Streams in the Desert.....

 Streams in the Desert

"Peter was kept in prison: but prayer (instant and earnest prayer) was made for him" (Acts 12:5, margin).

Peter was in prison awaiting his execution. The Church had neither human power nor influence to save him. There was no earthly help, but there was help to be obtained by the way of Heaven. They gave themselves to fervent, importunate prayer. God sent His angel, who aroused Peter from sleep and led him out through the first and second wards of the prison; and when they came to the iron gate, it opened to them of its own accord, and Peter was free.

There may be some iron gate in your life that has blocked your way. Like a caged bird you have often beaten against the bars, but instead of helping, you have only had to fall back tired, exhausted and sore at heart. There is a secret for you to learn, and that is believing prayer; and when you come to the iron gate, it will open of its own accord.

How much wasted energy and sore disappointment will be saved if you will learn to pray as did the Church in the upper room! Insurmountable difficulties will disappear; adverse circumstances will prove favorable if you learn to pray, not with your own faith but with the faith of God (Mark 11:22, margin). Souls in prison have been waiting for years for the gate to open; love ones out of Christ, bound by Satan, will be set free when you pray till you definitely believe God.
--C. H. P.

Emergencies call for intense prayer. When the man becomes the prayer nothing can resist its touch. Elijah on Carmel, bowed down on the ground, with his face between his knees, that was prayer--the man himself.

No words are mentioned. Prayer can be too tense for words. The man's whole being was in touch with God, and was set with God against the powers of evil. They couldn't withstand such praying. There's more of this embodied praying needed.
--The Bent-knee Time

"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused."
--C. H. Spurgeon

God Is for Us..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 God Is for Us

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 8:31-34

Throughout life, there will be times when our sins and failures lead us to conclude that God is disappointed or angry with us. How can He still love me after what I've done? If I'm really forgiven, why do I still feel so guilty? At such times, we need to fix our eyes on the truth of Scripture and ask the questions Paul posed in Romans 8.

If God is for us, who is against us
 (v. 31)? Our heavenly Father proved His loyalty to us when He delivered His own Son over to death in order to save us. Without Christ's atoning death on our behalf, we would face eternal separation from God.

Who will bring a charge against God's elect (v. 33)? No accusation against us can stand, since at the moment of salvation, the Lord justified us. This means we were legally declared righteous, while still in our sinning condition. No one can reverse this transaction and make us guilty again. To doubt our blameless standing in Christ is to declare His atonement insufficient to cover our sin.

Who is the one who condemns (v. 34)? Although Satan rails against us, Jesus' death and resurrection are proof that we are right with God. Christ took our condemnation and gave us His righteousness in return. Now He sits at the Father's right hand, interceding for us.

When doubts about the Lord's love and faithfulness arise, focus on truth. If we judge His loyalty to us by our circumstances or feelings, we will never get an accurate view of God. True security lies not in our good performance, but in our relationship with Christ, and no one can take that from us.

God Is Always Working in Your Behind-the-Scenes..... SHARON JAYNES..🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

 God Is Always Working in Your Behind-the-Scenes

SHARON JAYNES

“Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’” John 13:7 (NLT)

My husband, Steve, and I met at a Bible study while we were in college. There he sat with a Bible in his lap, Jesus in his heart and me wrapped around his little finger. Three months later, we were engaged. Six months after that, I became his wife.

The following year, we began to pray where we would live and work after graduation. We prayed. We fasted. We toured various towns and looked at many opportunities. After several months, we felt certain God was calling us to a little town called Pineville, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, where my husband had secured a job.

After graduation, we moved to Charlotte and set up house in a tiny apartment near the office where Steve would be working. The rent was half-price for the first three months, which was a huge bonus for a young couple with nothing but school debt on their balance sheet. Smiles all around.

However, when Steve went to the office to finalize his work schedule and management particulars, a trapdoor opened beneath his feet.

“Steve, I’ve been thinking about it,” the potential partner began. “I don’t think this is such a good idea after all. I’ve changed my mind.”

He extended his hand to my stunned 25-year-old husband and said, “Good luck to you, son.”

When Steve came home and told me the news, we were both shell-shocked. “What do you mean he changed his mind?” I cried. “He can’t do that! We’ve just moved here. He made a commitment!”

A host of raw emotions collided with real questions for God. How could we have been so wrong? Didn’t we hear You correctly? We prayed. We fasted. We wanted nothing more than to do what You wanted us to do where You wanted us to do it. Now, here we sit in a new city, with debt, no jobs and seemingly no future. What are we supposed to do?

I did not like this story! I felt like God had left us high and dry. But He hadn’t. He was simply moving the puzzle pieces into place for His perfect plan.

I think young Joseph, whose story begins in Genesis 37, must have felt the same way. God had given him two dreams about how his whole family would one day bow down to him. He was going to be a man of power. However, over the next several years, he was sold into slavery by his brothers, worked as a servant in the government official Potiphar’s household, falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison.

I don’t know what Joseph was thinking or feeling, but my reaction would have been, This is not how the story is supposed to go! God, where are You? Get me out of here!

But at just the right time, the Pharaoh had a dream only Joseph could interpret — seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. The Pharaoh was so impressed, he made Joseph second-in-command of the entire kingdom, and he saved the entire nation from starvation.

Yes, Joseph’s life had taken some seemingly wrong turns, but they weren’t wrong turns at all. They were necessary turns to get him to just the right place at just the right time.

Our limited vision doesn’t allow us to see how God is working behind the questionable scenes in our lives, but we can trust He is. In fact, it may be precisely in the moments we understand Him the least that He is working the most.

Jesus told His disciples, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (John 13:7). Sometimes, it is only after the fact that what we thought were setbacks were God’s setups all along.

Three months after the devastating news that Steve’s job fell through, a position opened up that had not been available when we were first looking. If we had written out our best-case scenario, this situation would have exceeded it by far. We were living out Ephesians 3:20, “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (NIV).

And remember the rent that was half-price for the first three months? It was three months to the day when Steve started in his new position. Who knew? God did. We often experience God’s provision and protection through the twists and turns of uncertainty. Sometimes, God doesn’t meet our expectations because He wants to exceed them.

I don’t know what you’re going through right now. This past year has certainly been a difficult year for all of us. But rest assured, God is working for your greater good. When we give up our need to know all the details, we can have a holy confidence independent of our circumstances.

God, I’ll be honest: I’m glad 2020 is coming to a close. And even though I don’t know what’s coming in 2021, I trust that You have a perfect plan. In a world of uncertainties, I am thankful Your steadfast love never changes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 5:17, “But Jesus replied, ‘My Father is always working, and so am I.’” (NLT)

Keeping Our Mouths in Check (Matthew 15:11)..... By Lynette Kittle

 Keeping Our Mouths in Check (Matthew 15:11)

By Lynette Kittle

Today’s Bible Verse: What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them - Matthew 15:11

When Jesus calls us to listen and understand, we want to tune into His words and pay close attention to what He is saying because it’s of utmost importance.

So what topic was significant enough for Jesus to call the crowd together? In Matthew 15:10, we read, “Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, 'Listen and understand.’" What did He consider so vitally important for them to hear and understand? He said, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (Matthew 15:11).

Nowadays we’re living in a topsy-turvy world people are more concerned about what they eat than what they say. A culture where millions could care less about what comes out of their mouths.

Perhaps you’ve been surprised by things you’ve heard said not only by secular voices but also by some Christians? Maybe your own words have caught you off guard at times?

If so, Scripture reminds us, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (James 1:26).

Facing Food Issues

Television networks like The Food Network and The Cooking Channel fuel our culture’s obsession with food. Although many believe this focus on food is a new, modern, and enlightened view that has emerged in our world today, Scripture reveals how it’s been an issue among people for a long time.

Matthew 15:12, describes how the religious leaders of the day responded to the comment by Jesus about what defiles a person. “Then the disciples came to Him and asked, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?'"

Food continues to be a very touchy subject, causing division among people who have varying attitudes and beliefs about its importance and value of it in our lives. Many individuals and groups are deeply concerned about how it’s grown, cooked, harvested, and eaten.

Where Does Life and Health Come From?

Eating superfoods today in the hopes of extending one’s life is a growing trend. Like the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, the devil is still misleading people to believe long life and health comes through the earth and the food they eat rather than through God (Genesis 3:4-5).

Romans 1:25 points out how people through the ages have exchanged the truth about God with a lie, by worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator.

Jesus calls us to be more concerned with what we say than what we eat, because it’s not the food we put into our mouths that has the ability to dishonor us but rather the words that come out of it.

As Proverbs 18:21 explains, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Likewise, Proverbs 4:21-22 encourages us to keep God’s words in our sight and within our hearts because His words are life to those who find them and health to our whole body.

Grace for Families in the New Year..... By: Sarah Phillips

 Grace for Families in the New Year

By: Sarah Phillips

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24 NIV

Part of my job includes receiving letters from readers about family issues. Something that struck me this past year was how many Christian families suffer - truly suffer. Some struggle from financial woes, others from the behavior of rebellious teenagers, and some from painful relational problems within their marriages.

While I can't offer quick fixes in this small devotional entry, I want to reflect on some scriptures here that will hopefully offer you some encouragement if you are among those facing a difficult family situation.

"The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." - Genesis 3:7-12.

First, if you're facing a broken situation or relationship, remember you're not alone. With the fall of man came the fall of family life.  We can see this in Adam's dysfunctional words as he blames God and Eve for his own sinful decision to eat the forbidden fruit.

You may compare your family to others and feel like a failure - like everyone else has this family thing figured out. But truthfully, we are all sinners who marry sinners and give birth to sinners. While this truth doesn't excuse a person's hurtful, sinful behavior (God himself is grieved by such behavior), it helps ground me a little more in reality when I find myself playing the comparison game or building up unrealistic expectations of others.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." - Ephesians 5:8

Second, we're not doomed to this sinful state forever. Becoming Christian doesn't necessarily make family life easier, but it does make healing possible.  It is through the sanctifying grace of Jesus Christ that not only can we be transformed as individuals, but our relationships can also be transformed, successfully reflecting the Trinitarian love of God to each other and the world. This is God's desire for every Christian family, not just a privileged few. For as many disheartening letters as I receive from distraught spouses and parents, I receive encouraging letters and articles from those who have found true transformation and healing in Christ. If you are a believer, know that you have profound spiritual support to overcome your family trials.

"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." - Ephesians 5:8-11

Third, transformation requires humility, help and work on our part. This may seem like I am stating the obvious, but sometimes it's helpful to me when a loved one reminds me of basic truths. Just as we didn't instantly become perfect upon our acceptance of Christ, neither will our families. Each day we have choices - choices to choose Christ and accept his grace or to turn our backs. Occasionally we have breakthroughs - giant leaps forward in sanctity - but most of the Christian life consists of small, everyday decisions to seek God and live in his truth.

 

Sometimes we need help from fellow believers to live successfully as children of the light - even Christ, who needed no help, graciously received help from Simon in carrying his cross (Matthew 27:32). I encourage you to plug into a local support group or check out some of the resources at the end of this devotional if your family is hitting particularly dark days.

"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." - Matthew 26:42

 

Fourth, God grieves with us. He doesn't rejoice in our pain or sit back and watch indifferently. Whatever trial you're facing, he is there, wanting the very best outcome even if sometimes we don't feel his presence or understand why things are going the direction they are going. When I find myself questioning God's loving presence, I reflect on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he accepted the painful cup of sacrifice out of profound love for you and me.

 

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10

Fifth, while being Christian means embracing our crosses, it doesn't mean we'll never know joy or peace in our lives or families. There is hope. My prayer for you is that you will have renewed strength, happiness, and faith within your families in the new year.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed by our situations, and we forget to remember the positive. List at least one good trait in each family member and reflect on these positives during your quiet time.

A Prayer for When You Feel All Alone..... By Debbie McDaniel

 A Prayer for When You Feel All Alone

By Debbie McDaniel

"You are the God who sees me..." - Genesis 16:13

Sometimes life may feel like a struggle. Many are grieving the loss of a loved one. Others have experienced the pain of divorce or broken relationships. Some have lost jobs. Many are facing huge debt. Others are hurting for grown children who seemed to have lost their way. Some are facing new diagnosis and health issues. Others are still waiting for answered prayers, feeling like God has somehow forgotten. And many may be surrounded by people, yet lonely inside, struggling through depression and darkness, battling worry, facing big fears, feeling lost in a sea of doubt, wondering if God even sees...or cares.

He does see. He does care.

God knows and understands. He gives us this word of hope, for all those who feel alone, overwhelmed, or are battling fear and worry.

A powerful word straight from the story of one young girl who was running, scared.

Away from home and all she knew. Lonely, rejected, hurt, and out of hope. Hagar ran to the desert for she had nowhere else to go. And God in His goodness, sent an angel to her there. He had never lost sight of her, He had never stopped caring. Though the lies of her own heart told her otherwise. The angel of God spoke straight through the lies of defeat, he told her to go back, he spoke hope and blessing over her in all God still had in store.

And Hagar knew, maybe what we need to remember still today. Her words breathed out this great truth that secures our struggles, and anchors our hope, “You are the God who sees me…” Genesis 16:13

El Roi – He is the God who sees - notices, looks at intently, has regard for, observes, considers, watches over, gives attention to, gazes upon, who keeps on seeing. That’s our God. That’s the One who created us. That’s the One who loves so greatly and chases after us with good.

Don't ever think for a minute He doesn't see you, or care. You are not invisible to Him. Your situation is never too desperate for Him to work a miracle. He saw then, He sees now, every moment in the lives of His children. And He works, constantly works on our behalf, sometimes even sending an angel...

You are never alone. He chased after Hagar in the desert; He knows where we are in our wilderness too.

He sees. He cares. He pursues us. He is with us.

May God fill every troubled, hurting heart, today and through these weeks, with His Presence of grace and peace.

Dear God,

Thank you that you see us right where we are, in the midst of our pain and struggle, in the middle of our desert land. Thank you that you have not forgotten us and never will. Forgive us for not trusting you, for doubting your goodness, or not believing you’re really there. We choose to set our eyes on you today. We choose joy and peace when the whispered lies come and say that we should have no joy or peace.

Thank you that you care for us and your love over us is so great. We confess our need for you. Fill us fresh with your Spirit, renew our hearts and minds in your truth. We ask for your hope and comfort to continue to heal our hearts where they’ve been broken. Give us the courage to face another day, knowing that with you before us and behind us, we have nothing to fear.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Strong into the Night..... From; Family Life

 Strong into the Night

From; Family Life

He who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. PROVERBS 29:25

In September 1939, Great Britain allied with France and several other alarmed countries in declaring war on Hitler's Germany, which had invaded Poland in its intended march toward global domination. By the end of the year, anxieties throughout England remained on high alert; everyone was fearful of bombing and invasion.

When King George VI sat down before two large microphones to make his Christmas Day speech to the nation, he was dressed in his official uniform as Admiral of the Fleet. With so many parts of the world facing an uncertain future, his goal was to reassure the people that their nation was prepared and able and their cause right and just.

"A new year is at hand," the king said. "We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle, we shall remain undaunted."

Then, turning to some lines of poetry his wife had recently shared with him, he concluded his speech with these words, which are a fitting close to our year together. They offer a word of encouragement that—we hope—will settle your hearts amid the troubles of our own era in history. These lines are from "The Gate of the Year," a poem written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."

And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"

DISCUSS

As you make the turn to a new year, what are you facing that needs you to sink your hand more deeply into God's hand?

PRAY

Pray for one another that as you embark upon a new year, God will grant you and your family His favor.