Video Bible Lesson - Permission to Wrestle with “Why?” By Meg Bucher

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

4/4/2020

Permission to Wrestle with “Why?”
By Meg Bucher

“If I speak the truth, why don’t you believe Me?” John 8:46 (The Voice)
“Yes it is.”
“No it’s not.”
“Trust me, it is. Why would I lie about that?”
My pre-teen will mull over the most mundane moments. But it’s not to discredit my intelligence. She’s just inquisitive. Kids grow up and want to know “why.” We’re the same way with our Heavenly Father, we’re just not as bold as my kiddo is to ask out loud what weighs on our hearts.
“Because I said so,”is a parental go-to, but God’s love and compassion for us negates a passive shut down or pass-off to answer a taxing question. Raising kids can make us feel brilliant on some days, and not so smart on other days. Mine glance questionably at me on occasion, as if something in them is holding out for a bit more proof. God waits for us to ask why …so that He can answer.
This simple children’s worship song unravels our biggest parenting mistake:
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so …”
Our children eventually begin to grow beyond assuming their parents know the answer to everything. If we’re doing it right, they start to receive apologies for lost tempers and mistaken assumptions, so they know we’re not perfect, either. Who do they turn to for unquestionable assurance? We lead them to His feet. I have to laugh, because on days when options run out and “because I told you so” isn’t working, I can’t wait to read my girls’ daily devotionals with them!
God invites us to seek Him in His Word, daily. Not so that He can whip out an “I told you so,” or “because I said so,” but to come alongside us as only He can, in encouragement and love to equip us to face a world that He knows is difficult to navigate.
“If I speak the truth, why don’t you believe Me?” John 8:46 (The Voice)
People were questioning what Jesus was teaching, probing for proof and searching for statements to justify their faith in what He was saying. But it simply didn’t work that way then, and it doesn’t work that way, now. We are allowed to wrestle with God in what we do not understand. He encourages us to seek Him in His Word, and by that allow Him to speak life into our lives. Jeremiah 29:13 assures us, “You will see me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
If we are seeking not to believe, we won’t believe, just as my daughter can choose to believe it’s 12:15am even though I’ve explained and proved to her it’s 12:15pm. An authentic and genuine questioning of the complicated matters in this life is welcomed by our loving God, who seeks a personal relationship with us. He already knows what’s happening in our lives, but He wants us to talk to Him about it. Just as a friend wants us to confide in them directly instead of learning by heresy that we’ve been suffering.
“For the word of God is alive and active.” (Hebrews 4:12a NIV) Through Jesus’ death on the cross, the power of the Holy Spirit reveals and helps us apply it directly to our everyday circumstances.
It’s the Spirit that moves in and out of the Word. 1John14:7 reminds us that “all three persons of the Trinity are linked by truth.” But we are blind to it without a Savior.
Jesus removes all of the filters.
It’s through His sacrifice, and our acceptance and pursuit of Him as our Savior, that our faith is strengthened. He knows us, and the more we get to know Him, the more we know the Father.
It’s important to be wary of what, and who we believe. Even those with good intentions, and even our own mistaken and distorted thoughts, can cause confusion and lead us astray. Our Father encourages us to ask Him.
It’s crucial to keep in touch with the Truth by reading the Truth …daily. We can trust Him, because He says so.
Father,
Praise You for truth, and for love. Thank You for leaving Your Word, and revealing it to us as we grow with Christ. Forgive us for misinterpreting and humanly misleading others, and help us to detect dishonesty and move away from it swiftly.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

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

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kgs 6:17)

This is the prayer we need to pray for ourselves and for one another, “Lord, open our eyes that we may see”; for the world all around us, as well as around the prophet, is full of God’s horses and chariots, waiting to carry us to places of glorious victory. And when our eyes are thus opened, we shall see in all events of life, whether great or small, whether joyful or sad, a “chariot” for our souls.

Everything that comes to us becomes a chariot the moment we treat it as such; and, on the other hand, even the smallest trial may be a Juggernaut car to crush us into misery or despair if we consider it.

