DEVOTION - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011

DEVOTION – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011

“Hope for the Backslider”

BY

ALISTAIR BEGG

Psalms 51:10

A backslider, if there is a spark of life left in him, will groan for restoration. In this renewal the same exercise of grace is required as at our conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly need it now. We required faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the same grace can bring us to Jesus now. We needed a word from the Most High, a word from the lip of the loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon discover, when under a sense of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be renewed without as real and true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's energy as he felt at first, because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as they ever were.

Let your personal weakness, Christian, be an argument to make you pray sincerely to your God for help. Remember, David when he felt himself to be powerless did not fold his arms or close his lips, but he hurried to the mercy-seat crying, "renew a right spirit within me." Do not allow the doctrine that you, unaided, can do nothing make you sleep; but let it be a goad in your side to drive you with an awful earnestness to Israel's strong Helper. O that you may have grace to plead with God, as though you pleaded for your very life-"renew a right spirit within me." He who sincerely prays to God to do this will prove his honesty by using the means through which God works.

Be much in prayer; live constantly on the Word of God; kill the lusts that have driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch over the future uprisings of sin. The Lord has His own appointed ways; sit by the wayside, and you will be ready when He passes by. Continue in all those blessed ordinances that will foster and nourish your dying graces; and knowing that all the power must proceed from Him, do not cease to cry, "Renew a right spirit within me."

DEVOTION - MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011

DEVOTION – MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011

“Impressive Imitations”

BY

GREG LAURIE

They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! —2 Timothy 3:5

Not long ago, fake Apple stores were discovered in China. There were five so-called Apple stores that had been built. These stores looked exactly like Apple stores, down to the shirts the salespeople wore. In fact, they were so realistic that people who worked in them thought they were actually working in an Apple store. But they were not real. These were not cheesy knockoffs; they were impressive imitations. Even so, they were not the real thing.

We have people in the church today just like that. They look like Christians. They talk like Christians. We all assume they are Christians. But in reality, they are sophisticated imitations of the real thing. The Bible tells us that one of the signs of the soon return of Christ is that we will see more and more people like that:

In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. . . . They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (2 Timothy 3:1–2, 5)

How is this possible? How can a person sit in church and hear the same message that a person who believes hears and yet not be a believer? Remember, there were two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus. Both were in the presence of God’s Son. Yet only one believed.

Here is the thing we need to realize: church can be a dangerous place. If you hear the truth and don’t respond, your heart can get hard. The best inoculation against the gospel is the gospel heard--but not heeded.

Summary sentence: If you hear the truth and don’t respond, your heart can get hard

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2011

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                                            “Pay Your Taxes!”

BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

Yesterday we learned from Romans 13:1-3 that we need to submit ourselves to the laws of the land if we want to live lives free from fear. I want to focus your attention today on the remainder of that passage, Romans 13:4-7,

For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

What I want to address today is the need to pay our taxes with honesty, not trying to dodge our responsibility. It is a critical part of obeying the laws of the land as we discussed yesterday.

While I do not like working hard and in the end sending a large portion of every dollar to support the government, it is the right thing to do. I am absolutely amazed when I learn of Christians who try to dodge their responsibility to pay taxes.

Friend, you must be honest and pay your taxes. Certainly take advantage of all that the law allows, and do not pay more than you need to, but don't hide anything. You need to make sure you do this because when you do, you are being obedient to God.

And there are always blessings tied to obedience—even if it is obeying God by paying your taxes!

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, OCTBER 27. 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011

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"Accomplish Your Life's Mission”

BY

TONY EVANS

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3

"I have glorified  You on earth, having accomplished the work that You have given Me to do" Jesus told His heavenly Father.

If you died tomorrow, could you say the same? Could you say, "I have glorified You on earth with the work You sent me here to do"?

You might say, "But that's Jesus talking." Remember, Paul said the same thing as Christ. Paul wrote that he had fought a good fight. He kept the faith and finished his course. Until this becomes your passion, you are wasting your life from an eternal perspective.

As the old saying goes, "Teach me, Lord, to number my days. Only one life will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." It is now time for you to accomplish the work that God sent you here to do.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011

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"A Guard Could Save You a Lot of Grief”

BY

ADRIAN   ROGERS

Now, there's one good way to recognize the places that folks think are important—the guards. Yeah. I mean, they obviously think the White House is important; there are guards all around it. The bank usually has a guard. There are some club communities that I've seen where you don't get to even go into the neighborhood until the guard says, "Yes, somebody left a name here at the booth. You can go in."

Of course, there are guards at the airport, military installations, the ballpark. Oh, we know that important places need to be guarded; they need to be protected. You know, there is one important place in your life that really needs a guard, and probably doesn't have one. And it's not because of what will get in—it's because of what's getting out.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011

Recommend this article to your friends.Follow us on FacebookRecommend this article to your friend "The last relationship standing"

BY

PASTOR BOB

BOB COY

I will call upon Him as long as I live. Psalms 116:2 (NKJV)

Without being too morbid or melancholy, we need to be reminded of this reality every now and then: Everyone we know will either pass on or pass away. It's true. Our acquaintances and associations, our friends and family members…none of them possess a permanent place in our lives here on earth.

There's only one relationship that's an exception to this rule—our relationship with the Lord. He's the only person of whom we can say, "I will call upon Him as long as I live." Everyone else will eventually move on, but not God. He isn't going anywhere.

"Wow, thanks for ‘brightening' my day!" But wait, understand that this isn't intended to depress or discourage. Rather, it should serve to encourage us in two important directions.

First, it should encourage us in the direction of investing and enjoying these other relationships. They are a gift that may not be here tomorrow, so God forbid that we would ever take them for granted. Recognizing their passing nature guards us against doing that.

Secondly, it ought to encourage us to keep the Lord first in our hearts. It only stands to reason that if our relationship with Him will ultimately be the last relationship standing, then it needs to be the strongest relationship of all. We build on a foundation of shifting sand when we invest more in the temporary than the One who will be with us the longest.

Relationships are a blessing from God, and we need to make the most of them while we're able to. But we also need to remember that one relationship transcends them all, and it's this relationship that will sustain us when all others have passed away.

DEVOTION - MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011

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LOVE NOT FEAR”

BY

DR ED YOUNG

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. - 1 John 4:18

The “fear of God” negatively is the terror of His punishment. Positively, to fear God is to revere, respect, honor and adore Him as the Most High. One who understands God’s perfect love, and whose love for Him is increasingly perfected, does not live in the dread of God’s wrath. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:9). For those who don’t understand His perfect love, that fire represents the worst of terrors. But the people who receive the perfection of His love find the fire warming, energizing and overwhelming the darkness.

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011

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Look Up!”

BY

GREG LAURIE

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” —Luke 21:28

All around us are signs of the times, alerting us to the fact that the coming of Jesus is near. He said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

The Bible speaks of a number of key events that are related to the Holy Land in the end times. Israel’s becoming a nation and her regathering in the land again is not just a sign of the times, but it could be described as a super sign of the times. The Bible predicted that Israel would be scattered throughout the world and then regathered together as a nation. It says that the Antichrist, the coming world leader, will make a covenant with Israel, rebuild their temple for them, and ultimately desecrate it in what Jesus described as the abomination of desolation.

The Bible predicts that the Battle of Armageddon will be fought in Israel’s Valley of Megiddo in the end times. It also predicts that a large force from the north of Israel will attack her again in the last days after she is regathered in the land. And finally, the Bible tells us that Christ will come back to Israel, setting foot on the Mount of Olives.

The Bible is the one book that dares to predict the future. And we can look back and see how the Bible has been accurate in what was the future then, but is history now, as it spoke of the coming of Jesus the first time. So we can be confident that when the Bible speaks of our future, where Scripture promises Christ will return again, that God will indeed keep His promises.

I’m thankful for the promise and accuracy of Scripture. I’m grateful for the hope it provides. Aren’t you?

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011

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You are double-justified”

BY

PETE BRISCOE

“Christ is at once the spotless descent of God into men and the sinless ascent of man into God, and the Holy Spirit is the Agent by whom this is accomplished.” —John G. Lake

The writers of Scripture used some pretty impressive words to describe powerful theological truths. One of those words is justified. I'm afraid the word has lost some of its punch over the years since it was first translated into English. Certainly, it has a lot more to do than whether your margins are smooth on the right or the left hand side of your page!

What does it mean to be justified?

A legal declaration that we are completely forgiven and no longer liable for punishment.

If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. —Romans 4:2-5

Wow, what a contrast with our experiences in the world, where we rarely experience any sort of affirmation outside of our fleshly efforts. But in Christ, God declares us righteous through our faith in what Jesus did, not because of our works. That is a huge, huge distinction. Do you see the practical difference for us?

We always have to keep our guard up and be on our best behavior in the world. But we can truly rest in Christ.

In your mind, do you make a clear distinction between how the world accepts you and how God justifies you?!

Oh Father, may I never seek forgiveness from You by my works. May I never try to be righteous through my own efforts. You have forgiven me fully and made me completely righteous in Christ! I stand aside and ask that You would naturally demonstrate that through me today. Amen.

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, OCTBER 20. 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011

“Rx For DepressionFollow us on Facebook

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BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

Isaiah 58:10-11 gives you and me a powerful prescription for depression. It says,

If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Take a moment to think about what God is saying. Think about the promise: If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, God will satisfy your soul in drought.

If you are a person who is given to depression and you feel like you have this big empty void in your life, I have a prescription for you based on this passage. Are you ready?

Go help somebody else. In fact, find a place in your church, local rescue mission, or The Salvation Army where you can minister to folks who are going through a rough patch. Donate a couple of days a week, and help other folks who are going through a rough time.

God promises that if you will draw out your soul to the hungry and if you will minister to the afflicted soul, He will satisfy your soul in drought.

Rather than being so inwardly focused…"my problems, and I'm so depressed, and why aren't things going right for me?", go help somebody else. Get things in perspective. There are a lot of people who are a lot worse off than you are, and you will find that God will bring the rain into your life when you change your focus.

If your soul is dry, the way to get it watered is to go help someone else. The sooner the better.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011

“MADE WHITE AS SNOWFollow us on Facebook

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BY

ADRIAN ROBERS

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . .” Isaiah 1:18a

I heard of a man giving his testimony at a Salvation Army meeting. There was a heckler in the crowd shouting, “Would you shut up? You’re just dreaming!”

The heckler felt a tug at his coattail and a little girl said, “That’s my daddy up there. He used to be a drunkard and beat up my mommy. We didn’t have enough food to eat. But then he got saved, and my daddy’s life is changed. See that woman over there? See how happy she is? That’s my mommy. Mister, if my daddy’s dreaming, don’t wake him up!”

What a Savior who can take a poor lost sinner and wash him, save him, and make him new. Hallelujah!

When was the last time you shared Christ with a homeless person? Avail yourself and allow God to use you to shine His light in that direction.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011

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Recommend this article to your friends"No Matter What!”

BY

BOB COY

In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. Psalms 109:4 (NKJV)

When you pull back and look at Psalm 109 in its totality, it becomes painfully clear that it's one of David's most heart-breaking compositions. Obviously, he wrote it during a time of unparalleled difficulty and distress, when everything that could possibly go wrong did. Maybe it was when the sting of Ahithophel's betrayal was still fresh, or on the heels of some unrecorded conflict. Whatever the exact circumstances were, they took David to the brink of his breaking point.

And yet, there's a star that shines through all this darkness. Notice that in this state of extreme misery, David gave himself to prayer. All around him there was nothing but heartache, and so he looked up. He looked in that one direction, the only direction in which he could trust there would be a loving heart to receive him.

Sometimes, our lives parallel David's. Our enemies are multiplied and threaten to utterly overwhelm us, and even those we trusted betray us. We're attacked from every angle, except one: from above. The avenue of prayer is still open to us and unlimited resources of God's love, joy, peace, wisdom, and faith are made available to us.

When our lives seem to be racing out of control at breakneck speed, prayer is the brake that saves us. We need to use it. We need to do as David did and give ourselves to prayer when the battle appears hopeless and the floodwaters are at their highest. Don't surrender or roll over in defeat. Don't succumb to the rising tide. Dig deep, call out to God, pray! Take advantage of the one avenue that is and always will be open to you no matter what.

DEVOTION - MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011

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WINNING WALK”

BY

DR ED YOUNG

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes… - 2 Corinthians 1:20

Dr. Chester Swor, one of the 20^th century’s most inspiring speakers, said he was retiring. His body was lame and weary. “You can’t do that!” I said. “You still have a message.” I remembered E. Stanley Jones, who wrote in his 80s that all the promises of God are true. If God gave a message and a promise in one’s youth, the promise still stands. The reason is that all the promises are deposited in Jesus Christ. As long as Christ lives—and that’s forever—the promises stand. Chester Swor and E. Stanley Jones discovered afresh in their most senior years that Jesus and His promises are forever young.

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2011

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011

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What is Spiritual Knowledge?”

BY

ALISTAIR BEGG

Philippians 3:8

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with Him. I must know Him myself; I must know Him on my own account.

It will be an intelligent knowledge-I must know Him not as in the visionary dreams of Him, but as the Word reveals Him. I must know His natures, divine and human. I must know His offices (Prophet, Priest and King)-His attributes-His works-His shame-His glory. I must meditate upon Him until I "comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge."

It will be an affectionate knowledge of Him; indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him. An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning. Our knowledge of Him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Savior, my mind will be full to the brim-I will feel that I have that which my spirit longs for. This is the bread that satisfies all hunger.

At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I will want to know. The higher I climb, the loftier will be the summits that invite my eager footsteps. I shall want more as I get more. Like the miser's treasure, my gold will make me covet more.

To conclude, this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating that sometimes it will completely lift me above all trials and doubts and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than "Man . . . born of a woman . . . few of days and full of trouble," for it will throw about me the immortality of the ever-living Savior and cover me with the golden cloak of His eternal joy. Come, my soul, sit at Jesus' feet, and learn of Him all this day.

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, OCTBER 13. 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011

“About Our Father’s Business”

BY

GREG LAURIE

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” —Matthew 24:44

In speaking of his return, Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:44). The word “watch” also could be translated, “be on the alert.” It means we should be continually expectant.

Jesus went on to say, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing” (verses 45–46).

So what are we supposed to be doing as we await the return of Christ? We are to be faithful and wise servants, doing the will of God. God has given each of us a precious thing called life. And with that, He has given us our time, our resources, our talents, our gifts, our friends, and all that we have. We are to leverage what God has given us for His glory, living godly lives, and seeking to reach others with the message of the gospel. The faithful believer will be walking with and serving God as he or she awaits Christ’s return.

In short, we are to be about our Father’s business. And if we are faithful to Him, He promises a reward. Jesus said of the faithful servant, “Assuredly, I say to you that [his master] will make him ruler over all his goods” (verse 47).

A lot of the time, we only think of the here and now, when God thinks of the hereafter. Life is not simply this time on earth before we die; it continues on. And what we do then is connected to how we live now.

So what we want to focus on is just being faithful to the Lord right now. Because the Lord is coming back again. And it could happen at any moment.

Summary sentence: A faithful servant will be walking with and serving God while he or she awaits Christ’s return.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011

“THANKFUL IN TRIALS”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.” 1 Chronicles 16:8

If you are a child of God, you ought to be able to thank God every moment of every day no matter what happens to you.

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the water that you drink? Did you know that in some countries in the world, the majority of the population doesn’t have reasonably pure drinking water? Millions of people die annually just from water-related diseases.

If you wear a hearing aid, do you ever thank God for that? Some people wish they had a hearing aide.

If you are a student in the midst of final exams, do you thank God that you have an exam to take? There are many who wish they could afford college.

Do you thank God for your next breath?

Take whatever it is that looks like a trial in your life today and thank God for it! Thank Him every time the thought enters your mind to grumble or complain.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011

“Significant sequence”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised… Psalms 96:4 (NKJV)

Pay close attention to the sequence of statements in this passage. The first thing we see is that "the Lord is great" and next we see that He is "greatly to be praised." That's the sequence, and it's significant.

"Why is this so significant?" In order for our praise to be real and genuine, it has to be founded on an understanding of who God is. That's the essence of the first statement here. "The Lord is great" is a statement on who God is. It's a commentary on His character and nature. He's great!

Then comes the statement that He is "greatly to be praised." That's our proper response to who God is. He is great, and when we fully understand this we are naturally led to worship Him. That's how our worship has to happen, and that's why this sequence is so significant.

A lot of Christians are stuck in neutral when it comes to their worship life. They know that worship is something they ought to do, and they try their best to muster up what it takes to praise God. But at the end of the day, it's a strain and an effort that isn't much of a blessing at all.

Why? Because their sequence is all out of order. Whether they realize it or not, they haven't put first things first. They haven't spent time on the "the Lord is great" part. When it comes to worship, they haven't allowed the "who God is" to be the engine that drives the "what they do."

Let's observe and honor the significance of the sequence we see here. Let's be people who allow the true character and nature of God to be the thing that fuels our praise and worship…not the other way around.

Great God, You are greatly to be praised, and we worship You simply because of who You are.