How to Cry Out to God..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 How to Cry Out to God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 14:29-30

The phone rings, and you answer. A sullen voice informs you of a tragedy. Your heart is so heavy that you feel as though you could die. What do you do?

Bad news, danger, and pain all cause us to look for help. As believers, we dwell with the almighty God, who is able to aid us. At those moments when we are sideswiped by life’s circumstances, we should cry out to Him.

In the Bible, crying out refers to speaking audibly with great emotion concerning an urgent need. God invites us to use this form of prayer to communicate that we desperately need His mercy.

It takes both faith and humility to share our heart’s concern aloud. Crying out, then, is a way for God’s children to express trust in the Lord’s ability and willingness to help. By calling upon Him with such urgency, wealso lay down our pride and any attitude of self-sufficiency.

The Word of God assures us that our Father hears our cries and responds. In Psalm 3:4, for example, David wrote, “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered from His holy mountain.” When we call aloud for help in Jesus’ name, we invite His power into the situation. Remember that there is strength in just speaking His name.

When we cry out to God, He may remove the problem immediately, yet we often have to wait for His perfect timing. Harsh circumstances might even be allowed to remain for His good purposes. But we can always count on His comfort and presence, which enable us to live with joy and hope.

Friendship with the Holy Spirit..... Craig Denison

 Friendship with the Holy Spirit

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

As believers, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Teacher, Friend, and seal for the promised inheritance of eternal life with God. His presence, guidance, and wisdom in our lives are our greatest gifts while here on earth. Through him we have access to direct connection with our heavenly Father. Through him we receive spiritual gifts to empower us. And through him we are able to bear the incredible fruit of abundant life. Open your heart and mind to all that the Holy Spirit would give you, show you, and lead you to this week.

Scripture:“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” Psalm 25:14

Devotional:

In friendship with the Holy Spirit we begin to experience a sense of wholeness and joy unattainable through any other relationship or aspect of life. Rapid and wonderful transformation results when you discover the wealth of love that comes with continual, real friendship with the living God. In friendship with God comes peace, security, honesty, healing, and freedom. As you live your life in step with the Spirit, you experience what Adam and Eve experienced as they walked with God himself in the Garden of Eden. You discover the vast reservoir of love, affection, and perfect help that’s available to you in the Holy Spirit. Open your heart today to receive a fresh revelation of God’s desire for friendship with you through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” God longs for friendship with his people. And through the Holy Spirit we have a continual connection with God available to us. The Spirit desires to do life with you. He wants to guide you, speak to you, and love you. He wants to satisfy your longing for relationship and can do so in greater ways than you can imagine.

John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” By God’s grace you have been filled with God himself. You have dwelling with you the same Spirit who authored Scripture, raised Christ from the dead, empowered the disciples, and hovered over the waters at the creation of all things. And Scripture says that he longs to help you! Jesus calls him the “Helper.” How incredible is the grace of our God to offer us relationship with the Holy Spirit! How great is his love that he would send his Son to die that we might have abundant life for all of eternity, including right now!

So, how do we grow in friendship with the Holy Spirit? How do we allow him to satisfy our desire for relationship? Psalm 25:14 says, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” And Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Friendship with the Holy Spirit starts like any other true friendship. We must respect, love, and make time for him. We must learn what he likes and dislikes. And we must apologize when we do something that hurts him. The Holy Spirit has feelings like any other person. But he is also full of grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love. Friendship with him comes about by following his leadership, making time to ask him how he feels about things, and following his guidance away from a lifestyle of sin into the righteousness available to you through Christ Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is waiting right now to guide you into friendship with him. He’s excited about the idea of pouring out his love and affections on you. He longs to lead you away from the sins that hurt you and grieve him. And he longs to guide you toward a life of walking with him in relationship. Spend time in prayer being filled with the Holy Spirit afresh and making room to discover the reality of his presence in your life.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire for friendship with you.

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” >John 15:15

“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” Psalm 25:14

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to pour his love out on you. Ask him to make the reality of his nearness known to you. Be filled with desire to live your life in relationship with this real, tangible God who loves you.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit what he likes and doesn’t like. Open your life and let him speak to you about whatever is causing you trouble. Ask him how he feels about relationships, situations, thoughts, and perspectives you have. The Spirit loves to speak to us and help us.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” >John 14:16-17

Often we separate out what we think God cares about and what just seems to be normal, worldly parts of life. But God wants to be involved in every part of our lives. He wants to be there for us in everything we do. He wants to fill us with grace and joy to do all the things set before us, from taking out the trash to washing dishes to leading thousands of people in prayer. Allow the Holy Spirit to come in and work in every area of your life and discover the wealth of knowledge and love your God has to share with you.

Extended Reading: John 14

What if You Need To Suit Up Instead of Toughen Up?..... KIMBERLY HENDERSON

 What if You Need To Suit Up Instead of Toughen Up? 

KIMBERLY HENDERSON

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) 

You just need to toughen up, Kimberly.

This is what I told myself after being misunderstood and then referred to in untrue and unkind ways on social media. Not only did I feel shamed by their words, but I also felt ashamed of myself for letting them crush me.

If you’re going to be a woman who shares her heart in this world, you’re going to have to get some thicker skin.

The desire to self-protect is such a normal, human reaction — especially in a world that can be so cruel.

But God has been helping me see that when I toughen up, I become cynical and less sensitive to His voice and the needs around me. And I keep people at a distance as I build up layer upon thick-skinned layer — insulating myself from some of the very people He wants me to reach.

So what do we do when we want to be used by God, but we’re afraid or even tired of feeling attacked? How do we protect ourselves when hurtful things are hurled our way?

First, we must remember that people are not our real enemy. Satan — the father of lies, the deceiver, the accuser of us all — is our true enemy. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (NIV).

This is hard to remember when the flaming arrows aimed our way come via the vicious lips or fast-typing fingertips of people. But it’s still the truth.

We also must realize that it’s not our job to protect ourselves with thicker skin. Instead, we need to prayerfully put on the armor God says He has given us. We find this reminder in Ephesians 6:10-11, which says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (NIV).

I realize how vague this might seem since we can’t see His armor with our physical eyes. But remember, this isn’t a battle that takes place in the flesh. We are fighting a spiritual battle. This is why we need to spend time considering the armor detailed in Ephesians 6:10-18 as we ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern how each piece might protect us. Then we can speak or write out prayers to help us when we feel weak.

Here are a few examples of prayers I wrote based on my situation:

The breastplate of righteousness (v. 14): Jesus, everything in me wants to respond in ugly ways right now. But You are my righteousness. Help me make choices that align with that truth. And guard my heart against bitterness as I choose to respond with grace.

The shield of faith (v. 16): Lord, I don’t want these fiery darts to leave me consumed by fear and insecurity. I am choosing to believe I am who You say I am: redeemed, purposed and loved. And I am going to keep moving forward in faith because I know You are who You say You are: my Shield, my Safe Refuge, my Victorious King.

The helmet of salvation (v. 17): Jesus, the enemy would love to worm his way into my thoughts and make me believe all the worst things being said about me. But the blood You shed for me speaks a better word over me. Cover my mind in the truth that I am safe and secure in You.

The sword of the Spirit (v. 17): Lord, Your Word is sharper than a two-edged sword. It is my weapon against the enemy, but it’s also like a scalpel You can use with precision to get to the heart of me. Wherever I need Your conviction and correction, make me aware. But wherever there are lies and condemnation, help me silence Satan with Truth.

God hasn’t called us to toughen up against people. He has equipped us to suit up against our true enemy.

Yes, the initial pain we feel when we come under attack is real. But God’s armor is real, too. Every piece is His power, peace and protection placed between us and Satan. And we can stay surrendered to being used by the Lord because we know we're fully covered by Him.

Lord, I’m so grateful You haven’t left me to face my battles alone. I know I am surrounded by Your love, covered by Your armor and equipped by Your Truth. Even when the enemy’s most vile attacks come after me, help me stay tender to Your leading and courageous enough to keep obeying You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Pride Brings Failure, Humility Lifts You Up..... By: Amanda Idleman

 Pride Brings Failure, Humility Lifts You Up

By: Amanda Idleman

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” - Proverbs 16:18

Essentially, this simple verse summarizes the sin-cycle that we all battle. Pride blinds us to our need for God and then failure, disconnection, and destruction becomes the product of our lives. For us to know God and enjoy his blessings, we need a humble heart. James 4:10 describes the posture we should take as believers. It says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Humble is defined as “not proud or haughty” which is exactly the opposite of what Proverbs 16:18 warns will bring us bad results.

Pride is not a new problem. Even before the story of our Humanity’s sinful nature and consequent Fall from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), the Bible records the account of prideful fallen angels. These angels felt they were better, more powerful than God, and rebelled from His ranks. Jude 1:6 says, “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” Life apart from God for celestial and human beings is a gloomy one.