It lies with each of us to choose which they shall be. It all depends, not upon what these events are, but upon how we take them. If we lie down under them, and let them roll over us and crush us, they become Juggernaut cars, but if we climb up into them, as into a car of victory, and make them carry us triumphantly onward and upward, they become the chariots of God.
—Hannah Whitall Smith

The Lord cannot do much with a crushed soul, hence the adversary’s attempt to push the Lord’s people into despair and hopelessness over the condition of themselves, or of the church. It has often been said that a dispirited army goes forth to battle with the certainty of being beaten. We heard a missionary say recently that she had been invalided home purely because her spirit had fainted, with the consequence that her body sunk also. We need to understand more of these attacks of the enemy upon our spirits and how to resist them. If the enemy can dislodge us from our position, then he seeks to “wear us out” (Daniel 7:25) by a prolonged siege, so that at last we, out of sheer weakness, let go the cry of victory.

The Necessity of the Cross.....Dr. Charles Stanley

The Necessity of the Cross

Dr. Charles Stanley

Colossians 2:13-15

What does the cross mean to you? Many people in the world today view it as a symbol of Christianity, but stop and think about what it represented in Christ's day. Nobody wore a miniature cross around the neck or displayed one in a place of worship. The cross was a torturous means of execution, and the mere thought of it was repulsive.

Yet believers throughout the ages have chosen this as the sign of their faith. In fact, to remove the cross from our teaching and theology would leave nothing but an empty, powerless religion. The subjects of death, blood, and sacrifice have become unpopular in many churches because they're unpleasant and uncomfortable topics. We'd prefer to hear about the love of God, not the suffering of Jesus.

But let me ask you this: How could anyone be saved if Christ had not been crucified? Some people think all you have to do to receive God's forgiveness is ask Him for it. But a sinner's request can never be the basis for His forgiveness. He would cease to be holy and just if no penalty was imposed for sin. According to Scripture, there can be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). Christ had to bear the punishment for our sin in order for God to grant us forgiveness.

Every time you see a cross, remember what it really was--an instrument of execution. Then thank Jesus that He was willing to be crucified so the Father could forgive you of sin. Though the scene of your redemption was horrendous, Christ turned the cross into a place of great triumph.

A Prayer for Healing and Grace

A Prayer for Healing and Grace
By Debbie McDaniel

"...she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.'" Mark 5:27-28

She'd been suffering for years with an illness, a bleeding disorder. She'd been to many doctors and yet still was not made well, in fact, the Bible says that she grew worse. But something compelled her to Christ. She believed. She had faith.

The Bible says that "Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." (v. 29) God acted on her behalf... "immediately." Right away. His Power is able to do anything that seems impossible to the world.

Jesus knew that power had gone out...He turned around in the crowd, looking, and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" (v. 30)

She came and fell at His feet, trembling in fear, told Him what happened, told Him the truth. And right there in the midst of her fear and her trembling and her vulnerability, He said these powerful words. Life-changing, inspiring, freedom words, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (v. 34)

Let's set aside our fears and move towards Him today, in faith. God knows already, the wounds we've carried, He knows the pain we've felt, He knows how much we've tried to let go, and fix things in our own power. He is Able. He cares. He heals. He restores. He redeems.

Dear God,

We confess our need for you today. We need your healing and your grace. We need hope restored. We need to be reminded that you work on behalf of those you love, constantly, powerfully, completely. Forgive us for trying to fix our situations all on our own. Forgive us for running all different directions and spinning our wheels to find help, when true help and healing must be found first in You. Forgive us for forgetting how much we need you, above everyone and everything else. We come to you and bring you the places we are hurting. You see where no one else is able to fully see or understand. You know the pain we've carried. The burdens. The cares. You know where we need to be set free. We ask for your healing and grace to cover every broken place. Every wound. Every heartache. Thank you that you are Able to do far more than we could ever imagine. Thank you for your Mighty Power that acts on behalf of your children. We reach out to you, and know that you are restoring and redeeming every place of difficulty, every battle, for your greater glory. Thank you that you will never waste our pain and suffering. We love you. We need you today. 

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen.

When Influential Trouble Comes in Waves

When Influential Trouble Comes in Waves
By Meg Bucher

“Troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray.” -  Deuteronomy 13:13 NIV

Much like hard times come in seasons, trouble comes in waves. The tricky part about determining a bad influence is weeding out our assumptions. We may tend to honor older people as wiser, louder people deserving of our ear, younger people as having nothing to add to our experience, and so on and so on. We all kind of jockey around for position in this life, don’t we? And when it gets turned on its head, it makes us feel uncomfortable and confused. It often blindsides us, and sometimes traps us.

Before we allow our lives to be swayed, it’s wise to determine the direction of the waves. Captains navigate following seas, a shallow-water chop and oncoming rollers differently. So should we, expect to handle, recognize, or navigate trouble.

troublemaker - a person who causes difficulties, distress, worry, etc., for others, especially one who does so habitually as a matter of malice. -dictionary.com

Trouble doesn’t always announce itself. Quite the opposite, it often looks appealing and sounds very convincing. Today’s verse takes us back to a time in the Old Testament when God’s people were being warned of ‘troublemakers.’ Those that attempted to pry people away, maliciously or not, from God.

“Troublemaker,” translated to “worthless” in the New American Standard Bible, is taken from the Hebrew word beliyya`al, which means, worthlessness …worthless, good for nothing, unprofitable, base fellow …wicked …ruin, destruction.

What happens when trouble is permitted to seep through a leaky crack? As the definition above states: destruction. Just because we didn’t realize trouble when we followed it doesn’t mean we’re not liable for what we do under its influence.

Walking with Christ allows us to double-check for trouble, including a scan of our own thoughts and intentions. Jesus died to open the flood gates of forgiveness, in an extension of God’s grace. When we know Him, the Spirit stirs us. To warn us, nudge us, and protect us. But we have to be listening to head the warning. We have to be in the Word and in prayerful conversation with Him. When we let go of His hand we leave space for trouble to cause trouble.

Later, this word (beliyya’al in Hebrew) was used as a name for Satan (2Co 6:15; Greek Beliar, a variant of Belial), who is the personification of wickedness and lawlessness. -NIV Study Bible Notes.

Wickedness and lawlessness. That’s not what I want creeping in the back door of my awareness. But it does. And he will …take every advantage of our thrown-down guard, our relationships, and every weakness he can get his hands on in order to trample and ruin as much as he can. As followers of Christ, it’s wise to be very wary of who we entertain and encourage.“Pray about everything,” and that’s how we’ll know what to do.

Father, Praise You for altering us to danger… to trouble. Thank You for Jesus, that we may receive Your guidance in conversation through the gift of Your Holy Spirit. We confess letting trouble sneak up on us, on account of our lack of listening skills. Please bless us to make time for You and Your Word, so that we can hear You.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

The King's Test.....5 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

The King's Test
by Ryan Duncan

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. - Proverbs 10:9

There’s an old folktale I’d like to share today.

Once upon a time, there lived a king who was beloved by all his subjects. Though he was a wise and just ruler he was also old, and had no heir to take his place when he died. The king decided to hold a contest so that he might choose a successor, and sent out a decree for all the kingdom’s children to gather at his palace. Once the last boy and girl had arrived, the king placed them all in single-file and gave to each of them a seed.

“Take these seeds and plant them in good soil.” He commanded, “In one year’s time, return to the palace with your flowers. I will examine how much they have grown and how well you have cared for them, the one who impresses me the most will become the new king.”

So the children set off into the land and the kingdom waited eagerly for a year to pass. On the day of their return, a large crowd gathered at the palace to try and guess which shrub the king would choose. Some of the children appeared holding giant flowers with strong stalks, others had beautiful petals that gave off a sweet aroma. The king examined them all with great interest until he came upon a boy holding nothing but a jar of dirt.

