Conquering Fear..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Conquering Fear

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 63

Every one of us will experience moments of apprehension, and denial or trying to hide from it will do no good. When fear arises, ask yourself the following questions: Where does it come from? (You know it isn't from God.) Has God ever failed me in the past? Does He promise to meet all of my needs? Does He keep His promises?

If we read the Bible, we'll find countless stories of God's faithfulness. For example, Paul lived through hardship, persecution, pain, and all kinds of terrible circumstances. The apostle wrote these well-known words: "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). This testifies to the fact that for those who trust in Him, God turns every difficulty, loss, and separation into something good.

From Abraham to Isaiah to David to Job to Jonah to Paul to John, we see God's constant love and care for His people. His Word is a lamp that will give us clear guidance when circumstances are bleak. It offers the best direction we will ever find. When we meditate upon it, pray over it, grapple with it, and incorporate it into our lives, His light chases away the darkness. The psalms, in particular, are helpful in dealing with fear.

God, the sovereign ruler of this universe, is in control of your life. Don't make the mistake of thinking He isn't, simply because He does not operate according to your will and schedule. If you read your Bible and meditate on it, you will find genuine strength in His promises.

God’s Patient Heart..... Craig Denison

 God’s Patient Heart

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

The story of the prodigal son moves my heart to delve into the depths of God’s limitless grace. I find myself in every facet of Jesus’ words. I identify with both the son’s rebellion and the power of the father’s love. As children of God we are in constant need of reminders about God’s mercy toward us. When the world rejects us, God calls us in. When the world writes us off, God clothes us with righteousness and honor. May this transformative story of the prodigal son guide you to a deeper and more intimate relationship with your loving heavenly Father.

Scripture:“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15

Devotional:

Our heavenly Father is abundantly patient with us. So vast is his love that our hearts can always be filled with his affection. So perfect is his leadership and wisdom that he makes available to us a perfect and pleasing life through every season. And yet he is patient to guide us into the fullness of life afforded to us by Christ’s sacrifice. He waits, sweetly beckoning us to simply trust him and cultivate a heart of constant communion with him.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells us of a prodigal son who foolishly and pridefully leaves perfect communion with his father to chase after worldly satisfaction. The father lovingly obliges his son, offers him his inheritance as if he himself were dead, and watches as his son leaves a life in his father’s care to lead a lifestyle of destruction. And the father waits, patiently hoping for the return of his child.

I find myself daily leaving the perfection of communion with my heavenly Father to seek the things of the world. I seek after success and admiration from the lost and broken rather than simply receiving the unconditional acceptance of my Father. I abandon perfect peace for the striving and stress of worldly gain. I reject the loving and perfect thoughts of my Father for the fleeting and unfounded affection of others.

I am the prodigal son. We all are. And yet our heavenly Father has a patient heart toward us. He waits to run out to meet us. Psalm 86:15 says, “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Just when I think my heavenly Father will reject me for my sin and rebellion, he runs out to clothe me with the best robe, a ring, and new shoes (Luke 15:22). Just when I think he’ll send me off to the fields as a slave for punishment, he throws a feast in my honor (Luke 15:23-24). Just when I think I am unworthy of his affections and attention, he reminds me of the death of his Son, sacrificed that I might receive the abundance of unconditional love and grace my Father has toward me.

I long to live in the embrace of my Father. I long to end my days of wayward pursuits. I long to rest in the perfect communion available to me in Jesus. There is no source of true love apart from him. There is no relationship more satisfying than one with our God. There is no identity more freeing than being the child of the Creator. And there is no real grace outside of his overwhelmingly patient heart.

May we, as the bride of Christ, turn our feet toward the home of our Father and confess our need of him. May we humble ourselves before a God who is both patient and powerful. And may we allow him to pick us up off our knees, clothe us with honor and love, and wrap us up in his grace-filled arms. Your God is patient toward you, waiting with expectation in his heart for what he can do in your life. Receive the love he longs to give and experience the abundant life that comes only through restored relationship with your patient Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the patient heart of God. Allow his patience to draw you into the deeper places of his heart. Receive his presence and rest in the knowledge of his love.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” >2 Peter 3:9

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:28

2. In what ways have you been living like the prodigal son? Where have you gone your own way and abandoned the perfect peace that comes from total communion with the Father?

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” >Isaiah 26:3

3. Turn your heart toward the Father, repent of your sin, and allow him to fill you with his abundant love. Ask him to reveal his love to you today right where you’re at. Ask him how he feels about you. And let his love wash away any shame or guilt that would keep you from experiencing the full breadth of his affection.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 34:4-5

The patience of our Father is by no means a weakness as the world might think. Our God is patient because he has perfect perspective and purpose. He values that which actually matters and doesn’t concern himself with worldly pursuits. He sees the full path of your life. He knows the reasons for which you were created. He knows the highs and lows you will go through. And he is patient toward you. Rest in his patience. Allow his perspectives to become yours. And live today at the pace at which he guides you, trusting that his patient heart will lead you to his perfect and pleasing will.

Extended Reading: 2 Peter 3

Real Life Hide-and-Seek..... by Jennifer Waddle

Real Life Hide-and-Seek

by Jennifer Waddle 

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: And those you know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. -  Psalm 9:10

Real Life Hide-and-Seek
by Jennifer Waddle

In the childhood game of hide-and-seek, the seeker looks for those who are hiding, but if he can’t find them, he throws his hands up in defeat. In the game of life, however, those who seek the Lord find Him, for He is not hiding from men, but rather standing in plain sight. Sadly, there are many who refuse to be the seeker. Fooled by self-sufficiency, they’ve convinced themselves they have no need to look for the Savior. Instead, they carry on with a sense of independence, self-confidence, and pride.

Admitting the need for a Savior is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is the yielding of one’s life to the magnificent purpose of the Creator, who loves them and longs to draw them near. The Lord does not forsake those who seek Him.

Well-known author, C.S. Lewis, struggled with this very thing. He wrote in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, that on three separate occasions he felt a “sudden, piercing pang of longing─a bittersweet ache and yearning for something far-off…” Later, he wrote about his reluctance to convert to Christianity, and described himself as“kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.” (Read more here.)

The beautiful thing about the real-life game of hide-and-seek is that the seeker is always the winner. He or she never comes up empty-handed, unable to find what they are looking for.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

Deep down, in the soul of every person, there is an empty hole that can never be filled by anything else. Wealth, notoriety, or self-sufficiency will never completely fulfill the longing of every person’s heart. Only the all-consuming, everlasting love of the Father, made manifest in His Son, Jesus Christ, can make a person whole. And those who know His name, and put their trust in Him, will, in the end, find much more than they ever thought possible.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19.

The Karate Kid..... by Ryan Duncan

 The Karate Kid

by Ryan Duncan

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. – Matthew 5:39

When it comes to old movies, there’s really no beating the 1984 Karate Kid. It’s the classic coming-of-age story of a young boy who finds his potential with the help of a wise, old man. Of course, back then all I cared about were the awesome fight scenes. The first time I saw the movie I must have spent a week doing “Crane kicks” around the house like an inebriated flamingo. Those same action sequences haven’t aged well, and these days The Karate Kid looks downright corny, but the film still contains some valuable lessons for people who listen.

At one point in the movie Daniel grows frustrated with his training. He’s tired of being bullied, tired of being treated like a loser, he wants some payback and karate seems like the best way to get it. Mr. Miyagi listens patiently as his young pupil vents his anger, then pulls him aside and in broken English tries to explain the essence of what he’s teaching.

Pointing to his head, Miyagi says, “Daniel san, karate here.” He then points to his heart and says “Karate here.” Lastly, he points at his fists and say, “karate never, never here.”

The Karate Kid might be a cheesy movie, but I think a lot of Christians could take a lesson from Mr. Miyagi. It bothers me how often I hear pastors and Christian leaders say things like, “We’re soldiers in the army of God”, “We’re fighting a Culture War”, or “The line is being drawn in the sand”. I understand how hard it is to live as a Christian in modern culture, believe me, but that doesn’t mean we start living our faith with our fists. In fact, that sounds almost counter to what Jesus told his disciples to do.

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”– Luke 6:27-31

The truth is Jesus doesn’t need us to fight His battles. Our job is to be reflections of His love and mercy, and we can’t do that when we’re branding people as enemies of the Church. The same principles Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel about karate are true for Christians. God is in our hearts, God is in our minds, but God is never, never in our fists.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Take some time and examine how you witness to others. Are you showing them genuine friendship?

Further Reading
Romans 12:14

A Prayer to See Our Purpose in Every Season..... By: Alisha Headley

 A Prayer to See Our Purpose in Every Season

By: Alisha Headley

“There is a season for every purpose and a purpose for every season….” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

I’m not sure what season you are currently walking in right now. Perhaps you are in a season of transition as you are in the process of changing careers. Maybe you are in a season that feels insignificant, taking care of young children or aging parents, and every day feels like Groundhog Day.

Whatever your season, it’s preparing you for the next one. The Bible gives us countless examples of seasons, none of which were never wasted. Some of these seasons might have felt irrelevant, but each season served a significant purpose.

Our beloved Savior, Jesus himself, spent his first 30 years mostly in obscurity. After just a few years of ministry, he was crucified on the cross at age thirty-three. That means he was only walking in his what one might perceive as his calling for a short three years.

The thirty years prior, even though it may have seemed irrelevant or insignificant, was anything but. He was a student and not a teacher. He was following his calling, allowing God to make Him into the man ready to walk in the season ahead of Him. He was exactly where he was supposed to be for those first thirty years, walking in the season He was supposed to be walking in. (Luke 3:23)

What season are you currently in? It may feel like a season that feels as if you have no value. Today’s verse confirms, however, that whatever season you are in serves a purpose. We may not understand the purpose yet, but one day we will.

Regardless, God wants us to be excellent in the season we are in right now, for there serve a purpose. And just as Jesus showed us as our greatest example, we too, can learn everything God wants us to learn in the current season we are in. These skills He is trying to grow in us, will be used in the next season He’s preparing for us.

Let’s begin to embrace the season we are in. To embrace whatever that small thing that you are doing now that may seem insignificant. God is watching you handle what He’s given you NOW, to make sure you are prepared and ready for the thing that’s NEXT. So embrace and be excellent where you are now as Colossians 3:23 says “…whatever you do, do EVERYTHING whole heartily, as to the Lord…”

Dear God,

We are so thankful that you love us so much to not throw us into a season when we are not equipped for it. Thank you for today’s verse, which reminds us that whatever season we are in, it is serving a purpose. It’s serving a greater purpose, and that’s your purpose.

We may not know your mighty plan, but we trust that you have a plan. Even though the season we are in now doesn’t make sense, or we may feel like what we are doing is nothing of value, it’s preparing us for what you have ahead for us. We trust that and every single day is not wasted in this season as there is something you want to teach us and show us about you.

Thank you that we don’t have to know the reason, but we can trust you, as the author who wrote this story and who knows how the story ends. Prompt us in moments of discouragement or defeat, to remind us that we can do everything and anything with a joyful spirit because we are doing it for you and for your glory. Teach us what you want us to learn in this season, and we commit to being excellent in the season we are in now.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen