Can You Trust Your Conscience?..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Can You Trust Your Conscience?

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Timothy 1:5-7

Let your conscience be your guide. This bit of folk wisdom seems to make sense since our conscience is designed to help us discern right from wrong. However, people cannot always trust their internal radar to steer them correctly; this is the case particularly with unbelievers, who don’t have the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and offer guidance for wise decisions. And while Christians do have God’s indwelling Spirit, they should be careful not to harbor sin in their lives, as that can interfere with the way their morality sensor functions.

A trustworthy conscience is programmed with scriptural teaching. Believers build a stable and sensitive spiritual radar system by applying God’s truth to their lives. They are committed to thinking and acting in ways that honor and please the Lord. Then, when sinful thoughts or choices come across that radar, it will deliver a sharp warning.

A person with a reliable conscience will have a strong desire to obey God. He won’t settle for what feels right or looks good, but instead prayerfully seeks the Lord’s will. In other words, he does not rely solely on his conscience but incorporates all of the Holy Spirit’s tools into his daily life: Scripture, prayer, etc. Moreover, when his spiritual radar sounds the alarm, he is quick to draw back and reject unwise choices.

A conscience isn’t designed to be our guide; it is a tool of the Guide. The Holy Spirit not only convicts us of sin, but He also brings to mind godly principles and leads us on a righteous path. He uses a variety of tools to conform us to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29).

The Joy of the Lord..... Craig Denison

 The Joy of the Lord

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of his desire for all those who would believe in him. As we dive deeply into the riches of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer this week, may your heart be awakened and your life be transformed by the riches of God’s love.

Scripture:“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”>John 17:13

Devotional:

Jesus came to bring about the fullness of joy in man. Often we see Christians who are not exhibiting a lifestyle of joy, and therefore we assume God is not a happy God. We see all the darkness that surrounds and assume that God is most often angry or sad. But in John 17:13 Jesus prayed to the Father, “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

Jesus’ prayer in John 17:13 demonstrates two important, life-changing truths for you and me today. First, Jesus had joy. We could not have his joy fulfilled in us if he doesn’t have joy to start with. And the whole of Scripture supports the truth that within God dwells the fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The God whom you have been filled with at salvation longs to produce the fruit of joy in your life. He longs to make you a joyful person from the inside out, that your joy wouldn’t be based on circumstances or the fleeting whims of the world.

Second, John 17 tells us that we can have the joy of Jesus for ourselves. The God of joy longs to fill you to overflowing with satisfaction and hope. He longs to make your joy abundant and transcendent of the good or bad around you. God is joyful because it’s a part of his nature. And he longs for it to be the same with you.

Do you believe that God is a joyful god? Have you experienced how happy he is? Have you met with him and encountered the joy and peace in his heart toward you? Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” God longs to meet with you today and fill you with joy to overflowing. In Romans 15:13 Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Joy is available to you today as you believe. There is hope in the Holy Spirit.

Come to God today with all your cares and burdens. Lay them at his feet and allow him to fill you with peace and joy where only heaviness abounded. God longs to set you free from the burdens of anxiety. He longs to lead you to a life of happiness and freedom in the Spirit. As you enter into guided prayer, choose to commit to God anything that has been weighing you down. Come before him with faith that he will shepherd you to greener pastures as you offer him your heart and follow his guidance.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to fill you with the joy of Jesus.

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” >John 17:13

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” >Galatians 5:22-23

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” >John 10:10

2. Lay your burdens at the feet of God. What concern, problem, circumstance, or relationship has been weighing on you? What has been stealing your joy lately? Cast all your cares at the feet of your heavenly Father who loves you.

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” >1 Peter 5:7

3. Ask God to fill you with joy inexpressible. Ask him to reveal to you his joy, and to help you bear the fruit of his Spirit.

Oftentimes we allow ourselves to be continually downcast rather than fighting for the joy available to us in God. Joy is a vital part of the Christian life. We are not made to carry burdens that steal our joy and keep us from the abundant life Jesus died to give us. Psalm 16:6 says, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” God has plans to lead you to a life filled with the fullness of joy. May you pursue all the wonders and blessings God has in store for you today through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.

Extended Reading: Psalm 16

I Judged Her, But I Am Her..... AMANDA BACON

 I Judged Her, But I Am Her

AMANDA BACON

“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:13-14 (ESV) 

She didn’t see me, but I saw her.

Her husband and two young daughters were meeting her there. She got out of her car in her work clothes, still wearing her I.D. badge, and walked to join her family across the parking lot.

Her preschool-age daughter happily shrieked “Mommy!” and ran toward her for a hug.

But when she reached Mommy a few feet away, the little girl was greeted with irritation. The mother continued toward her husband and baby and proceeded to greet them in a way that wasn’t friendly or welcoming either.

Wow, I thought.  What an entrance. I’m sure glad I’m not like her.

Pause and insert the dreadful moment when my thoughts of judgement toward this woman started penetrating my own heart. Suddenly, I remembered all the ways I'd been unfriendly, unwelcoming and unkind to my own family.

I’d greeted my kids with disappointment in the early morning when their arrival in the living room was sooner than I’d hoped and cut short my peaceful moment with my hot coffee and Bible.

I’d criticized the outfits my husband picked out for our young children when he had taken the lead on getting them ready for church so I could keep getting ready myself.

I’d been short and sidetracked by what felt wrong and out of place when I walked into a room where my kids were playing, and I spoke critical and thoughtless words rather than speaking to my kids as people I adored and deeply cared for.

How many times had I corrected one of my kids out of annoyance without working to connect with them first?

How many times had I been upset with my husband when he was parenting in a way that was different, not wrong?

What seemed so unloving from the mom in the parking lot was no different than my own past actions staring right back at me. The memories flooded my mind. I was no different.

Wow is right. But this time, it was my own correction without connection, and my own critical spirit, that needed fixing.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector. Starting in verse 9 and ending with verse 14, Jesus tells this story:

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

Goodness. I’m often self-righteous like the Pharisee in this parable, unable or unwilling to see my own shortcomings but judging the shortcomings of everyone around me. Yet I yearn to be more like the humble tax collector, not even lifting my eyes to others or to heaven and instead pleading with God for mercy because of the reality of my sin.

God is a just God who will one day judge our lives based on how we lived them, but He is also gracious to us in the face of our sin — so there is no room for us to judge others in self-righteousness. When we point fingers at others — telling God, “But what about her?” — He gently and tenderly whispers, “But what about you?” He cares deeply about the condition of our hearts, friend. May He find our hearts full of humility … and overflowing with grace for others.

Father, You know how I struggle to see myself and others rightly. Today I pray that You would help me keep humility at the forefront of my mind, and that I would be gracious with my words and thoughts about others who engage in behaviors that mirror my own. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God Wants My Whole Heart..... By: Anne Peterson

 God Wants My Whole Heart

By: Anne Peterson

And he (Jesus) answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. - Luke 10:27

Remember when you first heard about the Lord? You could not read the Bible enough, and you could hardly wait to get together with other Christians to share the latest thing you learned about God.

You shared the Gospel with others, hoping for opportunities. You didn’t worry about what someone might think of you, you worried about whether they knew Jesus or not. There was an urgency, a purpose in sharing.

In those days, when trials came, you would search the Bible for verses to help you through. You wanted to trust God, so you surrendered everything to him. You were in 100%. God had your whole heart. But somehow, over time, things changed. And the things that had been on the top of your list moved down a little.

Trials seemed heavier. Or somehow you felt less prepared to face them.

Maybe a disappointment weighed you down. Perhaps it was more than one. And that caught you off guard. After all, hadn’t you been close to the Lord? It wasn’t that long ago and you knew you had access to God’s throne room (Hebrews 4:16).

Maybe one disappointment led to another and you started feeling a little less special to God. You started listening to the lies the enemy whispered. Lies like: God doesn’t really care about you. If God cared, you wouldn’t be going through hard times. You started feeling distance between you and God. And your excitement to get into the Bible lessened. Maybe the worries of life or the desires for other things moved in when you weren’t looking, or maybe you outgrew the love you had (Mark 4:19).

In the beginning, you had so many answered prayers. It felt like you had a special connection with God. But it felt less like this when the trials got harder and harder. And memories you had became a little dimmed.

Sometimes all it takes for a rekindling of our love is remembrance. What was it that drew you to God in the first place? Had that changed? No, not at all.

God reached out to you, sending you someone to share about Jesus. You drank in every drop of living water, letting it seep down into your very soul. You learned you were a sinner, and that God loved you enough to send his own Son to die for you (John 3:16). You learned no one else would ever love you like God did (John 15:13).

God forgave all of your sins. He gave you access to heaven by accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made. All you had to do was accept the gift held out to you (Ephesians 2:8-9). And you did just that, grabbing onto it with both hands.

When we feel distant from our Father, it’s something that can be fixed. God didn’t move, we did. All we have to do is call on him. When Peter walked on the water, he did fine till he took his eyes off Jesus (Matthew 14: 28-30). Jesus didn’t shame Peter for slipping down, nor did he reprimand Peter. No. When Peter called out to the Lord, Jesus immediately reached out and lifted him up. And he does the same with us.

God loves us so much, he even knows how many hairs we have on our heads (Luke 12:7). God cares about us. And He’ll never stop caring.

I wonder when it happened, Lord,
this feeling we’re apart.
I know when I first met you,
that I gave to you my heart.

And then my Father showed me
that when trials came my way,
I’d pull my heart back slightly,
a little more each day.

I didn’t want the distance
and knew what I must do;
I handed back my heart to Him,
and all my love anew.

- Anne Peterson

God doesn’t want just part of me. He doesn’t want just Half of my Heart, like this song by Nathan Peterson. God wants my whole heart. That’s what Jesus told us (Luke 10:27).

The How of the Christian Life..... by Alex Crain

 The How of the Christian Life

by Alex Crain

"…be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38

"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.

This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.

Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.

Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? 2 Corinthians 2:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.

"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, ‘I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)

"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."

"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."

"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: ‘Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them… bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"

"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."

Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."

For Further Study:
Romans 6:1

A Prayer to Trust God’s Promises..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer to Trust God’s Promises

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” - Psalm 91:14

If you were sitting across the table from me today and asked if I’d open to Psalm 91, you’d see the word “peace” written above the text. Years ago, I was in the midst of an intense season of spiritual battle. Nighttime was especially hard for me, even harder on the nights my husband was traveling for work. But one particular night I realized I had to hand my battle over to the Lord.

I reached out to my Bible study teacher and asked her if there was a place in Scripture she’d recommend I should go. She pointed my heart to Psalm 91. She told me to not only read it, but to pray it, and study the promises that God had woven all throughout it.

This portion of God’s Word became a safe haven for my heart, and it still is. What I love (and what you’ll read if you study) is that this Psalm has “I will” or “he will” promises from the Lord all throughout. Here are just a few:

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…”

“He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;”

It’s laced with the promises we find in the Lord when we make Him our dwelling place, our refuge, and as we trust Him to be our protector. It’s places like this in scripture where the Lord has spelled out for us what we mean to Him and all that He desires for us as a good Father, the perfect Father.

Though hardships, attacks, and pain happen to us in this life, we see the confirmation here through Psalm 91 that when we “hold fast to the Lord in love, He will deliver us; He will protect us because we know His name. When we call to Him, He will answer us, He will be with us in trouble, He will rescue us, satisfy us, and show us His salvation.” Isn’t that amazing? He will show us His salvation — we get to see His salvation poured out by His grace and mercy over our lives, and the eternal security that awaits us.

What a comfort this is. Psalm 91 is not the only place we see these types of promises, but all throughout His word He continues to concrete His desires and promises to our heart. He reveals to us what peace, joy, goodness, and sanctification look like through a life tethered to Him. He teaches us what it means to trust in Him. He teaches us that as we as believers don’t need to live in fear of what lies ahead or be overcome when the enemy attacks, because we get to take refuge in our all-knowing, always pursuing Heavenly Father.

Pray with me…

Lord, as waves of fear come, I pray you would stir up in me a heart that desires to run to you. I pray for an unwavering trust in your goodness and the praise that you are my refuge. Thank you for your unfailing love, grace, and mercy over my life.

I pray the promises of Psalm 91 over my life. Right now, that no harm would overtake me, that no disaster would come near me. I pray that your angels would guard me in all my ways. I pray that because you love me, you would rescue me, protect me, and be with me in my troubles… even if those troubles are all in my imagination. Calm my fears and bring your peace to my heart.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen.