Sanctification: God's Grand Plan..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Sanctification: God's Grand Plan

Dr. Charles Stanley

Jeremiah 29:11

The heavenly Father has a grand plan for the life of every person, and it can be summed up in the word sanctification. If you have never been certain of the term's meaning, you are not alone--many people are unclear about its definition. However, believers should understand it because the word defines them.

In its verb form--sanctify--the term means "to make holy" or "to separate." So when something is sanctified, it is separated from its former common usage and is dedicated for sacred purposes. The Old Testament mentions a number of things that the Lord sanctified: He made the seventh day holy, set aside the Levite tribe as priests, and even consecrated places like the Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle (Gen. 2:3; Num. 3).

The heavenly Father still sanctifies people today. Before a person places his faith in the Savior, he is spiritually dead and, in fact, an enemy of God (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 5:10). But the moment someone chooses to trust in Jesus Christ, his sins are wiped away, and he is adopted into God's family. That individual is set apart as a child of God, with a sacred purpose. This means believers are not here to chase after personal gain but to serve the Lord and bring Him honor and glory.

As members of God's family who are called upon to reflect His glory, believers are referred to as "saints." We are given this moniker--which shares its root with sanctification--not because we live sinless lives, but because we live a life consistent with the One we represent.

Restoration of Authority..... Craig Denison

 Restoration of Authority

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:“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” >Matthew 16:19

Devotional:

One day as I spent time with the Lord I felt him speak to me, “Come follow me and I’ll give you the keys to the kingdom.” I stood still in awe and wonder at a God who would break through the natural and speak straight to my heart. At this point I had yet to read a Scripture that I believe was meant to define the lives of all believers. Once I came across this verse I felt the purpose for my life was changed forever.

In Matthew 16:19 Jesus tells Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” And later in Matthew 18:18 he tells the rest of the disciples, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” You and I are called to live with the authority of our Savior. When we became Christians we were brought into a restoration of authority only available to those transformed by his powerful sacrifice. We have been given dominion over the powers of darkness that we might spread the truth of God’s authority over the works of the enemy. God has chosen to use us as beacons of his holy light that the world would see us and know of the power and love of our heavenly Father.

In the story of the prodigal son, the father immediately restores the authority of his child upon his return. When the father gives his ring to his son, we see a symbol of authority being transferred back to the son. No matter how terrible the sin, no matter how long the rebellion, our Father will always give us authority to do his work when we return to him.

No sin disqualifies us from living a life of eternal impact. No length of time outside of the church, the Bible, prayer, or worship keeps us from being ministers of God’s grace. In his grace, he’s chosen to use us. Each one of us has been appointed, not by our own merit, but by his love and divine wisdom to live a life of eternal significance only we can live.

Jesus is saying to you today, “Come follow me and I’ll give you the keys to my kingdom.” He’s given you authority to bind and loose things on heaven and earth. You have the authority to lead others to freedom from the terrible schemes of the enemy on their lives. You have the ability to love and minister to others by the Spirit of God. You can shine the light of God’s love into the darkest places and claim what was the enemy’s for the one true God.

Take time in guided prayer to meditate on the authority given to you by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh and declare to you the purposes he has for you today. Commit yourself to being a minister of the Lord in every circumstance today and discover the incredible life available to you in the restoration of authority given to you by your heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the authority given to you by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Allow Scripture to renew your mind to the power and authority you have in the Spirit.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” >Matthew 16:19

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” >Luke 10:17-20

2. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh and declare to you the purposes he has for you today. Ask him to give you revelation throughout your day on what he wants you to bind and loose on earth and in heaven.

3. Commit yourself to being a minister of the Lord in every circumstance today. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to live courageously and under his influence. Ask him to fill you with love and grace for others and to help you guide others into the fullness of relationship with their Creator.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” >Ephesians 2:4-7

How abundant is our God’s grace that he would choose to use us to advance his kingdom. How near is he to us that he longs to help us be reflections of his love in every circumstance. There is no greater life than one lived in pursuit of bringing God’s kingdom to earth in all we do. There is no greater purpose than being used by the Holy Spirit to accomplish works of eternal significance. May you live today in light of the authority restored to you by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.

Extended Reading: Matthew 16

Making Space for God to Work..... TRICIA LOTT WILLIFORD

 Making Space for God to Work

TRICIA LOTT WILLIFORD

“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.” John 6:11 (NLT) 

Collaboration is my favorite kind of work. I call it “Together Work.” Collaboration, partnering with someone who can bring their specific skills and gifts to the table, always makes me far more effective — in my writing, thinking, creating, parenting.

Together Work always makes me better.

The Holy Spirit offers the most powerful kind of Together Work. We can do most things ourselves, but partnering with the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit multiplies everything. God can take our small offering and do something we could never imagine.

The reason we know the truth of Together Work, the reason we know it’s possible and can be part of the fulness of our lives, is because of the Bible. I have fallen in love with the stories and examples of Together Work in the Bible. They start with small promptings, seemingly meaningless whispers, small nudges that might even be hard to pin down. But when people respond to God’s prompting, He draws them into His larger story.

Friend, God’s Word is so applicable to us today, and we can come to love it in our actual lives. The Bible has life-changing things to say about who you are, where you are and the God who’s in the midst of it all. It shows us practically what Together Work with God looks like. One example is the well-known account of Jesus feeding 5,000 people on a hillside, told in all four Gospels.

People from many towns ran ahead along the shore where He was traveling, always trying to anticipate His next move and be the first ones there. The writers tell us the disciples came to Jesus and suggested He may want to send the people away to nearby farms and villages to get something to eat, and Jesus responded in the classic fashion that makes me love Him so much. He said, “You feed them” (Mark 6:37a, NLT).

“With what?” they protested, pointing out that catering for this many would require months of wages (Mark 6:37b, NLT).

Jesus asked them, “How much bread do you have?” (Mark 6:38a, NLT). They came back and reported, “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” (John 6:9, NLT).

The text states that there were 5,000 men present, and that doesn’t count the women and children. So the total number of hungry people may have actually been 10,000 to 15,000. Five loaves and two fish? Hardly enough.

John tells us, “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted” (John 6:11).

Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed more than 5,000 people. What they originally gave Him seemed insufficient, which is basically how I feel every time I give something to God. I’m always like, “Well, I don’t know what this is yet or how You can possibly do something with my feeble attempts here, but You can have them.”

The crazy thing? In His hands, what we give Him is always enough. We feel that our contribution is inadequately meager, but He can use it. In ways we cannot imagine, He multiplies exponentially.

Seeking to fall in love with the Bible in our actual lives is our part of the Together Work we do with God. We do our part of Together Work when we show up to read the Bible, to meditate on what we’re learning, to memorize words and sew them into our memory.

God’s part in Together Work is in the hidden work that we cannot see. It’s invisible, silent and subtle — yet He gives us the strength, wisdom, rest and renewal that only He can provide.

When we show up to do our work, we make space for God to do His. When we make ourselves available, He makes Himself accessible. Together Work.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the gift of Together Work. Help me to know that nothing is too small to place in Your hands and that whatever I offer You will multiply in ways I could never imagine. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

What Are Phylacteries Anyway?..... By Katie Westenberg

 What Are Phylacteries Anyway?

By Katie Westenberg

These words in Matthew are the variety that I am often quick to skip over. Like a lengthy genealogy in the book of Numbers or a chapter of Levitical law I am tempted to skim over ancient words that are long lost in modern vocabulary.

What are phylacteries anyhow?

It turns out they were small scrolls of parchment containing the law. The Pharisees wore them around their necks and wrists as reminders - reminders to themselves and, most importantly, the world around them. These men valued the scriptures.

Around this time, the Pharisees began to think if a little was good, more is most certainly better and they started making their phylacteries a little bigger - larger reminders to themselves and again, the world around them.

I’ve never seen a phylactery in my corner of the world. It’s not exact11786680ly on trend to dangle law from your wrist these days or “lengthen our tassels”. But before we skip over this passage too quickly, it would be wise to look past the unusual words. Jesus was speaking less of trends and styles and more of a heart issue here.

Later on in chapter 23 he says “…you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy..”. These Pharisees with their phylacteries and with their lives were good at polishing and shining the outside. They were good at looking the part and saying the lines. But Jesus bids them caution, “first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Our bumper stickers never save us. The way we carry our Bible or share scripture quotes on social media will not save us. We live in an age where it is easier to be seen than ever. It is easy to apply filters, crop and edit our lives to near perfection. But isn’t that all only the outside of the cup?

It is quite easy to fool the world around us, but there is One who knows our hearts. And that is all He is really after in the first place.

It is easy to blame the culture, social media or whatever other distractions that tempt us to shine the outside of our cups. But even as times have changed, the temptations of our hearts have not. Phylacteries or cute hand-lettered scriptures quotes perfectly places in our homes, it is less about the cups we choose to shine and more about our determination to shine, to cleanse, the inside first.

Today, may we give him our hearts first and fully, seeking His praise rather than that of the world around us. (John 12:43)

Oh, the Places God Will Take You!..... By Veronica Neffinger

 Oh, the Places God Will Take You!

By Veronica Neffinger

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  -Proverbs 3:5-6

Looking at my stash of postcards, I can’t help but think of the Dr. Seuss book title, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

I have been a lot of places (within the U.S. anyway): Bayfield, WI for their apple orchards and outdoor concert venue, winding Lombard Street in San Francisco, the mangroves of the Florida Keys, Pike’s Peak in Colorado...and the list goes on.

As I look at the postcards which mark each place I’ve been, I also can’t help but think that rather than the places I’ll go, the theme for my life has been “Oh, the places the Lord will take you!”

Sometimes these are literal, physical places like the ones mentioned above, but more often they are intangible places of spiritual growth.

All Christians seem to love the popular Proverbs verses: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,” but oftentimes it seems we do not trust in God to lead us down the right metaphorical path, while we do trust our GPS to get us to that scenic overlook, that historical attraction, that famed wonder of nature--all physical realities.

I would wager that many of us have discovered the hard way that when you think you know better than your GPS and you override it, you usually end up lost.

I don’t think it would be a stretch to claim that we often do the same with God as our guide.

It’s easy to think we know best how to direct our own paths and get where we want to go, but the truth is, we probably wouldn’t have many spiritual “postcards” hanging in the room of our hearts if we went our own way.

God is trustworthy. He is always ready to prove that.

I bet many, many of us could look back on the life we have already lived and point to dozens of times when we saw God’s hand orchestrating situations, bringing certain people into our lives, opening certain doors, closing others, bringing us to a place in which we can look back and see his Providence.

Many of us will also probably admit that those paths didn’t look very straight at the time when we were in the valley, but after all, it’s the same on a map: a road may look straight from a bird’s-eye view, but when you walk or drive it, you may find it has many bends and curves.

And yet, we still trust that the road will take us where the map or a GPS said it would take us--what if we did the same in our relationship with God?

Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a few minutes to consider the path God has been leading you on and to renew your trust in His leading.

Further Reading
Psalm 48:14; Isaiah 58:11

A Prayer for Those Struggling in Spiritual Affliction..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Those Struggling in Spiritual Affliction

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

Submit to Jesus. Resist the devil, and he will flee. - James 4:7

I vividly remember one evening standing over the sink and looking in the mirror. Full of irritation and anger that yet another spiritual attack was at hand, I asked God, “What would you tell me right now?” Not even a moment later James 4:7 was in my mouth, Submit to Jesus, resist the devil, and he will flee.

I’ve prayed this verse for years, but that night something stood out to me I had never noticed before. This verse has two commands with one promise. I must choose submission to Jesus and trust in His authority over my situation. I must choose to resist the devil and know the affliction may not immediately subside, but I’m not alone in it. Lastly, I can rest in the promise from the Lord that the devil will flee.

I went to bed and laid there in awe that I didn’t see the actions I was called to take until this moment. Not only did this bring peace, but it brought me back to the truth that I must always be in the posture of submission to Jesus. Our hearts are best cared for in this place because we’re no longer living in our own strength. So often I see spiritual attacks slip in when I take my eyes off of Jesus. With so much to distract us, we have to be even more diligent to choose the submitted way of living.

I love that Paul penned the words, “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” On this side of heaven, we will experience affliction, but we also get to feel the weight of God’s glory and watch his hands work here on earth. That my friends, is worth any momentary affliction.

In this moment as I sit and write, my family is sitting in affliction. I think many families also are, and maybe your family is one of them. It’s hard, but it’s something we cannot sidestep. It’s a part of this life that will make us even more dependent on The Lord and His truth.

If God’s truth sets us free from bondage, that also means this same truth defeats affliction. This means we’re going to see victory, even if it doesn’t come in the timing we may have hoped for. As I’ve lived through many seasons of attack, I’ve also come to notice the enemy is after those who live their lives on fire for Jesus. Satan wants to diminish an undiminishable light.

So how do we combat this warfare? We pray God’s Word and we follow what it says. We write verses like James 4:7 on our hearts so that in times of hardship we can focus on the truth that will set us free and remind us who has the ultimate victory!

Let’s pray now for those who are under spiritual affliction:

Lord, thank you for the power of your written word. I am so thankful that you’ve laid out the truth before us and blessed us with the ability to call on you in our times of trouble. Lord, as the affliction comes, help me to look to you as my source of strength. Help me to submit to you, resist whatever the enemy is throwing at me, and trust that he will flee. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.