“What have we here?” asked the king, “Didn’t I say to go plant your seed and return with it in a year’s time?”

“My king,” the boy answered timidly, “I did everything you told me to do. I planted your seed in the best soil I could find. I gave it plenty of sunlight, and made sure it was watered every day, but it wouldn’t grow no matter what I did! So I’ve brought you all I’ve managed to accomplish, please forgive me.”

The king smiled broadly and raised his voice to address the crowd,

“The contest is over. This boy shall become my heir. The seeds I gave the children a year ago had been cooked and died, they could never have taken root or bloomed. Many children brought me beautiful plants today, but only one came with integrity, and for that he shall be rewarded.”

We live in a world that puts a lot of value in how things appear, but God is looking for followers who speak honestly and live with integrity. When we live a lifestyle that honors truth, we’re living a life that honors God.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember that God desires Christians to live their lives openly and without shame. Are you doing so?

Further Reading: Titus 2:1-14

THE WEEKEND THAT CHANGED THE WORLD....10 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

THE WEEKEND THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.  But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. Luke 23:33-34a

The weekend of March 14-16, 1986 will always be special to my wife and me. It was on that weekend we were married. Friday night was the wedding rehearsal, Saturday night was the main event, and Sunday kicked off our first day as husband and wife. The course of our lives was changed as God brought us together to be one until death.

That weekend in March is special to us… but there was a weekend in early April, nearly 2000 years ago, that is special to all of humanity.

It was the weekend of brutality and bloodshed as the righteous died for the unrighteous.

It was the weekend that began with tremendous agony, but ended with tremendous victory.

It was the weekend when Jesus Christ gave Himself up for sinful man.

It was the weekend when Jesus Christ conquered sin, death, hell, and the grave.

It was the weekend that changed the world for all history and eternity.

PERSONALLY ENCOUNTERING THAT WEEKEND

From the time I was little, my parents taught me about that weekend when Jesus died and rose again. I believed the report. I believed He died on the cross and rose from the grave. The only problem I had was that I believed it as facts on a printed page. I believed in Jesus in the same way I believed in George Washington. I had a mental assent to the truths of history. But those truths didn’t make one bit of difference in my daily life. In short, I was like the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians—I had head knowledge of Jesus, but no heart knowledge of Him. I believed on paper, but not in practice. I didn’t really know Him, I just simply knew about Him.

I was 17 years-old when the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection made a connection from my head to my heart. The Lord revealed to me that I was a sinner, totally deserving of death and hell—with no way out, in and of myself. It was at that moment that the cross and the empty tomb took on real meaning as I cried out to Jesus for salvation. Alone in my bedroom on a Monday night in early 1980, I got down on my knees, and with all my heart prayed this simple prayer, “Save me, Jesus.”

And you know what? He did!

That night, I put my faith and trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for my salvation. In that split second of time, I passed from death to life (John 5:24). I went from being a child of wrath to a child of God (Ephesians 2:3, John 1:12). I was spiritually transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13). I was born again and changed forever. The Lord had come into my life to live in me and through me. I certainly didn’t understand it all at the time, but I knew within a couple of weeks that my life could never be the same.

IT MUST BE PERSONAL TO BE EFFECTUAL

Has the message of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection made it from your head to your heart? Jesus didn’t die for a faceless humanity, He died for you (Galatians 2:20). He rose again for you. He wants you to know Him, not just know about Him. You see, it must be personal in order for His death and resurrection to be effectual in your life.

Let me encourage you this Easter weekend to make sure you don’t just simply go through the motions. The worst thing that could ever happen to anyone is to know the plan of salvation and not the Man of salvation… to know the way to heaven and yet fail to go that way.

Jesus is indeed the One and only Savior. He will save anyone who will cry out to Him in repentance and faith. His cross and empty tomb changed the world as they made it possible for sinful man to have a personal relationship with Holy God. Receive Christ into your heart.  Don’t just tip your hat to Him, bow your knee. The surrender of your heart makes it personal, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Love, 

Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries