t want to tell someone about Jesus and have them shut us down or blow us off or laugh in our face. But I think there is another reason we don’t evangelize: fear of success. Why? We don’t know what we would do then. Now what?

It reminds me of when I went fishing years ago with my friend Franklin Graham and caught a bunch of fish. That was the good part. I had never cleaned fish before, so I asked Franklin if he would clean them for me.

“No,” he said. “Clean your own fish.”

“I have never really done it,” I told him.

“So . . . time to learn.”

I had to cut the fish open and clean out the fish. The fun part was catching them. But then I had to actually clean them.

We want to go out and tell others about Jesus. But if they believe, are we ready to take the next step? It means taking that person who has accepted Christ under our wing, getting him on his feet spiritually, and showing him an example of what a Christian looks like. And guess what? Then we do it again. That is fulfilling the Great Commission.

Jesus said, “Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always . . .” (Matthew 28:19–20). That is our job. Every one of us is called to seek to win people to Christ and then disciple them. And then we are to do it again and again and again.

Summary sentence: Everyone is called to seek to win the lost and then to disciple them!

Tags: Salvation, discipleship, Great Commission

Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

DEVOTION – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

DEVOTION –  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL 25, 2012

“Clothing Yourself in God’s Armor”

BY

PETE  BRISCOE

“The triumphant Christian does not fight for victory; he celebrates a victory already won.” —Captain Reginald Wallis

When I was in fifth grade, I had to transfer elementary schools. That doesn’t sound like that big of a thing, but for a little, scrawny, diminutive fifth-grade boy it was terrifying. The first day I was at school, I was out on the playground minding my own business, playing by myself, alone. All of a sudden, Tom Goodman showed up. Big, redheaded bully. (In fact I was thinking about checking him out on Facebook to see whatever became of him…)

Tom Goodman walked up to me with all his minions (demons, if you will) who began to circle around me. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Nothing. I’m just hanging out,” I answered as my heart began to beat wildly. “Well, we have a little initiation that we do for all the new boys who come to our school and we’re about to do that now.” As the boys circled in, Tom closed the distance between us. But all of a sudden, the circle parted as Nathan Sprague pushed two boys aside and walked right in front of me. He crossed his arms and said, “You’ll have to go through me.”

I thank God for the Nathan Spragues in the world, and I thank God for loving the world so much that He sent Jesus into it. When all seemed lost, Jesus stepped in between us and the evil one… and that changes everything.

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. —Hebrews 2:14-15

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not that we’re hiding behind Jesus. Instead, it’s that we are enveloped in Him. Even though Satan is the second most powerful entity in the universe, he’s second by a long shot. He won’t mess with Jesus—he can’t. Through His death on the cross, Jesus destroyed Satan. When we put on the armor of God and walk in Christ, we see the defeat that Satan has already experienced played out before our eyes day after day after day.

Today, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Be enveloped in His power; be enveloped in His armor. We have clothed ourselves with Christ Himself, because awareness of Christ in us and intimacy with Him is an enveloping defense against lying spiritual bullies.

Lord Jesus, thank You for stepping between me and the evil one. Thank You for destroying him through Your sacrifice on the cross. Today, give me a new awareness of who I am in You, of how I am enveloped by You. Amen

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2010

DEVOTION –  TUESDAY,  APRIL 24, 2012

“A Shepherd Boy's Psalm”

BY

JOHN BARNETT

Psalm 23 is a challenge to learn about God in times of loneliness. Listen to what David experienced, what he clung to from his long dark nights, and long lonely days. As you listen, ask the Lord to give you the same desire. Then, echo each of David’s affirmations and make them your own testimony. Confess these loneliness lessons and find them true!

Psalm 23

The Lordis my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

DEVOTION - MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012

DEVOTION – MONDAY,  APRIL 23, 2012

“The Shepherd Boy's Psalm”

BY

JOHN BARNETT

Psalm 23 is a challenge to learn about God in times of loneliness. Listen to what David experienced, what he clung to from his long dark nights, and long lonely days. As you listen, ask the Lord to give you the same desire. Then, echo each of David’s affirmations and make them your own testimony. Confess these loneliness lessons and find them true!

Psalm 23

The Lordis my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2012

DEVOTION – SUNDAY,  APRIL 22, 2012

“Disappointing Results”

By

Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 14:1–20

A sentence in the diary of James Gilmore, pioneer missionary to Mongolia, has stayed with me since the day I first read it. After years of laboring long and hard for the cause of Christ in that desperate land, he wrote, "In the shape of converts I have seen no result. I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian."

Let me add some further reality to that statement by taking you back to an entry in Gilmore's journal made in the early days of his ministry. It expressed his dreams and burdens for the people of Mongolia. Handwritten in his journal are these dreams: "Several huts in sight. When shall I be able to speak to the people? O Lord, suggest by the Spirit how l should come among them, and in preparing myself to teach the life and love of Christ Jesus."

That was his hope. He longed to reach the lost of Mongolia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How different from his entry many years later, "I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian."

What happened in between? He encountered the jagged edge of an authentic ministry. When I write about succeeding in the work of the Lord, I'm not promising success as we define it in human terms. I'm not saying because you are faithful to proclaim the Word of God your church will be packed. Some of God's most faithful servants are preaching their hearts out in places where the church is not growing. A great temptation for those in that difficult setting is to turn to some of the other stuff that holds out the promise of more visible results. Don't go there. Stay at it. God is at work.

Thinking of preparing for a life of ministry? Does the thought of standing before crowds of people and delivering the Word of God with passion and conviction appeal to your sense of adventure? I need to ask you one more time: Is there anything else in this world that would bring you greater enjoyment? If so, go there. Don't even hesitate.

But if you know the Lord has called you into His work, and you would not be fulfilled doing anything else, then go there and never look back, even if the results often seem disappointing

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY,  APRIL 21, 2012

“God's Choice of People”

BY

BAYLESS COMLEY

1 Corinthians 1:26 says,

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

God does not call a lot of people who our world would consider wise, noble or mighty. He calls a few, but not many. The fact of the matter is, God will use anyone who will yield himself or herself to Him.

The idea Paul wants us to understand is that the vast majority of people God chooses are a surprise to everyone else. God's choices are generally not on our "A" list of people.

Think about the apostle Paul himself, who wrote these very words in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. And the next words out of his mouth are profound, But by the grace of God I am what I am.

Paul was a persecutor of Christians. In fact, he was so filled with hatred he even went to foreign cities to have believers arrested, families split apart, Christians jailed, beaten, and at times even executed. And yet, God chose Paul as His mouthpiece.

It was so astonishing to many in the church that they didn't want to receive Paul when he was first saved. They thought it was a trick. It took them a while to understand that God actually had saved him and was using him.

Paul would not have been one of their primary choices as a vessel for God. I love that about the Lord. He uses the unexpected and those we might pass over to carry out some of His most important work.

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2012

DEVOTION –  FRIDAY,  APRIL 20, 2012

“Transformed by Temptation”

BY

TONY EVANS

In His Presence: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (James 1:13).

Temptation can be defined as a solicitation to do evil. Remember, nothing can come your way without divine approval. Whether it’s a test or a temptation, positive or negative, it has to flow through God’s fingers first. He has to allow the devil to tempt us, and at the same time He is testing us. If a temptation comes to you, God had to allow it to come, but He is not the source of that temptation. We find this truth in the story of Job. Satan said the only reason Job was serving God was that God was so good to him, so God allowed the devil to tempt Job. So Satan solicited Job to curse God. This was a test that showed Job’s faithfulness to God when he didn’t give in to the temptation

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

DEVOTION – THURSDAY,  APRIL 19, 2012

“I'm Okay—You’re Okay”?

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.” Proverbs 30:5

Postmodernism tells us that there is no absolute truth. Whatever you believe is okay. Whatever I believe is okay, too. Whether they agree or not doesn’t matter.

But in this age of postmodern thought, we must contend with this basic truth: Truth stands alone. It doesn’t require human interpretation. And let me add that in discussing Christian Truth, there is a divine disturbance that occurs. I don’t believe we can be neutral about real truth. If Jesus is God, then we must bow down and worship. If Jesus is not God, we ought to boot Him out the door as a liar and a lunatic. You must decide. There is no neutral ground. Either you are with Him, or you are against Him.

Pray for the hundreds of believers who are in jail around the world because they did not stand on neutral ground. They boldly proclaimed Christ knowing that doing so would cause them to be imprisoned or even killed.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012

DEVOTION –  WEDNESDAY,  APRIL 18, 2012

“Balaam”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

Balak…sent messengers to Balaam… Numbers 22:4-5 (NKJV)

Some characters in scripture make you scratch your head, and Balaam is one of them. He was a walking contradiction: He was very spiritual…but he was also very ungodly.

Balaam steps on the scene as the Israelites were passing through the region of Moab. The king of Moab was a man named Balak, and he felt very threatened by Israel because they had just destroyed their neighboring nation. So Balak comes up with a strategy to deal with them. He sends for Balaam, who had a reputation for being connected to God, and hires him to curse the Israelites.

What’s interesting is that God speaks to Balaam and tells him not to curse the Israelites because His blessing was on them (Numbers 22:12). Obviously, there’s something very spiritual taking place here, because he’s able to dialog with the Lord. So it’s accurate to say that Balaam trafficked in spiritual things.

But the more you read through Balaam’s story in Numbers 22-25, you see that this “spiritual” man wasn’t a very “godly” man. He refuses to accept God’s will and persists in taking the job because it involved a huge payout. In the end, he’s not able to curse Israel, but he provides King Balak with a creative strategy that causes Israel to bring a curse upon themselves (Numbers 31:16).

This is the lesson we learn from Balaam: Spirituality doesn’t always equal godliness. As his example shows, it’s possible to have a strong leaning towards spiritual things without having a heart after God. Just because someone professes to be “spiritual” doesn’t mean they’re right with the Lord.

We need to be very careful, because the Bible warns there are going to be people like Balaam in our lives who will try to deceive and lead us away from God’s will (2 Peter 2:15). Don’t accept what a person says based on their spirituality, but let their obedience to the Lord be the basis for trusting them.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

DEVOTION –  TUESDAY,  APRIL 17, 2012

“WINNING WALK”

BY

DR ED YOUNG

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. - 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

The piñata is the delight of any party. Small kids to senior adults can be seen blindfolded, thrashing away to shatter the dangling shape. They know that the greater the piñata is broken, the faster its treasures will spill out, and in greater quantity. God’s purpose and promise for His covenant people is that they allow the treasure of Jesus’ life to pour out from them upon others.

DEVOTION - MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012

DEVOTION –  MONDAY,  APRIL 16, 2012

“Aaron”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

The people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us…” Exodus 32:1 (NKJV)

The children of Israel had escaped their enslavement in Egypt, and Moses proceeded to lead them through the wilderness towards the land God had promised them. But along the way, God called Moses to meet with Him atop Mount Sinai.

He left his brother Aaron in charge, and after several days, the people began to get restless. They started to question whether Moses was coming back, and they started pressuring Aaron to come up with a new god to guide them.

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced something like this. We’re in a position where people want us to do something, something we know deep down isn’t right. But the pressure mounts, the demands increase, and we reach a place of just wanting to make them happy. We become people pleasers at the expense of pleasing God.

That’s exactly what Aaron did. The Bible tells us that he caved into the demands for a new god. He gathered all their gold jewelry and created a calf similar to the idols that were worshipped back in Egypt (Exodus 32:2-5).

In the end, God forgave Aaron and Israel for doing this, but it came at a cost. So much so that when we hear Aaron’s name mentioned, it’s usually connected to this unfortunate episode.

It’s always a mistake to please people at the expense of pleasing God. If there’s a situation or scenario that requires us to do one or the other, no matter how difficult it may seem at the time, pleasing God is always the right choice. Otherwise, we’ll wind up paying a price in the end, even as Aaron did.

When you sense people pressuring you to please them, stop and seek the Lord. Ask Him what He wants, and then do it with a clear conscience.

DEVOTION - SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

DEVOTION –  SUNDAY,  APRIL 15, 2012

  

 “Moses – The Reluctant Leader”

BY

Pastor Mel Dunn

“ And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a thorn bush. And he looked. And behold! The thorn bush burned with fire! And the thorn bush was not burned up.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the thorn bush is not burned up.”

Genesis 3:2-3

        Often, folks say that they feel that they are unprepared to accomplish one task or another – some work  God has for them.   One person may not feel that they are very good at public speaking while another doesn’t think that he and she  could possibly teach a class.   What I tell folks is that “God doesn’t necessarily call prepared persons.   He prepares the people that he calls.”

If God wants you to do something in the church - in ministry for him.   If God has a job for you to do, he will give you tools that you need to accomplish the task.