Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for When You Don’t Measure Up By Renee Swope

A Prayer for When You Don’t Measure Up
By Renee Swope

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

1/18/2020

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

With God, an apparent Loss can become a Win

With God, an apparent Loss can become a Win

Streams in the Desert

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14).

God gets His greatest victories out of apparent defeats. Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a little, and God lets it be so; but then He comes in and upsets all the work of the enemy, overthrows the apparent victory, and as the Bible says, "turns the way of the wicked upside down." Thus He gives a great deal larger victory than we would have known if He had not allowed the enemy, seemingly, to triumph in the first place.

The story of the three Hebrew children being cast into the fiery furnace is a familiar one. Here was an apparent victory for the enemy. It looked as if the servants of the living God were going to have a terrible defeat. We have all been in places where it seemed as though we were defeated, and the enemy rejoiced. We can imagine what a complete defeat this looked to be. They fell down into the flames, and their enemies watched them to see them burn up in that awful fire, but were greatly astonished to see them walking around in the fire enjoying themselves. Nebuchadnezzar told them to "come forth out of the midst of the fire." Not even a hair was singed, nor was the smell of fire on their garments, "because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort."

This apparent defeat resulted in a marvelous victory.

Suppose that these three men had lost their faith and courage, and had complained, saying, "Why did not God keep us out of the furnace!" They would have been burned, and God would not have been glorified. If there is a great trial in your life today, do not own it as a defeat, but continue, by faith, to claim the victory through Him who is able to make you more than conqueror, and a glorious victory will soon be apparent. Let us learn that in all the hard places God brings us into, He is making opportunities for us to exercise such faith in Him as will bring about blessed results and greatly glorify His name.
--Life of Praise

Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind,
The boughs drink in new beauty, and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.

is apparent defeat resulted in a marvelous victory.

Go to the Ant

Go to the Ant

Dr. Charles Stanley

Proverbs 6:6-8

God is a masterful Creator. He has integrated many of His principles into the fabric of nature so that we can see His handiwork and learn of Him (Ps. 19:1-6). If you desire to acquire wisdom, do not neglect to look outdoors for His lessons.

Now, of course, the outdoors sometimes comes inside. If you’ve ever battled ants in your kitchen or pantry, wisdom probably isn’t the first trait you would attribute to them—you probably would choose a description more like determination. But to the lazy person, God points out these tiny creatures as an example of wise living. Simply consider how many characteristics of the ant people would be smart to adopt: preparation, cooperation, perseverance, diligence, unity, and the list goes on. So interacting with righteous men isn’t the only way to acquire wisdom. God also wants us to observe the lowly ant that He created to work in community.

There’s much to learn from the created world. By directing attention to the birds, Jesus challenges His followers to consider the folly of anxiety (Matt. 6:26). Birds do not reap or gather grain but rather assume their food will be supplied as it always has been. The lesson in this observation of nature is that the Lord who provides for birds can be trusted to meet His people’s needs as well.

Our quest for wisdom is to be rooted in Scripture and covered in prayer. But don’t overlook the many lessons unfolding right outside the front door. Ask God for “eyes to see” (Mark 8:18). Then take every chance to grow in understanding so your capacity to live by His principles will be strengthened.

The Only Way to Shut Up the Devil Is at the Cross

The Only Way to Shut Up the Devil Is at the Cross
by Whitney Capps

Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15).

Living a life unashamed is a hard thing to grab a hold of. I mean, live confident in the work of Jesus? I get that. Forget the mountain of debt I had against God? Live completely free from the guilt and shame of that? So much harder, right? Shame is a stubborn weed that comes back no matter how many times I pull it, you know?

When the devil begins to attack us, it’s best not to argue with him. I've lost quite a few arguments with the devil. I know I have authority over him, but when he starts reading my rap sheet of crimes against God and comparing me to other women, I can get sucked into a “me” spiral. When this starts to happen, the only solution is to take me out of the equation. The only way to shut up the devil is at the Cross.

The church at Colossae knew about having an attacked, vulnerable faith. One of the purposes of Paul’s letter to the Colossians was to firm up their faith and remind them of their confidence in the Cross. In Colossians 2:14-15 (NIV) Paul says, “Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

The only way to shut up the devil is at the Cross.

In the Ancient Near East, agreements and business transactions between two parties were handwritten into formal contracts—not unlike today, but with a few more brush strokes rather than keystrokes. When one party was indebted to another, his name would be written below the agreement. When the debt was satisfied, the name would be scratched out, a line drawn through it, or one would hammer a nail, piercing the name, signifying the debt had been cancelled.

In Colossians 2, Paul uses this same idea with the phrase "legal indebtedness." The law of God was the written contract that held us in debt to Him. Sins stacked up, and our charges against Him were incalculable. But through Jesus Christ, God has canceled those charges! Because of the very specific word choice Paul used in verse 14, his audience would have envisioned the nails in Jesus’ hands and feet blotting out the debt we owed God. Every charge against us was nailed to the cross. Our account with Him had been settled. He can forgive us because though we failed to uphold our end of the contract by keeping the law, Jesus paid the price for our crimes against God. We were unable to meet the terms of our agreement with Him.

So, Jesus did that for us by living a perfect, completely sinless life and taking on the shame of our sin by dying a criminal’s death in our place. This is referred to by scholars as expiation. To "expiate" our sin means that Jesus satisfied the legal requirements that God demands of us.

This is the gospel. Our debt is paid! The nails that pierced Him declared us free and clear. What marvelous news! It’s a sweet reminder to combat our shame and guilt. The Cross is the antidote. The Cross sets us free from shame.

How to Go to Battle with the Enemy (and Win!)

How to Go to Battle with the Enemy (and Win!)
By Courtnaye Richard

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:10-11

When you are in a battle, I know it's hard. I know the weight feels really heavy to bear. I know the tears and the lack of understanding, "Why is this happening?" But when those things happen, I want to encourage you to pray for starters, but also call someone to pray for you as well.

Also, seek ways to calm down, release the stress in a godly manner, and allow the Lord to work it all out in His perfect timing to either ease the pain or hurt, or to work out the situation for everyone's good and best interest. He is a very BIG God and He cares about you and all that concerns you (See 1 Peter 5:7). He is with you in the battle. He's totally got your back! So trust Him for the victory.

Always remember that our battle is not necessarily with people. Our true battle is with our great enemy Satan.

Put on the Belt of Truth – Break out the Word of God. Whether that is reading your Bible in devotion or app, on your refrigerator, on a coffee mug, on an index card, or whichever method you use. Put that Word on! But also be truthful in all you do. In your conversations, writings, texts, inboxes, emails, etc. Make a conscious choice to live out God’s truth and be truthful.

Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness – Know that it’s His righteousness. So always make your boast in Him. Putting on this piece of God’s armor guards your heart from unwanted sin and it also tells the devil, “I’m living right according to God’s Word. So back up, because my heart is for God!

Put on the Gospel of Peace (Shoes of Peace) – Protect your feet by putting on the gospel of peace. Be ready to share the Good News about Christ, which brings peace to those who are ready to receive Him or hear about Him. Be ready to move when God says move.

Put on the Shield of Faith – When the enemy throws arrows of doubt, fear, worry, unbelief, defeat, lack of hope, lack of trust, depression, guilt, condemnation, you name it…raise up your shield of faith and raise it up quickly, so that it doesn’t penetrate your heart or head.

Put on the Helmet of Salvation - Guard your mind. Protect it at all cost. You do this by casting down unwelcome or unholy thoughts, a negative mindset, worry, fear, doubt, unforgiveness, and more. All of this weighs heavily on the mind. So think about God’s Word and what He says about you while in the battle you're facing.

Pull Out the Sword of the Spirit – This is the WORD OF GOD! And it’s a very powerful weapon used against the enemy. Second Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” God will help you tear down strongholds in your life and help you fight against the enemy through His Word. So use it! And use it wisely. It’s there not only to help you fight against him, but also sin in your life.

Use the Weapon of Prayer - Whatever you do, don't stop praying. There is so much power in prayer. It's another great weapon. So use it! Ephesians 6:18 says, "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit." (NLT)

I want to also remind you that if you’re going to do anything for the Lord, know that you are going to experience spiritual warfare. It’s inevitable. And that battle can come from within and the outside of your home. But remember, we’re fighting unseen enemies that will stop at nothing to try to hinder us from fulfilling God’s plan for our lives or to just wreak havoc! However, you and I need to understand that we’re not alone and we have power. We’ve got supernatural protection for a supernatural fight.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

A Prayer for When You are in the Desert

A Prayer for When You are in the Desert
By: Jennifer Kennedy Dean

The LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing. - Deuteronomy 2:7

As we see in this verse, God shows us who He is by what He does. We see His promises worked out in the lives of His people and know that the same God is working in our lives.

When we are in the middle of a desert trek, God’s hand seems absent, blinded as we are by the glaring circumstances. But when we emerge from that leg of the journey, we can look back and see that God has watched over our every step. The journey was hard and went on longer than we thought we could bear. But here we stand. All the way through the desert, just when we thought we couldn’t last another day, God’s mercy met us in some observable way: a kind word, an unexpected provision, or a “chance” encounter. The assurance of His presence always came.

The desert has things to teach us. We learn things there that we can’t learn anywhere else. We see the careful provision of our Father in a different light. His love stands out in stark relief against the background of the desert’s barren landscape. In the wilderness, we come to the end of ourselves. We learn in new and deeper ways to cling to Him and wait for Him. When we come out of the desert, the desert lessons stay with us. We take them with us into the next stretch. We remember the God who led us through the desert, and we know that He is with us still.

Desert times are fruitful times. Though they seem barren, lush fruit is being produced in our lives when we walk through the desert. The Lord will sanctify your desert times and make them to be fruitful in your life.

Let’s Pray  

Dear Lord, I know that wherever I am, You are with me—guiding, protecting, providing. You make a mountain into a way; You make streams flow in the desert; You cause a root to grow out of dry ground. Thank You for giving me the opportunity to see You work when all hope seems lost.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

A Beginning Perspective

A Beginning Perspective

Dick Woodward

 “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” - (Philippians 1:6)

This is the second week of a new year. A believer I know informed me that he no longer makes New Year’s resolutions. When I asked him why he said, “My willpower is nearly always out of power.”

The Apostle Paul’s favorite Church was the Church he planted at Philippi. Having brought scores and scores of people to faith in Christ in that city, he finds himself in prison and unable to have any physical contact with them. As their pastor he cannot use his powers of reason and persuasion or his spiritual gifts of wisdom, preaching and teaching. Yet he has an unwavering confidence that they will continue in their faith until Jesus Christ returns.

This confidence is not based on them or on himself. He believes his positive and upbeat perspective about them because he knows that the One Who began a miraculous work in them will complete what He has started.

The word “perspective” means “to look through to the end.” At the starting gate of a New Year it’s so very important to have healthy perspective. I’m not thinking about willpower driven resolutions but spiritual goals that only the risen, living Christ can make doable. I’m talking about what you would like to see Christ do in your life this year.

I have recently learned a new formula for setting goals. In the context I have established, let the letters BHAG stand for Big, Hilarious, Audacious, Goals. As you set goals for the New Year make them big enough to let Christ in. Watch Him work because you have set BHAG that only He can accomplish!