Video Bible Lesson - In Step With God by Dr. Charles Stanley

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

3/24/2020

In Step With God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 4
People are saved when they trust Jesus Christ as Savior and choose to follow Him. Right then, most Christians realize that they will dwell with Him forever in heaven. But many don’t understand what they can expect for the remainder of their lives on earth.
One benefit that’s available immediately is a growing relationship with the Lord. The Father’s oneness with Jesus (John 10:30) illustrates the intimacy God wants to have with His children. He had this type of
closeness in mind at creation—a relationship with man is an avenue for Him to express His love and for us to worship and understand our Maker.
Another advantage is that Christ-followers are promised clear guidance through God’s Holy Spirit. Decision making is a part of everyday life. It is impossible for a mere human to know every variable and nuance before choosing which path to take. But the Lord knows all things—past, present, and future. With godly wisdom available, it’s hard to understand why anyone would prefer to trust his own hunches.
Provision is yet another blessing guaranteed for believers. There will be hard times, but God gives Christians everything necessary for following Him (Phil. 4:19). And His grace will always prove more than sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9).
How abundantly God gives to His children! One word of caution, though: these gifts are effective only when believers walk obediently with Him. Sin can stifle them.
The heavenly Father desires that all of His sons and daughters have these blessings; if you’re living in obedience before Him, they are available to you. Is anything getting in the way of your total submission to Him?

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

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: Deliver me, I pray thee (Gen. 32:9, 11).

There are many healthy symptoms in that prayer. In some respects it may serve as a mould into which our own spirits may pour themselves, when melted in the fiery furnace of sorrow.

He began by quoting God's promise: "Thou saidst." He did so twice (9 and 12). Ah, he has got God in his power then! God puts Himself within our reach in His promises; and when we can say to Him, "Thou saidst," He cannot say nay. He must do as He has said.

If Jacob was so particular for his oath's sake, what will not our God be? Be sure in prayer, to get your feet well on a promise; it will give you purchase enough to force open the gates of heaven, and to take it by force.
--Practical Portions for the Prayer-life

Jesus desires that we shall be definite in our requests, and that we shall ask for some special thing. "What will ye that I shall do unto you?" is the question that He asks of every one who in affliction and trial comes to Him. Make your requests with definite earnestness if you would have definite answers. Aimlessness in prayer accounts for so many seemingly unanswered prayers. Be definite in your petition. Fill out your check for something definite, and it will be cashed at the bank of Heaven when presented in Jesus' Name. Dare to be definite with God.
--Selected

Miss Havergal has said: "Every year, I might almost say every day, that I live, I seem to see more clearly how all the rest and gladness and power of our Christian life hinges on one thing; and that is, taking God at His word, believing that He really means exactly what He says, and accepting the very words in which He reveals His goodness and grace, without substituting others or altering the precise modes and tenses which He has seen fit to use."

Bring Christ's Word--Christ's promise, and Christ's sacrifice--His blood, with thee, and not one of Heaven's blessings can be denied thee.
--Adam Clarke

Recognizing God's Handiwork

Recognizing God's Handiwork

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 33:3-11

The work God does is creative. He made heaven, earth, and all living creatures. He formed Adam and Eve in His image and knitted each of us in our mother's womb.

His work is also powerful. Through His Son Jesus, He accomplished a great salvation for all who trust in the Savior. Our heavenly Father worked mightily to open a way for us to be reconciled to Him and adopted into His family. Not only that, but God's work is ongoing, and Jesus is the One who holds all things together (Col. 1:17).

In order to recognize God's handiwork, we need to pray in an active, persistent manner. Christ-centered prayers narrow our focus to the Lord. Then we can more readily identify His actions and see how to join Him. Self-centered petitions serve to distract us from Him.

The Father also wants our heart and mind yielded to His will. Pursuing our own agenda shifts the focus to ourselves and makes us lose sight of the Lord. But a submissive attitude prepares us to listen and obey. Regularly concentrating on God's Word will clear our minds and help us understand what the Lord is doing.

When we combine these disciplines with discernment and patience, we will have positioned ourselves to discover how God is working in our lives and in our world.

Our Lord is at work today--calling nonbelievers to saving faith and the redeemed to a closer walk with Him. His plans include individuals, families, and nations. Have you been too busy or distracted to notice what He's doing? Confess your inattention and refocus your heart and mind on Him.

When We Don’t Understand What God is Doing

When We Don’t Understand What God is Doing
ALICIA BRUXVOORT

“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” Ecclesiastes 11:5 (ESV)

God, I can’t figure out what You’re doing!” I cried after receiving a discouraging phone call on my drive home from the grocery store.

Years before, God had invited me to trade my plans for His. He had whispered a promise to my heart and confirmed it through His Word, wise counsel and prayer.

Believing His promise demanded faith, I had said “yes” and followed in obedience.

At first, following God’s plan felt exhilarating. My prayer journal read like a grand tale of God’s greatness.

But then, the journey began to look different than I’d imagined. The road was filled with more potholes than I’d anticipated, and as I let God direct my steps, it seemed He was leading me to the middle of nowhere, rather than in the direction of a promise fulfilled. I didn’t doubt God’s presence, but I questioned His plans.

My enthusiasm waned. My confidence trembled. On my good days, I felt optimistic and persistent. On my bad days, I felt angry and confused. And on that evening when a phone call sunk my hope, I felt helpless and stuck.

Veering into an empty parking lot, I let my tears splatter onto the steering wheel. “Could You just show me what You’re doing, Lord?” I begged.

I don’t know how long I sat there and waited for the Lord’s reply. But I do know there was no flash of lightning illuminating God’s brilliant plan. No thundering voice explaining His mystifying methods.

Just a quiet thought impressed upon my haggard heart:

“Do you want a God you can explain or a God you can extol?”

Suddenly, through my haze of tears, I recognized an uncomfortable truth: A God of infinite majesty can’t be measured. A God who unleashes miracles can’t be contained. A God whose love is eternal can’t be explained.

Perhaps that’s why Ecclesiastes 11:5 reminds us: “As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.”

God sees more than we can see. He knows more than we know. He works in ways beyond our comprehension. (Isaiah 55:8-11) And if we agree to follow Him only when we understand what He’s doing, we’ll always stop short of experiencing His inexplicable wonders.

As I sat in that parking lot with a head full of questions and a heart frayed with disappointment, I realized we have a choice.

We can let the mystery of God bolster our doubt or buoy our wonder.

Abraham praised God beneath the stars — even though he didn’t understand how he’d ever become the father of nations.

David praised God in the wilderness — even though he didn’t understand why he was running for his life instead of sitting on the throne.

The Israelites praised God with a mighty shout — even though they didn’t know the wall would fall without a fight.

I began to praise God, too, because what I do know about Him is far more important than what I don’t:

I know God loves me, and He’ll never leave me. (John 3:16; Hebrews 13:5)

I know He is for me and not against me. (Romans 8:31)

I know God’s Word is true, and His heart is kind. (Psalm 33:4; Acts 14:17)

Lifting my head from the tear-stained steering wheel, I lifted my praises to heaven. And gradually, my disappointments shriveled in the shadow of my swelling hope.

My tears dried, and I headed home. Before me the road shimmered with an ethereal glow. Above me, the sky melted into a stunning swirl of pink and orange. God was painting the sunset once again.

I don’t understand how He does it — scattering breathless beauty across the horizon every night — but I know this: It is wondrous. Just like He is.

Dear Jesus, You’ll never fit into my finite box of human understanding. But You’ll always fulfill my infinite need for a Savior. Give me faith to offer You praise even when I don’t understand Your ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 55:8-9, “… My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.” (VOICE)

Job 11:7, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” (NIV)

A Prayer for Thankfulness When You’re Struggling

A Prayer for Thankfulness When You’re Struggling
By Wendy van Eyck

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

If you’re struggling with being thankful for an imperfect life at the moment here are 5 different ways to practice thankfulness:

1. Toe to head thank you

As a teenager, I heard Mike Pilavachi speak at a Soul Survivor event. I can’t remember most of what he said but one thing stuck with me: a prayer of gratitude when you wake up in the morning. I still do this from time-to-time. Basically the idea is that as you wake up in the morning you start at your toes and you thank God for the ability to wiggle them and then you move up naming various body parts and why you are thankful for them until you reach your head. I generally find at the end of this prayer I’m pretty cheerful about the day ahead.

2. Grace

Another way to build gratitude into your life even when you aren’t feeling it is to say grace before your meal. Don’t make this a rote prayer that you learnt at kindergarten. Use each meal as an opportunity to thank God for one good thing in your life. If you’re really drawing a blank, you can always simply thank him that you have food for one meal.

3. The Ann Voskamp method

A few years ago now, Ann Voskamp wrote a beautiful book about how she learnt to embrace gratitude through hard things. It is called One Thousand Gifts and if by some chance you haven’t read it yet, you should. Without giving too much away the basic premise is find 3 things to be grateful for each day. Ann Voskamp’s lists always read like poetry. I tried my own list for a couple of months while Xylon had chemo and I definitely found myself noticing the small things to be thankful for that I might have otherwise missed.

4. Sunset thank you

One of my cousins, Pam, was telling me recently how from the time her children are small she tells them every time they see a sunset that God loves them and just like the sun sets every evening God’s love for them will never change. I thought this was a beautiful idea. It also made me think of the sunset as an opportunity to thank God for being part of the day we just lived. Even if I didn’t feel him there the sunset reminds me that was.

5. Last thought at night

Something I try and do each night as I fall asleep is thank God for at least one thing that happened that day. This prayer is usually really sleepy but it helps me to fall asleep in good frame of mind and forget all the difficult things that might have happened in the day.

Do any of these ideas sound doable to you? Do you think they’d help get you into a cycle of cheerfulness-prayer-gratitude?

Prayer: God, sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for. Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life. I’m going to start by thanking you for loving me enough to come to earth and die so we can live together forever. Amen.

Seek to Speak the Truth to Each Other

Seek to Speak the Truth to Each Other
by Lynette Kittle

Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”—Acts 5:4

Do you ever find yourself “fudging” the truth in everyday life situations?

Perhaps you justify doing so because you believe you’re keeping the peace or sparing hurting someone’s feelings. Maybe in your opinion, you’re not really being dishonest or deceptive but rather managing conversations and situations for the best.

Possibly you leave out details because you don’t want people to know what’s really motivating your actions. Or maybe you only tell partial truth because you want someone to have a certain impression about you.

Yet Scripture is pretty straightforward in instructing Christians to “Speak the truth to each other” (Zechariah 8:16).

As well as Proverbs 22:21 urges you to be honest and speak the truth.

In Leviticus 19, God gave Moses’ guidelines for Israel to live by, including “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor (vs. 13).

Although many may not consider “fudging the truth” a form of defrauding, it’s robbing another of truth with an intention to be misleading.

A really severe example of the seriousness of defrauding is in Acts 5, where a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold land and brought the money to give to the Apostles. Instead of saying they were keeping some of it for themselves, they mislead the group to believe they were giving the total amount received.

Act 5:2 describes how “With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

In today’s standards, it wouldn’t seem like a big deal but both were immediately struck dead and carried away from the scene (Acts 5:5-10).

Although today’s culture may not understand why this deadly incident occurred, Acts 5:4 explains why it was such a serious situation. “You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

Still, with “fudging” so widespread in present-day culture, most believe there isn’t anything wrong in practicing it. Instead of seeing it as defrauding others and a sin against God, people rationalize its use.

As you go about your daily life, ask God to help you to not defraud those around you.

Ask Him to show you any areas where you may have failed and confess your sin to Him. Psalm 32:5 states how when you acknowledge your sin and you do not cover up your iniquity, God forgives and frees you from the guilt of it.

Choose today to speak the truth in all your dealings with others.

New Life for Us All

New Life for Us All

Greg Laurie

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
—1 Peter 1:3

A couple from Chicago was planning a vacation to a warmer climate, but the wife couldn't join her husband until the next day, because she was on a business trip. Her husband scribbled down her e-mail address on a little scrap of paper, but upon his arrival, he discovered that he had lost it. He wanted to send off a quick e-mail to let her know he had arrived safely. So trying his best to remember her e-mail address, he composed a brief message and sent it off.

Unfortunately, his e-mail did not reach his wife. Instead, it went to a grieving widow who had just lost her husband, a preacher, the day before. She had gone to her computer and was checking her e-mail when she let out a loud shriek and fainted on the spot. Her family came rushing in to see what was on the screen: "Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P. S.: It sure is hot down here!"

The good news is that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we don't have to be afraid of that real place that is hot down there. In fact, we don't even have to fear death. Because Christ died and rose again from the dead, we know that for us as believers, there is life beyond the grave.

If that were all the resurrection did for us, it would be worth the price of the ticket. Of course, we didn't buy the ticket. Christ did. But if all that Christianity offered was the hope of life beyond the grave, it still would be worth it to be a Christian.

But there is a whole lot more that the resurrection has for us. Our risen Lord will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us (see Ezekiel 36:26). He will give us new knowledge, new comfort, new peace, and a new life in Him.