DEVOTION - TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012

DEVOTION – TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2012

“LED BY THE SPIRIT“

BY

DR ED YOUNG

How does a person know that he or she is a Christian? How do we really know? I'll tell you. We know because the Holy Spirit "bears witness" with our spirit, confirming in our hearts that we are indeed children of God.

Beginning with my sophomore year in high school, I was an hour-a-week Christian. I went to church, I was in attendance, I was present and accounted for. I had received Christ as an 11 year old boy, but during my high school years I became exceedingly cynical and apathetic. I showed up. That was about it. I even laughed at people who were considered "religious" by others in my little town, and went along with a lot of chicanery in which I had no business participating.

But there were some things I did not do. There were temptations as a teenager that looked incredibly good to me, but I did not give in to them. Looking back, I know why. Even with my cynical attitude, I still felt the witness of God in my life…that inner voice of the Holy Spirit saying, "You are mine. This is not for you." When I came back to Christ a few years later and gave myself anew to Him, He was with me as He had always been before. That is the inner witness of the Spirit. We may wander away or run from God, but there is a quiet place in which He deals with us and confirms that we are His own.

devotion -saturday, january 7, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

“Lord, Grant Me Divine Communion”

BY

ALISTAIR BEGG

Ezekiel 33:22

In the matter of judgment this may be the case, and if so, let me consider the reason for such a visitation and accept it as from His hand. I am not the only one who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction and carefully endeavor to profit by it.

But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward toward eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul toward heaven as upon the wings of eagles.

At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us. Servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of divine communion may be granted to me this evening! The Lord knows that I need it very greatly.

My graces languish, my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow and calm the turmoil of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand that molded the world can renew my mind; the unwearied hand that bears the earth's huge pillars can sustain my spirit; the loving hand that encloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand that breaks in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins.

Why should I not feel that hand touching me this evening? Come, my soul, address God with the potent plea that Jesus' hands were pierced for your redemption, and you shall surely feel that same hand upon you that once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of God.

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012

DEVOTION – FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012

“In His Eyes”

BY

GREG LAURIE

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

If you had foreknowledge and decided to go and bet on a horse in a race, would you bet on a loser or a winner?

Sometimes we look at our lives and wonder, Why would God choose a loser? But here is what we need to realize. God doesn’t just see your weakness. He sees you for what you can become.

I don’t know what state you are in today. Maybe you feel pretty beaten up spiritually. Maybe you have failed in some way, shape, or form. Maybe there has been a moral failure in your life that has just been revealed, and you are facing the consequences of that. Or maybe it hasn’t been revealed yet, but you are engaged in things that you know you should not be doing.

Maybe you wonder at times why God called you to follow Him in the first place. God has foreknowledge. He knows what will happen before it happens. If that is the case, then why would God pick someone like you or me?

I remember when my granddaughter Stella and I were hanging out one day, and she was studying my face and looking at my eyes. Then she got really close, pressed her nose against my nose, and said, “Papa, I can see myself in your eyes.”

I said, “What?”

She said, “I see myself in your eyes.”

And I looked into her little blue-green eyes and realized that she could see her reflection in my eyes. So I said, “Well, Stella, you are always in my eyes—and my heart too.”

If you look closely—and you have to be very close—you will see yourself in God’s eyes. You will see that He loves you and cares about you. And He sees you for what you can become.

Summary sentence: God sees you for what you can become!

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

DEVOTION – THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

“Believing what matters”

BY

PETE BRISCOE

“What we play is life.”—Louis Armstrong

Some beliefs matter more than others, of course. It’s not a big deal if you believe it’s going to be sunny today and it turns out to be cloudy. On the other hand, if you don’t believe that you have cancer but you actually do, the consequences can be much more severe.

While many of our beliefs will have greater or lesser earthly consequences, none of them matter more than our beliefs in God. Throughout Scripture, belief in God is directly tied to the most valued aspects of our existence—to things like joy, peace, and purpose.

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. —Romans 4:3

It's interesting to note here that Abraham's righteousness did not come just from a belief in God. Abraham didn't just believe that God existed; he actually believed what God had told him. That's a subtle, but powerful, distinction that has led to big transformation in many people's lives. Yes, it's one thing to believe that God exists. The demons actually believe in Him, but this knowledge terrifies them. We, on the other hand, can embrace and believe what He says.

O God, I don't want to just believe that You exist. I want to believe what You have revealed through the Bible. Speak to me clearly through Your living Word so that I can know what is true about You, so that I can then know You more intimately on a real, personal level. Amen.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2012

DEVOTION – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2012

“What Has You?”

BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

In Mark 10:17-22, this is what we read,

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,' ‘Do not murder,' ‘Do not steal,' ‘Do not bear false witness,' ‘Do not defraud,' ‘Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

This is an interesting passage, isn't it?! I think verse 22 could probably be read as "great possessions had him," and we wouldn't do too much damage to the text. Possessions possessed him, and he went away from his conversation with Jesus sorrowful.

When Jesus met this guy, He was able to cut right to the heart issue, what controlled his life. Verse 21 could be paraphrased, "Okay, you really want it? Here's your roadblock, baby." It was the guy's attitude toward his stuff.

This man loved possessions, wealth, and the things of this life more than he loved Jesus.

Where are you today, my friend? Have you allowed our world to con you into believing that you should base your life on the stuff you accumulate? Or do you love God the most?

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2012

DEVOTION – TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2012

“Look for Opportunities to Encourage”

WITH

TONY EVANS

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11; Hebrews 10:24-25; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Isaiah 43:5

Are you one of them? They're out there right now. There are millions of them. In your city. In your neighborhood. In your church. Perhaps, even in your home. You may even be one of them . . . Who are they?

People in desperate need of encouragement.

Let's face it . . . life can be hard. The Christian walk is a narrow road that can be smooth one minute and bumpy the next, filled with twists and turns and trials and triumphs. All of us face moments when we feel like it takes everything we've got just to keep going.

In those moments, we need an encouraging word. We need someone who will speak the truth to us in love. We need the light of God's love to fill us with the hope, faith and strength we need to rise again.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, the Apostle Paul challenged Christians to encourage one another. As followers of Christ, we should ALWAYS be on the lookout for opportunities to encourage others! Are you?

DEVOTION - MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2012

DEVOTION – MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2012

“Giving the Devil His Due”

BY

ARIAN ROGERS

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” - Matthew 6:13

Mike Kolen, who played linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, told this story once. “When I graduated from Auburn University, Coach Shug Jordan asked me to do some scouting for him. I said, ‘Sure coach, what kind of man do you need?’”

“Coach said, ‘You know the guy you can knock down and he stays there?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ Coach said, ‘We don’t need him. You know the guy you can knock down, he gets up, you knock him down again, and he gets up?’ I said, ‘Yes! You want him?’ ‘No,’ said Coach, ‘I want the guy that’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy I want.’ ”

I am grateful that Jesus picks us up when we are knocked down. But wouldn’t you like to do a little knocking down of the devil for a change? You can if you will learn to pray, “Lord, lead me not into temptation, but keep me from evil.”