Bible Hub’s Matthew Poole’s commentary summarizes the situation this way, “Pride goeth before destruction; it is commonly a forerunner and cause of men’s ruin because it highly provokes both God and men.” There is a tension between the will of man and the will of God. For things to go well for us we must be willing to surrender our lives over to God. Trusting God with our hearts and believing God when He promises that He will take care of us (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This ancient and simple verse still is extraordinarily applicable to our lives today! We are living in a culture that does not accept God and His role in our lives. Our abilities to “make our own way” or “work hard enough to find success” are just a few obvious ways that our world has bought into the lie that we have the ability to control our destiny apart from a reliance on God.

More subtly, our pride is what causes fights in our marriage, gets in the way of us loving our neighbor well, and creates divides in our communities. When we live with the idea that “our way is best,” then there is no room for God or the people around us to influence our lives. Philippians 2:3 captures the posture we should take in our relationships. Philippians 2:3 says “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” Yet, how hard is this to actually live by?

It is a daily challenge to not let our desire to “make it happen” blind us from the path God has for our lives. It takes faith over fear. It takes pausing to pray before acting. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, reminding us time and time again that God is in control.

The great news is that even when we experience those dreaded failures, God does not abandon us! Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we recognize that our pride has brought us to a dead end, all we have to do is ask for God’s forgiveness and He mercifully promises to be with us and guide us to more solid ground.

Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life..... by Alex Crain

 Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life

by Alex Crain

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:1

Just before our second son Henry was born, I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking everything in. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, booties and footie pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy.

People love babies. There is an inexplicable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because, without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living.

Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly question of, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing a past decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote,

"In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1)

Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

1 John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense] from all sin."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Refocus today on your present walk with Christ. If your fellowship with the Lord is broken, let 1 John 1:1 illumine the path. It says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Trust God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, and begin to walk with Him again. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live spiritually.

Further Reading

Psalms 86:7

A Prayer for Racial Healing..... By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

 A Prayer for Racial Healing

By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you…” - Colossians 3:5

Lurking. When you hear that word, what does it make you think of? A shadowy form hiding in a dark alley? A sinister plot just waiting to be revealed? That’s what comes to my mind. Merriam-Webster defines lurking as “being concealed, but capable of being discovered.” Another definition says, “remaining hidden so as to wait in ambush; present in a barely discernible state, although still presenting a threat.” But in Colossians 3:5, Paul uses this word to remind us of the sinful, earthly things in each of us.

The truth is that we all have sin hiding away, and the tricky part is that a lot of it doesn’t show up in our day to day. We are able to mask it many times. Can’t you just picture Greed, Pride, Jealousy, Anger, Dirty Language, Lust and others wearing trench coats while hanging out in the shadows of our hearts? Satan is crafty, and he knows just how to trigger these things in us, so that they make a grand entrance, reminding us of our own depravity. I will think I have been doing so well as a follower of Jesus, loving people, serving, etc. Then something happens, and by my response, I’m reminded of just how sinful I really am.

In recent months, racial tensions have been high.  Lives shattered. And it’s heartbreaking. It should make all of us examine our hearts and how we view people of the opposite race, pray for the hidden to be revealed, and seek how the Lord would help us bring healing.

The problem with racism, bias, prejudice, whichever word you like to use, though, is that it’s not easily discernible in every person. It’s not something people like to face. And it doesn’t always show itself openly.

It’s something that is lurking. And that makes it hard to get better.

You see, I am a white, middle-aged woman in the South. I was raised to love all people like Jesus would, and I do my best. I have had relationships through the years as a friend, “big sister,” co-worker, bible-study leader, and volunteer with many in the Black community. I am so proud to call many of them friend and love them dearly. My husband and I do our best to live out loving all people and teaching our children to do the same.

But. This world is broken. It’s fallen. And Satan uses every opportunity to divide. I can’t say there haven’t been seeds planted in my heart that have produced prejudiced thoughts at times. And it makes my soul hurt to admit that.

My precious friends, the only hope for healing is for all of us, on both sides, is to pull these feelings out of the shadows and face them. To pray for eyes to see each other as Jesus does. To communicate with each other. To stand up and speak out when needed. And to expose these biases for what they are: well-crafted lies created to divide us for centuries. I pray that one day soon, color will just be an adjective. Until then, may we all do our best to live out 1 Samuel 16:7:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “…The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Dear Jesus,

We come to you broken. We desperately need your wisdom and discernment in our words and actions. Oh Jesus, help us be courageous enough to face our own fears, prejudices, and misconceptions. Forgive us of these specific sins against our black brothers and sisters. Reveal what is hidden in us and help us to love people, all people, as you would. Give us courage to speak up and do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see as You do, Lord. Help us to be a light in this dark world and bring unity, healing, and forgiveness to our communities.

In the Mighty Name of Jesus,

Amen